I just climbed Kilimanjaro - now with pics (1 Viewer)

[kutta]

It’s kinda cool you are scaling a big mountain and stuff, but you better comeback here with a story of how you had some action with the Netherlands girl. Or her friend. Or both.

No doubt. Is it too late to cancel the single person tent and opt in for the group tent. You know just to save some money .

I’m thinking I should keep my single tent in case I need a private spot for one of them. This gives us more options.

 

[Don Quixote]

Kilimanjaro is a pretty tricky climb you know, most of its up until you reach the very top, and then it tends to slope away rather sharply.

 

[cashman88]

Good luck on the climb!

 

[jamny]

Good luck kutta!

 

[AAABatteries]

Going down may be tough but the good thing is that at that point you did it, so it’s gotta feel great going down.

 

[AAABatteries]

Screw it. If I get hurt going down that’s fine.

OH, COME ON!!!

 

[dickey moe]

Best of luck, man! Take some sweet pics.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I climbed it awhile ago on a whim. It's pretty high so just be warned. Gets cold up there too in case you didn't know.

Very cool! You think a 57 year old dude in decent shape should be OK?

Although it’s hard to predict how an individual will respond to altitude, in general, older people are a bit less likely to suffer mountain sickness.

If you take your time, you should be fine. Looks like 7-8 day itineraries have the highest success rates.

What was you most difficult training hike? What elevation?

I have an 8 day hike, and a prescription for altitude sickness pills which is supposed to work well.
I’ve been doing a lot of 10 mile hikes, about four hours, 2k elevation change, at about 8k feet. I wanted to get higher but just didn’t have the chance.

Diamox?

8K probably a bit too low to know how you’ll handle higher elevation, but plenty of time to acclimate + meds should make it do-able.

ETA 10 miles with 2K elevation gain in 4 hours is really good! What hiking boots are you using?

Yep - Diamox. And I got some fancy Lowa boots. I’ve broken them in pretty good.

8K is a bit low, but I’ve been as high as 12k and haven’t had any issues at all, so I think I’ll be ok there.

Will you be taking the Diamox prophylactically? FYI, Wilderness Medicine Society guidelines :

Multiple trials have established a role for acetazolamide in the prevention of AMS. The recommended adult dose for prophylaxis is 125 mg twice daily (Table 2). While higher doses up to 500 mg daily are effective at preventing AMS, they are associated with more frequent and/or increased side effects, do not convey greater efficacy, and, therefore, are not recommended for prevention. Recommendation grade: 1A.

No. I will not.

Unless my chicks are into that…

FWIW, I used Diamox prophylactically on Denali. At the time, I was cycling, running and hiking regularly, arguably in the best shape of my life, at age 40. And I don’t typically feel altitude until ~13K feet. But I decided to maximize my chances of a summit, or minimize AMS, at the minimum. There was already plenty of suffering.

I did fine during our 13 day expedition, but had to descend from 17K High Camp, when one of my team members developed frostbite.

Of note, my oxygen saturations (how much oxygen the blood carries) dropped into the low 80’s around 14K; normal is >94%. Surprisingly, I felt OK with those numbers, when I’d surely be gasping for air under normal circumstances.

Hopefully YMWV. Good luck and keep us updated!

Mine drops to upper 80s at around 11.5k (mammoth). I wonder how much further it would drop with 8k more elevation.

Much lower, but pulse oximetry isn’t really reliable below 80%.

Blood gasses are better, where the partial pressure of oxygen dissolved in blood is measured - that’s how much oxygen your tissues have at their disposal.

An average person at sea level has about 13-14 kilopascals (kPa) of oxygen in their bloodstream, University College of London medical researcher Dan Martin says. When his intensive care patients drop to around 8 kPa he gets very worried, and a normal person with 6 kPa of oxygen faces almost certain death. Imagine his shock, then, when he and three colleagues on the top of Mount Everest measured their own blood oxygen level to be between 2.5 and 4 kPa, the lowest ever measured in live people.

 

[kutta]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

 

[Ilov80s]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

I told you it would be cold

 

[kutta]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

I told you it would be cold

Lol! Yes you did…

But 21 degrees would be like the Caribbean based upon my expectations.

 

[kutta]

Just boarded my first flight to Dallas. Then it’s on to Qatar (Doha), then Kilimanjaro.

 

[bigbottom]

So awesome that you are doing this. Best of luck to you!!!

 

[Ilov80s]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

I told you it would be cold

Lol! Yes you did…

But 21 degrees would be like the Caribbean based upon my expectations.

Oh you meant Farenheit. Was around 21 degrees Kelvin when I did my jaunt up the old slope.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

That’s fantastic! Good opportunity for a little suns out, guns out foreplay with the mountainettes.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

That’s fantastic! Good opportunity for a little suns out, guns out foreplay with the mountainettes.

Hope he bought an orange shirt or something else orange. @kutta, get something orange to break the ice with the Dutch mountainette

 

[Terminalxylem]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

That’s fantastic! Good opportunity for a little suns out, guns out foreplay with the mountainettes.

Hope he bought an orange shirt or something else orange. @kutta, get something orange to break the ice with the Dutch mountainette

Summit day apparel

 

[kutta]

Ahhh. The Flagship American Airlines lounge in Dallas. Awesome food spread - sushi, shrimp, blah blah blah, and free, pour your own whiskey, wine, beer - and they have Woodford. Perfect!

 

[NutterButter]

I just checked the weather report at the summit. We summit a week from Monday. Looks like 21 degrees and clear - let’s hope that holds!!

That’s fantastic! Good opportunity for a little suns out, guns out foreplay with the mountainettes.

Hope he bought an orange shirt or something else orange. @kutta, get something orange to break the ice with the Dutch mountainette

Gotta wear some orange if you're going hunting

 

[TheAristocrat]

This is super cool. Looking forward to the summit pics.

 

[kutta]

Landed in Qatar. 14 hour flight. Dang - that’s a long one! One more leg to Kilimanjaro.

 

[kutta]

I’ve been around a bit, and I’ve been in a lot of airport lounges. But this business class lounge in Qatar takes the cake. This thing is posh. Amazing showers, a huge pond in the middle of the lounge, free sushi and lots of great food, and I’m drinking a 15 year Glennfidich.

Pretty good way to spend a few hours before going all caveman for the next 8 days…

 

[Sand]

I’ve been around a bit, and I’ve been in a lot of airport lounges. But this business class lounge in Qatar takes the cake. This thing is posh. Amazing showers, a huge pond in the middle of the lounge, free sushi and lots of great food, and I’m drinking a 15 year Glennfidich.

Pretty good way to spend a few hours before going all caveman for the next 8 days…

Really looking forward to this "Two Dutch Girls and the Caveman" documentary.

 

[heckmanm]

Landed in Qatar. 14 hour flight. Dang - that’s a long one! One more leg to Kilimanjaro.

dat is wat ze zei

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I’ve been around a bit, and I’ve been in a lot of airport lounges. But this business class lounge in Qatar takes the cake. This thing is posh. Amazing showers, a huge pond in the middle of the lounge, free sushi and lots of great food, and I’m drinking a 15 year Glennfidich.

Pretty good way to spend a few hours before going all caveman for the next 8 days…

Why does this make me think of the Green Mile? There must be something seriously wrong with me.

 

[the moops]

So sick! Good luck

 

[kutta]

At the hotel in Moshi now. Cell service is horrible, but they have Wi-Fi here. Come Tuesday, I may go dark for 8 days. If you don’t hear from me in 9 days, alert the authorities .

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Have fun! Can’t wait to hear about it!

 

[kutta]

I met my two girls at the restaurant at the hotel. Super cool chicks! I’m gonna say the chances of shenanigans just went down, but who knows what lack of oxygen does to one’s judgment.

 

[kutta]

I’m keeping some notes on the trip. First two days have been uneventful, but I plan to try to do something similar every day on the mountain. Here’s what I have so far:

Day -1: 30 hours of travel. Finally landed in Kilimanjaro. Customs and luggage was a breeze. Driver took me to hotel in Moshi, one hour away. It’s 9 AM. Town is a little ways away, and I’m tired. Drinking coffee in the outdoor restaurant at the hotel. Will just spend the day relaxing and get to bed early. AC not working - hoping they fix it…

They fixed the AC.

Met my travel matrons - Heather and Zakiya. They are super cool. From Chicago and the Netherlands.

Day 2: Met our guides Shabani (head guide) and Gaudence. Really good guys. Shabai had summited over 300 times! Gaudence about 150 times. Stressed the importance of taking it slow and staying hydrated. I feel much better after meeting with them. Gaudence walked us around Moshi for a while - very typical African town, really enjoyed it. Came back and did my best to pack my bag to 32 lbs. It’s close… took a nap and now having a Kilimanjaro beer getting ready for the morning. We leave for the mountain at 8:30 AM.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Share when you can!

 

[FatMax]

 

[playin4beer]

I’m keeping some notes on the trip. First two days have been uneventful, but I plan to try to do something similar every day on the mountain. Here’s what I have so far:

Day -1: 30 hours of travel. Finally landed in Kilimanjaro. Customs and luggage was a breeze. Driver took me to hotel in Moshi, one hour away. It’s 9 AM. Town is a little ways away, and I’m tired. Drinking coffee in the outdoor restaurant at the hotel. Will just spend the day relaxing and get to bed early. AC not working - hoping they fix it…

They fixed the AC.

Met my travel matrons - Heather and Zakiya. They are super cool. From Chicago and the Netherlands.

Day 2: Met our guides Shabani (head guide) and Gaudence. Really good guys. Shabai had summited over 300 times! Gaudence about 150 times. Stressed the importance of taking it slow and staying hydrated. I feel much better after meeting with them. Gaudence walked us around Moshi for a while - very typical African town, really enjoyed it. Came back and did my best to pack my bag to 32 lbs. It’s close… took a nap and now having a Kilimanjaro beer getting ready for the morning. We leave for the mountain at 8:30 AM.

Glad you got your luggage!! When I went with my daughter to Tanzania, our luggage didn't make it for about 4 days... We stayed the night at the Kia Lodge, right next to the airport.. Picked up a SIM card in Arusha.. Interested to follow along with your climb.. It's something my daughter and I said we were going to do "someday".

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Have fun storming the castle!

 

[kutta]

Aaaaaand, we’re off!

Well, not quite yet. Having a quick breakfast then it’s off to the mountain! I’ll post updates if I can.

 

[tommyGunZ]

LFG!!!!

Good luck kutta!

 

[Corporation]

Good luck Kutta!

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Good luck kutta!

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Good Luck!

 

[Brony]

Take it slow and stay hydrated.

 

[fred_1_15301]

Good luck! And once you do get to the summit, I heard that you can just slide all the way down on your butt. Will be a piece of cake.

 

[dickey moe]

I really do hope he gets laid up on that mountain.

 

[massraider]

I really do hope he gets laid up on that mountain.

Take it slow and stay hydrated.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I really do hope he gets laid up on that mountain.

Take it slow and stay hydrated.

Words to live by.

 

[Brony]

 

[Sand]

If he's in the desert he definitely should have taken that left turn in Albuquerque.

 

[cashman88]

He's probably near the summit right now - not a great time to give us an update.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

He's probably near the summit right now - not a great time to give us an update.

That's what she said.

 

[bushdocda]

 

[Skipdog77]

I hope he didn't get eaten by a Yeti.