Kilimanjaro

cococa

Hey all,

I'm planning to hike Kilimanjaro this fall. Any stories, tips, or recommendations?

We've already booked flights, and decided on an operator. I'm making a gear checklist - I know that layering will be super important. Other than that I'm trying to put together a list of training hikes for this summer. Planning on Whitney at some point (if we can get a pass in the lotto).

Thanks in advance!

treehopper1987

I have a friend that did this about a year ago. She used a fitness program that was recommended to her by the group she hiked with... it included things like swimming and hiking and using stair climbers etc. She survived lol. Also, I believe the worst part for her was the malaria "pills". I think they made her sick, so prepare for that.

JessyJ03

Nothing I can do to help you there but I thought I'd throw this at you for you to consider

https://secure2.convio.net/fhcrc/site/TRR/Climb/FredHutchinsonCancerResearchCenter/2047804921?pg=ptype&fr_id=1260&JServSessionIdr004=n7anovygl1.app205b

It's a great cause and you will be hiking anyway. A great way to give back.

Happy climbing!

Miss_Hiker_Pants

I wish I was going with. I've really been looking into Kilimanjaro. That would be awesome.

1960HikerDude

Ahhhh.... So many great hiking destinations. So little cash.

cococa

Ahhhh.... So many great hiking destinations. So little cash.

Yea the price is a bit steep. We saved up all last year just to go.

rockieschick

Lucky you! I want to go there too but I gotta do one at a time! Its on my list for sure!

I know Rainier is not nearly as high but when I trained for it, in term of conditioning, I simply tried to do as much stairs training with a pack as possible. If I couldn't then I did it on a treadmill with the highest incline.

But obviously hiking and climbing will be the best preparation! Hope you make it up Whitney (Another place we need to get to....Can I just win the Lotto please!)

HikerLiz

I climbed Kilimanjaro in 2008. We went with International Mountain Guides, a local company here in Washington, and went up the Machame route. 5 days up, 2 days down. I would highly recommend IMG. We were lucky enough to climb with Phil Ershler and his team of three local guides. Actually, even if you've chosen another outfitter, the IMG site has a lot of great info on Kilimanjaro, (http://www.mountainguides.com/kilimanjaro-faq.shtml).

Training:
I hiked at least twice a week, then did conditioning/strength/aerobic videos twice a week, and then yoga/pilates once or twice a week. (For people from here, my standard training hike was Mt. Si. At least until the snow melted on the higher peaks.)

Also, we tried to get elevation whenever possible. In the summer, we went to Yosemite and stayed up at Tioga Pass, then went south to Bishop and climbed White Mountain (http://www.summitpost.org/white-mountain-peak/150221) and then on to Lone Pine and Mount Whitney. We did Whitney in one long day. We hiked Third Burroughs at Rainier later in the summer.

Although the altitude conditioning fades quickly, you do get a sense of how your body reacts to altitude.The long hard hikes helped a lot with the mental preparation too.

Drugs: We used malarone for malaria, and tolerated it well. We also brought tylenol 3 for headaches, Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for gastro. problems, Diamox (Acetazolamide) for altitude, and Ambien for sleep problems. We didn't use any of those unless the symptoms didn't respond to milder medicines. I personally used 1/2 the recommended dose of Diamox once I got above 12,000 feet.

Anything else? I can go on and on about Kili.

Oh - and if you have a safari option after the hike, take it! You've already paid for the airfare to Tanzania, and seeing "zoo" animals in the wild is amazing!

I keep thinking of more things - bring snacks you like. It's hard to keep your appetite when you get high, and you're burning lots of calories. And bring hard candy to keep your mouth moist. It's dry after the first day.

In our group, everyone who made the first day made the summit. Two of our friends had heard that it was a "walk-up", and didn't do a lot of training. They had to turn around and be led down the mountain after the first day. It was sad, but they ended up going to Zanzibar and relaxing and bathing in rose-petal baths while we were wiping ourselves down with handiwipes in our tents, so it wasn't all bad for them.

Finally, it's a beautiful mountain! Enjoy your trip, and feel free to ask me any questions.

(I changed my profile pic to one of me on the Barranco Wall.)

cococa

I leave in just 4 days!!! Thanks all for the support and tips. HikerLiz - that's crazy that 2 people in your group had to turn around after just one day. I didn't train nearly as much as I wanted, but I run hills and I'm used to hiking up past 10k for 16+ mile day hikes and 5000 feet elevation gain. From the looks of it each day is half that at most, so I think it'll just be a matter of how the elevation affects me. I've never hiked for a week straight or anything past the low 14s, so we'll see how that goes. Well we have all our gear and our favorite snacks and we're super excited. Keep your fingers crossed for me! We opted to skip Zanzibar in favor of a longer safari. Can't wait to see some amazing animals!

AltSpeaking

How did it go? Looks like you headed out there just before we did - My husband and I climbed starting Sept 23rd!

cococa

It was absolutely amazing. I posted my pictures/story on the "Anyone doing any hiking board." How did your trip go?

AltSpeaking

Amazing We climbed for Ovarian Cancer Canada with a group of 15 - Including 6 survivors! It made it an emotional and powerful journey and I'm SO happy we took part!