During the next several days, I’ll post my own reflections from the Kilimanjaro climb. The goal is to reflect on each day of the climb, one month to the day after the actual climb. Today, I’ll preview my look back by sharing reflections and presentations of teammates. At the end of this post, I’ll begin my reflections with stories from my first full day in Tanzania.
Presentation of Entire Climb from John
Our group of fourteen North American climbers included three teammates named John. One of them combined route information with photos to make the nifty presentation below.
Presentation of Entire Climb from John
Our group of fourteen North American climbers included three teammates named John. One of them combined route information with photos to make the nifty presentation below.
Blog Posts from Jeff
My friend, Jeff, who invited me to join him on this climb, posted two reflections about the climb. The first post presented a recap of the climb, including an update on the fundraiser aspect of the climb. The second post gave a more personal look at how the climb impacted Jeff personally and spiritually.
Fundraiser Update
As of February 2013, the team of fourteen climbers raised over $50,000 to help eMi build their new office. Thank you for all of your support toward that!
Arrival in Tanzania, Pre-Climb Stories and Photos
Finally, in the spirit of what I’ll be posting here over the next several days, I’m providing a couple pre-climb photos I took in Tanzania upon my arrival a month ago. One of them deserves to be accompanied by its story. To set that up, I’ll tell a couple stories of photos I was unable to take – ones that got away...
I arrived in Tanzania in the middle of the night on January 20. Because I already had a visa, I cleared immigration quickly, reunited with my checked luggage, and proceeded to the area where I expected to connect promptly with my ride to the hotel. However, I quickly realized that none of the drivers assembled outside the baggage area were looking for me. After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to figure out which driver was waiting for me, I saw a sign with “ClimbKili,” a phone number and my name on it, resting on a post. Without a cell phone that worked in Tanzania, I sought the help of one of the drivers standing nearby to phone my driver, who had vanished into the night somewhere to catch a few winks. Fortunately, my driver reappeared on the scene quickly, and I had a pleasant – at times, even lively – ride to the hotel, where I met Jeff around 5am.
I wanted to keep the sign my driver had left on the post at the airport, but he wouldn’t allow me to have it. This was a bit puzzling to me, as the sign had my name on it. Nevertheless I didn’t come away with the sign, and I wasn’t able to get a photo.
When Jeff woke me up for breakfast at 8am, I truly had no idea where I was or who was bothering me. It had been an exceedingly short night, compounded by the exhausting pre-trip scramble to finalize gathering what I needed to bring with me, plus the journey of over a full day to reach Tanzania. I was out cold. Jeff spent significant stretches of that day helping me stay awake, a vital part of my readjusting to Tanzania time.
I had promised Nick Comande that, while in Tanzania, I would look for the flag he’d carried to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro years earlier. He told me that he had stayed at a Kibo Hotel. We asked someone at the front desk of our hotel where Kibo Hotel was located. One of many Kibo hotels was apparently nearby. Another was a two-hour drive from our hotel. We set out for the nearby Kibo Hotel – to look for the flag, but also to keep me moving.
Long story short: We never found the flag, and we’re pretty sure the hotel we needed was the distant one. After walking awhile on a hot day (80s Fahrenheit, 26-32 Celsius) in Arusha, I needed to purchase water. We stopped at a convenience store and were greeted by what you see pictured below.
Apparently, the Pittsburgh Steelers have arrived in Tanzania – at least in doormat form. The lady who sold me water wanted to know why I was taking photos outside her shop. I did my best to explain. I’m not sure Tanzania is fully a Steeler Nation just yet.
After reorganizing bags to take with me to the mountain itself, I stayed awake until around 11pm. Prior to sunset, I climbed to the rooftop of our hotel and snapped the above photo of Mount Kilimanjaro. Our climb to the Rooftop of Africa would begin the following day.
My friend, Jeff, who invited me to join him on this climb, posted two reflections about the climb. The first post presented a recap of the climb, including an update on the fundraiser aspect of the climb. The second post gave a more personal look at how the climb impacted Jeff personally and spiritually.
Fundraiser Update
As of February 2013, the team of fourteen climbers raised over $50,000 to help eMi build their new office. Thank you for all of your support toward that!
Arrival in Tanzania, Pre-Climb Stories and Photos
Finally, in the spirit of what I’ll be posting here over the next several days, I’m providing a couple pre-climb photos I took in Tanzania upon my arrival a month ago. One of them deserves to be accompanied by its story. To set that up, I’ll tell a couple stories of photos I was unable to take – ones that got away...
I arrived in Tanzania in the middle of the night on January 20. Because I already had a visa, I cleared immigration quickly, reunited with my checked luggage, and proceeded to the area where I expected to connect promptly with my ride to the hotel. However, I quickly realized that none of the drivers assembled outside the baggage area were looking for me. After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to figure out which driver was waiting for me, I saw a sign with “ClimbKili,” a phone number and my name on it, resting on a post. Without a cell phone that worked in Tanzania, I sought the help of one of the drivers standing nearby to phone my driver, who had vanished into the night somewhere to catch a few winks. Fortunately, my driver reappeared on the scene quickly, and I had a pleasant – at times, even lively – ride to the hotel, where I met Jeff around 5am.
I wanted to keep the sign my driver had left on the post at the airport, but he wouldn’t allow me to have it. This was a bit puzzling to me, as the sign had my name on it. Nevertheless I didn’t come away with the sign, and I wasn’t able to get a photo.
When Jeff woke me up for breakfast at 8am, I truly had no idea where I was or who was bothering me. It had been an exceedingly short night, compounded by the exhausting pre-trip scramble to finalize gathering what I needed to bring with me, plus the journey of over a full day to reach Tanzania. I was out cold. Jeff spent significant stretches of that day helping me stay awake, a vital part of my readjusting to Tanzania time.
I had promised Nick Comande that, while in Tanzania, I would look for the flag he’d carried to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro years earlier. He told me that he had stayed at a Kibo Hotel. We asked someone at the front desk of our hotel where Kibo Hotel was located. One of many Kibo hotels was apparently nearby. Another was a two-hour drive from our hotel. We set out for the nearby Kibo Hotel – to look for the flag, but also to keep me moving.
Long story short: We never found the flag, and we’re pretty sure the hotel we needed was the distant one. After walking awhile on a hot day (80s Fahrenheit, 26-32 Celsius) in Arusha, I needed to purchase water. We stopped at a convenience store and were greeted by what you see pictured below.
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| Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia at a convenience store in Arusha, Tanzania. |
Apparently, the Pittsburgh Steelers have arrived in Tanzania – at least in doormat form. The lady who sold me water wanted to know why I was taking photos outside her shop. I did my best to explain. I’m not sure Tanzania is fully a Steeler Nation just yet.
 |
| View of Mount Kilimanjaro from our hotel, the night before we began our trek. |
After reorganizing bags to take with me to the mountain itself, I stayed awake until around 11pm. Prior to sunset, I climbed to the rooftop of our hotel and snapped the above photo of Mount Kilimanjaro. Our climb to the Rooftop of Africa would begin the following day.
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