We were lucky to attend a Kilimanjaro information night at our new favourite store, the Great Outdoors in Chatham Street. Whatever notions we had of being somewhat prepared were quickly dispelled as we listened with growing fascination at the details of what was to come. (By "fascination", I mean "horror", and by "details", I mean "catalogue of unimaginable tortures".)
We learnt that not only did we need a sleeping bag that would allow us to sleep comfortably at -15C while wearing thermal underwear and huddled against each other in a shivering pile (I'm exaggerating...slightly), but also that we could contract cholera and the plague while in Tanzania. We learnt that we should only take anti-diarrhoea medicine if the diarrhoea was "inconvenient" (er?), and that some of the symptoms of altitude sickness are confusion, irritability, and of course, death.
Ah ha ha ha..how we laughed.
The presentation was fantastic and we were informed as to why we need the A4 page, tiny font, single spaced essay of items on our equipment list. Every item is necessary (unfortunately!), although I do wonder how ye olde climbers did these things without the 2 litre "hydration systems", sweat-wicking tops, lightweight yet supportive boots, and AirZone breathable adjustable backpacks with zillions of pockets, a raincover, clips and bells and whistles (seriously), like this one. (It's really cool.) Also, we hear tales of the more experienced porters down there who breezily trot up and down the mountain in flip flops while carrying the Mzungu's luggage.
(An aside - mzungu is used to denote a person of European descent but literally translates to "someone who roams around aimlessly" - LOL!)
One of the things we learnt was that under no circumstances should we wear any cotton. It should all be synthetic or wool. Including our underwear. This is because cotton retains moisture close to your skin so imagine trekking for hours and hours with material sticking to sweaty skin. Chafeage!! Synthetics and woollens however absorb it right away from the skin, keeping you cool and dry - of course this means stinky clothing but hey, we'll all be in the same boat.
We were imagining the worst re woolly undies but were extremely pleasantly surprised to see that things have come pretty far since the Pioneer days, and the material made from Merino wool is indistinguishable from nylon. So comfortable and it really does the trick. You can even trace your own particular sheep with the Icebreaker range - hilarious!
Re the stinky clothing - and stinky bodies: we may be lucky and get a bucket of water with which to wash ourselves and our clothes, so that's ok. I found nifty little shampoo and detergent "leaves" - like that chewing gum breath freshener thing you let melt on your tongue - so they are extremely compact to carry and of course leak proof as they are solid until in contact with water. After we have done the bare necessities hygiene-wise we can wash our socks etc that we have been wearing and wear a fresh pair the next day. We can clip our wet stuff onto our backpacks and let it dry on our day's walk. I cannot wait to get a picture of a line of underwear and socks walking up Kilimanjaro.
The most expensive item we have to buy is our sleeping bag (€200!). As mentioned it has to have a comfort rating of -15C, which means that we are able to comfortably sleep at that temperature. The extreme rating of this bag goes right down to -30C, which is the temperature at which you will not die if you are wearing ALL your clothes while inside it - good to know!! Luckily, the most we will get to is about -10C (I think) as we do not sleep at the summit, for obvious reasons, but at a camp lower down.
It was recommended that we trial Diamox (the anti-altitude sickness medication) for a few days before we go, to see if we can tolerate it. Well - we couldn't! But only when we tried to climb Lugnaquilla in conditions that made our Djouce experience seem positively balmy. I'll expand further on this in a later post...thankfully, no harm done.
The main thing we need to get sorted now is our vaccinations. Another long list - not compulsory (apart from Yellow Fever, which is mandatory to enter Tanzania), but I think I'll take the recommended ones!!
So far, we have about 70% of our gear. I see the sale at the Great Outdoors starts on Thursday - I'll be there!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Third hike - Tonelagee, Wicklow
We awoke to a glorious sunny day on this occasion, which was a welcome relief after the crappiness of the previous hike's weather!
We had decided, with guidance from Kieran at the Great Outdoors (our Guru re all things Kilimanjaro) to hike Tonelagee, leaving one car at Laragh and starting from further up the R756, so rather than going straight up and down like we had been we could experience different terrain and views all the way. We parked the second car at Wicklow Gap and (after my husband revived himself with a chocolate bar - can't go more than a few hours without sustenance) began our climb!
The first challenge was to find a path. We could see a few people up ahead of us but no path...we ploughed on regardless through the scrub, certain we would come across it sometime before the top...and kept going, kept going, kept going...no path! It was pretty cool feeling like you were the first ones there! HOWEVER...a word to the weary - if you do it in this way, the route up is practically vertical!!! We were exhausted just getting up to the summit which was only a few hours, if that. We were never so happy to get to the actual summit (those false summits are going to KILL me) and take in the stunning views over the Reservoir and Lough Ouler.
We have invested in an Ordinance Survey map of the area and this proved invaluable when trying to plot our descent (still no path!). The contour lines were our saviours because had we chosen the wrong path, things could have gone quite pear-shaped (like me! HA!) as it was extremely steep in places, with lots of rocks waiting to send you to your doom and hidden holes in which to twist your ankle. (Although a helicopter rescue did seem like a good idea at the time.)
Once we had navigated the still interesting descent, we could take it a bit easier. The return journey was mostly descent and flat and went through fantastic grasslands and wooded areas. We passed a herd of deer and could see evidence of lots of wildlife. The best thing about this climb was that we passed exactly three people - it was absolutely the quietest area we've been in so far. Added bonus - no small children or the elderly out to make us feel completely inadequate!
This hike was also my opportunity to use my new toy (guys look away now) - a SheWee! This amazing invention is a silicone funnel ladies ("ladies") can use to pee while standing up. I know most men won't immediately understand the significance of this so try this out (maybe not so your neighbours can see): with your hiking gear on, including backpack because you can't put it down in case it gets wet, and hunched over so a straggly bush at least attempts to cover your shame, pull your trousers down just enough to expose your bottom but not so far that other people can see what's what. Do the same with your underwear. Squat precariously on the uneven ground (if it's sheltered, it's uneven; if it's even, it's in the open - law of nature), while keeping backpack, trousers and underwear clear of the mucky ground and also away from the business end of things. While balancing thus like a circus perfomer, attempt to relieve yourself downhill but away from your feet, making sure you do not topple backwards, sideways, or forwards, with all the muscles in your thighs clenched. Once this has been achieved - and don't worry, it will never feel like actual relief because you can't get it all out in this abominable way - use a scrap of toilet paper to dry out, again keeping all clothes etc away from the ground. Find somewhere to put toilet paper. Pull up underwear and trousers while in this position because if you stand up everyone can see you. Try not to fall over while doing this. Wobble back to your group where the men will have jovially watered the countryside and ask "What takes you girls sooooo long???"
Hence - the SheWee. You just need to unzip, push the underwear aside, position the funnel and presto, peeing standing up. Best. Invention. EVER. Seriously, any ladies who hike often - check it out. Do it now!
Right, I've finished proselytising now.
We finally reached a dirt road (civilisation!) which would lead us back to Laragh, following the Glenmacnass River.
After another few hours the stile that marked the end of our hike appeared There was a sign on it facing the other way, which we assumed was a welcome or perhaps directions. Full of the joys of spring we skipped over it and turned around. It said, "Warning! Hunting season. Stick to the marked trail."
Remember the deer we saw...?
Summary: max altitude 817 metres, total time around 6 hours.
We had decided, with guidance from Kieran at the Great Outdoors (our Guru re all things Kilimanjaro) to hike Tonelagee, leaving one car at Laragh and starting from further up the R756, so rather than going straight up and down like we had been we could experience different terrain and views all the way. We parked the second car at Wicklow Gap and (after my husband revived himself with a chocolate bar - can't go more than a few hours without sustenance) began our climb!
The first challenge was to find a path. We could see a few people up ahead of us but no path...we ploughed on regardless through the scrub, certain we would come across it sometime before the top...and kept going, kept going, kept going...no path! It was pretty cool feeling like you were the first ones there! HOWEVER...a word to the weary - if you do it in this way, the route up is practically vertical!!! We were exhausted just getting up to the summit which was only a few hours, if that. We were never so happy to get to the actual summit (those false summits are going to KILL me) and take in the stunning views over the Reservoir and Lough Ouler.
We have invested in an Ordinance Survey map of the area and this proved invaluable when trying to plot our descent (still no path!). The contour lines were our saviours because had we chosen the wrong path, things could have gone quite pear-shaped (like me! HA!) as it was extremely steep in places, with lots of rocks waiting to send you to your doom and hidden holes in which to twist your ankle. (Although a helicopter rescue did seem like a good idea at the time.)
Once we had navigated the still interesting descent, we could take it a bit easier. The return journey was mostly descent and flat and went through fantastic grasslands and wooded areas. We passed a herd of deer and could see evidence of lots of wildlife. The best thing about this climb was that we passed exactly three people - it was absolutely the quietest area we've been in so far. Added bonus - no small children or the elderly out to make us feel completely inadequate!
This hike was also my opportunity to use my new toy (guys look away now) - a SheWee! This amazing invention is a silicone funnel ladies ("ladies") can use to pee while standing up. I know most men won't immediately understand the significance of this so try this out (maybe not so your neighbours can see): with your hiking gear on, including backpack because you can't put it down in case it gets wet, and hunched over so a straggly bush at least attempts to cover your shame, pull your trousers down just enough to expose your bottom but not so far that other people can see what's what. Do the same with your underwear. Squat precariously on the uneven ground (if it's sheltered, it's uneven; if it's even, it's in the open - law of nature), while keeping backpack, trousers and underwear clear of the mucky ground and also away from the business end of things. While balancing thus like a circus perfomer, attempt to relieve yourself downhill but away from your feet, making sure you do not topple backwards, sideways, or forwards, with all the muscles in your thighs clenched. Once this has been achieved - and don't worry, it will never feel like actual relief because you can't get it all out in this abominable way - use a scrap of toilet paper to dry out, again keeping all clothes etc away from the ground. Find somewhere to put toilet paper. Pull up underwear and trousers while in this position because if you stand up everyone can see you. Try not to fall over while doing this. Wobble back to your group where the men will have jovially watered the countryside and ask "What takes you girls sooooo long???"
Hence - the SheWee. You just need to unzip, push the underwear aside, position the funnel and presto, peeing standing up. Best. Invention. EVER. Seriously, any ladies who hike often - check it out. Do it now!
Right, I've finished proselytising now.
We finally reached a dirt road (civilisation!) which would lead us back to Laragh, following the Glenmacnass River.
After another few hours the stile that marked the end of our hike appeared There was a sign on it facing the other way, which we assumed was a welcome or perhaps directions. Full of the joys of spring we skipped over it and turned around. It said, "Warning! Hunting season. Stick to the marked trail."
Remember the deer we saw...?
Summary: max altitude 817 metres, total time around 6 hours.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Money makes the world go round
As I mentioned in my first post we're doing this (crazy) thing for charity - the Marie Keating Foundation. When we first got going back in February we thought raising the required €5000 each would be no bother - but it turns out asking people to hand over their hard earned cash during a recession is possibly harder than that final night's climb to the summit (I'll let you know when we get back). Those who have donated have been really generous and we are really appreciative of this considering the times we live in. Also, the practical help and support we've been getting from our friends has been touching; we won't forget it!
Of that €5k, some of it covers our flights, accommodation and meals while on Kili (which we are obviously putting in ourselves) but ALL the rest raised goes to the charity. (This post isn't even going to talk about the other personal expenses with which we are faced - equipment, vaccinations, visas...watch this blog for more on those).
Other than just straight begging for cash, we held a Pub Quiz recently which was lots of fun! (Even though the fact checker - me - got a few things wrong when setting the q's - D'OH!) At this event, we had a raffle for some fantastic prizes which were all donated to us by some extremely lovely people at the Great Outdoors (90% of our kit comes from them! they know EVERYTHING), Halo Hairdressing, Dominos Pizza, Buttercups Beauty and BootCamp Ireland (D, have you used this voucher yet!!! :-)) The amazing first prize was a gorgeous wildlife photograph which we ALL wanted and no doubt contributed to raising most of the money we made that night! Thank you Des!
We also did a shopping centre collection but that wasn't great - I can appreciate though that people would rather donate to someone actually doing something like packing bags rather than standing there looking fabulous (as we always do). Unfortunately getting into the local supermarkets to pack bags is akin to gaining an audience with the Pope - you have to have booked at least a year in advance (and have some sort of diplomatic passport or something)!
In total, the 5 of us doing it for the Foundation are short around €16 000!!! EEEK!
We've bought a block of tickets for a comedy night so that will hopefully bring in some euros, and we are trying to organise a singles' night for later on this month. My good friend C is something of an events coordinating queen so she's looking forward to helping with that - thanks babe!!
Well, watch this space - hopefully we will have raised all that by the end of August!!!
Of that €5k, some of it covers our flights, accommodation and meals while on Kili (which we are obviously putting in ourselves) but ALL the rest raised goes to the charity. (This post isn't even going to talk about the other personal expenses with which we are faced - equipment, vaccinations, visas...watch this blog for more on those).
Other than just straight begging for cash, we held a Pub Quiz recently which was lots of fun! (Even though the fact checker - me - got a few things wrong when setting the q's - D'OH!) At this event, we had a raffle for some fantastic prizes which were all donated to us by some extremely lovely people at the Great Outdoors (90% of our kit comes from them! they know EVERYTHING), Halo Hairdressing, Dominos Pizza, Buttercups Beauty and BootCamp Ireland (D, have you used this voucher yet!!! :-)) The amazing first prize was a gorgeous wildlife photograph which we ALL wanted and no doubt contributed to raising most of the money we made that night! Thank you Des!
We also did a shopping centre collection but that wasn't great - I can appreciate though that people would rather donate to someone actually doing something like packing bags rather than standing there looking fabulous (as we always do). Unfortunately getting into the local supermarkets to pack bags is akin to gaining an audience with the Pope - you have to have booked at least a year in advance (and have some sort of diplomatic passport or something)!
In total, the 5 of us doing it for the Foundation are short around €16 000!!! EEEK!
We've bought a block of tickets for a comedy night so that will hopefully bring in some euros, and we are trying to organise a singles' night for later on this month. My good friend C is something of an events coordinating queen so she's looking forward to helping with that - thanks babe!!
Well, watch this space - hopefully we will have raised all that by the end of August!!!
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