Friday, December 30, 2011

Kilimanjaro and the Roof of Africa

How to make climbing Kili harder:
1) Have surgery on your eye the morning you depart
2) Go to work after that
3) Fly over night
4) Do the hardest route
5) Carry your own 35lb pack instead of having a porter do it
6) Have a hole in your air mattress so you sleep on rocks

A small cist on my eyelid had to go so I started my trip with some surgery. Pulse rate on the table = 40bpm and went to 46bpm when they cut open my lid. Got dressed and went to work. Finished that and went to the airport for an 11:50pm flight. Worst flight ever! I sat in the middle seat with the guy on my left a loud talker (and a spitter) and the guy on my right stank. These two became buddies and talked across me, even high fiving each other at some points in front of my face. When I hunched over my meal to keep saliva out of it, they talked on my back. They each had 4 beers (not to mention whatever they had before getting on the plane) and stayed up all night. I just wanted to rest. After 3 hours I just crawled over them to another row. Landing at 4:40am was no better; a mad dash for visas that are processed randomly. Then you go outside to wait in a long line only to go back inside through security. Get your pass and then upstairs to, you guessed it, security. I sat in the airport, caught the flight to Moshi. It was excellent seeing the summit of Kili above where we were flying.
The first look


In the down time at my hotel, I met my guide, Silvano. We got along well until he told me to pack my day pack with camera and water and the porters would carry the rest. I told him no, I would be carrying, and he was skeptical. But I won (because I am the client).

How I knew my route was harder than the others
1) When asked which route I am doing and I respond “Umbwe”, people wince.
2) I took a Land Rover to the trailhead; others took a bus
3) I was the only one to sign in for my route that day; other routes can see 25 per day.

The first day was about 8k of hiking and an elevation gain of 1,000m. My boxed lunch eaten, gear sorted, and porters already on the hump, I shouldered my pack. Immediately it started to rain. We slogged uphill in a river of water for several hours. My pancho could not cover my bag and me so I opted for the bag, figuring if it were dry then I would be dry, eventually. My guide kept saying “pole, pole” (pronounced polly polly meaning ‘slowly, slowly’ in Swahili. At first, I thought it was super slow, but by the end of the day, I realized that it made it possible to hike forever. Muddy and soaked to the bone, 4 ½ hours later we got to camp and ate.
Camp 1 (2940m)
That night we slept at 2900m, and it was the darkest I have ever known. There was no light. I could make out nothing in my tent – no shapes, no color; with no light within miles and a cloudy sky it was something to value.

The route

Camp 2 in the cloud (3900m)
The next day was the “short day.” The exciting part was a Class 5 scramble up about 50ft of wall. With the heavy packs it was pretty sketchy, and the route was bolted for people to be roped up. There was a longer way around, but this was an adventure. The porters waited at the top to see me make it (or watch me fall, if that were the case). 4+ hours of hiking up a very steep section of trail was miserable. The rain started toward the end and I resumed my usual state of dampness. I suppose I was irritated that it wasn’t faster. Our camp was stuck in a cloud on a barren plateau. I was not impressed. People would roll in every 15 min or so yelling for their team in the fog. Barranco Camp sat 1,100m above the first camp and 8k away. It wasn’t short.

On the third day, I awoke to a much better view. What was socked in a cloud to my right was now a long view to the valley below. To my left, a beautiful peak with the summit beyond. In front, Barranco Wall, a large slab of rock that was our route.

 
Once clearing the wall (again, an exciting scramble), there was a lot of hiking along the valley floor. We hit Karranga Camp after about 2 ½ hours of hiking. But we would not camp because it was only a couple of hundred meters higher than the previous camp.
 

After lunch, we kept going up to the Barafu camp making it a 6 hour day. All in all, we did about 15km and gained about 700m. I was feeling very strong and seemed to only be doing better as we climbed. Altitude was not a factor and I was getting better at carrying my heavy pack. Still, I was glad to be done. But rest was short. It was summit night.
Dinner in high camp (summit beyond glacier)

High Camp (4600m)



The summit was beyond our view but we did have a nice glimpse of the glacier on top. Dinner and some rest; I can’t say sleep. At 11:30pm you drink your tea and dress up for the midnight departure. I was very warm early on and had to take off my hat and gloves while most everyone I passed was sewn up in Gore-Tex. Even though I started later than many others, soon I was leading the pack up the mountain. Things were good for a couple of hours as we went pole, pole. The trail of headlamps behind me was nearly as beautiful as the stars in the sky. At that altitude, many miles from civilization, we could see a mix of galaxies and planets that painted the black canvas of the sky. I moved well for 2 hours, and then, suddenly, things went bad.

My head was spinning, my stomach sour. Was it the altitude? I had performed well up till now. Was it my calories? I only had a protein bar for “breakfast.” For the next 2 hours I slogged behind Silvano, placing one foot in front of the other, never looking up. Every step sucked and I struggled significantly. We pushed up the steep wall to Stella Point (5700m) and things started to get better. Stella is essentially the top as there is only a gentle summit ridge remaining.
Sunrise from the Roof of Africa
We rolled on up the ridge. The summit was 400m away. Then 300m. Suddenly I was sitting on a rock, wishing my life was over. People started passing me, which had not happened all climb. I was no longer first; in fact, now I was yelling at Silvano for toilet paper and he threw me some baby wipes. Well equipped, I squatted amongst the rocks. I can’t tell you what came out because it rolled down the mountain and out of sight. Instantly, my life was better. Within a few minutes, I was on the summit! Uhuru Peak, 5895m, 5:35am!

My stay at the Top of Africa was brief. In order to wipe my tukus, I had to take off my glove. Now my hand was frozen solid. A few pictures were snapped and we bolted back down to Stella Point as the magnificently orange African sun was on the rise. Unfortunately, the next 90 min were torturous scree-gully descents with me sliding, falling, and skidding back down the mountain. The sun was now up and I was started to soak with the layers of clothing on. At 7:45am I crash landed in my tent at high camp. I had a little over an hour to eat breakfast, pack my gear, and get my body to stop hating me. Then we were off.
Death in high camp post climb
Down, down, down we walked, quickly but still with a lot of weight. I had to carry water, my gear, and I didn’t eat any of the snacks I brought because the meals were so large. My pack weighed about the same as it did when I left. Silvano paid me props by telling me he thought I would do the first day and give up my pack. Then he said he thought there was no way I would keep it after the second day. He said he had never had a client carry all their own stuff before. I told him I wouldn’t do it any other way. Carrying weight makes it hard and hence better training and simulates future climbs. We stopped in the Millennium Camp for a $4 Coke (which I bought for Silvano since the average Tanzania lives on about $3/day) and continued down to Mweka Hut (3100m), the last camp on the route. Although only a couple hours from the gate, we stopped. It had been a long day and it was going to cost me about $55/night extra for every day I got off the mountain early, so one day faster was enough. I got there from high camp in 2.5 hours, a route that normally takes 4 for the solid guy. I laid around, ate, and slept.
Last camp, Mweka Hut (3100m)
A coke and a smile with Silvano, my guide
And then I paid for it. Climbing with weight, summiting, and bolting down the mountain with weight so quickly caught up with me. I felt like I had just finished an ultramarathon. My quads were shot, and my legs screamed with every step. Within minutes of our departure I was dripping in sweat and near tears with pain. Everyone went past me, and not just porters. Finally, when two German women (one of them….older) went by, I told Silvano enough was enough. He reassured me that the pace was good and that I was the only one carrying all my gear, but I had had it. We picked up the pace; it hurt like hell anyway so why not get down. I gritted my teeth and pushed on, and soon we reached a road. From there, I even jogged a bit and was to the gate 2 hours after starting. After signing out and jumping in the Land Rover, my time on the mountain was done.

Overall, my experience was interesting. The route was not difficult as technical climbing can be, but it was not easy. I made a challenge for myself and it was worth it. One of the interesting finds was that from the pictures, Kili looks like a flat hill. In fact, it was miles of jagged peaks and dozens of valleys. Even the summit was a rounded mass distinct from the rest of the peak. The mountain was very beautiful and extremely well maintained. The trails were well groomed and the camps cleared (of course not without its garbage). It carries my recommendation for pretty much anyone to hit up – from those looking for some adventure straight from the job to a serious climber needed one of the seven summits. Holds a little something for everyone. And now my appetite is whet for something bigger…

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Four Races in Five Weeks

You know how to train? Race 4 times in 5 weeks. It will do it. Coming off the Soweto Marathon and the triathlon, I rolled into the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge. Last year I was hurting for the ride. This year, we were better off. Because I was seeded, I started at 7:03 in the morning, hours earlier than last year. Plus, it was cooler and overcast. Whereas last year I struggled up every hill, bonked hard, and cramped over and over. This year, I cruised in my group, moved to the front by halfway, and blasted up the long hills that killed me last year. When I hit the highway, I rode in a large peloton doing no damage to my legs. I stopped near the end of the road to pee and get drinks. So from 20k out, I rode alone trying to hammer back to where I was. I caught rider after rider and sprinted to the finish. I finished 8th in my wave of 500, and in under 3 hours for the 61 mile effort. I was very pleased…the perfect ride.

With three races in three weeks done, it was fitting that Thanksgiving was a week off. A few rides and a couple of hour-long runs and I can’t say I rested. So why not come out for another race? The BSG Energade Sprint Triathlon was a good place to start. The swim was only 600m but it was in a river with a current. While I can’t say I tore it up, something happened that rarely does for me in the swim; I passed people! Of course, I was in the 30-50 age group. My transition to the bike was quick.

On the first few hundred yards of the ride, I sailed past people. Then a couple of guys came up and we packed up. It was a draft legal race, which means we could ride close together to reduce the wind. We took turns pulling at the front, with me directing the pacing. A group of 4 of us dropped rider after rider. I hopped off the bike with another fast transition.

My run was flawless. I scooped up runner after runner, 32 in all over the 5K course. No one passed me. I logged the 11th fastest run but I question my split (I had 50 seconds faster on my watch, would have put me as the 5th or so fastest). I was 22nd overall, not including the elites. It was great practice for transitions and open water. 1:06:55.

I threw in another 2K time trial in the pool and banked a 36:34, my fastest yet. That equates to about a 1:09:30 Ironman swim, so I am happy with that. With drafting, a wetsuit, and no turns to make, I am hoping this is an indicator of getting closer to my goal.

I am off to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro, go on safari, and hit the beaches of Zanzibar. Training will take a hit – will be non-existent – for two weeks, but when I come back it is great training and diet for the month of January. Plus, a little surprise thrown into the mix.

Training from Aug 1-Dec 11


Distance
Cumulative Distance
Time
Cumulative Time
Swim
4000m
43900m
1:35:00
19:44:57
Bike
60.6mi
848.8mi
3:31:13
49:23:24
Run
25.7mi
380.4mi
3:35:25
52:46:37
Core
N/A
N/A
1:00:00
12:15:00
Lift
N/A
N/A
0
5:45:00