We have been thinking and planning this trip for at least a year. Jeff (Matt's older brother) works for the State department at the Embassy and is finishing his assignment at the end of June. This was our last chance to go and visit. So, we saved, got our shots, booked our flights and adventures, and most importantly found someone to care for our kids.
Matt's sister, Kelly and her husband, Marcelino were extremely generous in offering to take the kids. (We hope to return the favor.) The kids of course couldn't be more pleased to be with their cousins! These cousins are so great; great examples, great friends, great at helping, and fun! I was so impressed with Kelly! She just seemed so relaxed about the whole thing and she took such great care of them! Christian was happy, slept well, and was quite entertained by the kids and new surroundings. I was the most concerned about him. Thankfully we were able to Skype a few times, which really put my mind at ease. Sheri and Sterling both had birthdays while we were gone. (Aren't we rotten parents?) Kelly took them to do special things for their birthdays, gave them gifts and Bart and Wendy sent gifts as well. I also made sure that they knew we would also celebrate when we returned. The kids missed us, and we missed them - the biggest difficulty for me! In the end, I'd say it all worked out amazingly!
Our trip was over 2 weeks long. I am sure that I can't include everything, but I hope to include as much as possible. This post will most likely be quite lengthy, so be forewarned! Here is a summary of our trip, travel log style:
Day 1 (partial) – Tuesday evening, May 20th
We drove to Michigan to Mar and Kelly’s House through the evening into the early morning of next day.
Day 2 – Wednesday, May 21st
We rested and got the kids settled. We passed information on to Kelly including allergy information, routines, legal paperwork etc.
Day 3/4 – Thursday, May 22nd /Friday, May 23rd (total travel time 26 hrs, 45 min- not counting transportation to and from airports)
Day 5 – Saturday, May 24th
Our Safari guide, Justin picked us up and took us to Tarangire for our game drive. We saw:
Water buck, Impala, Red headed kingfischer, Superb Starling, warthog, Giraffe, Lilac Breasted Roller, Buff crested Bustard, Plover, Bao Bob, Steel Blue Whydah, Hornbill, Quelea (flocks), long crested eagle, Vervet Monkey, Eqyptian goose, Ox pecker (on giraffe), Elephant, Water Buffalo, Magpie Shrike, White-bellied Go Away Bird, Fischer Lover bird, and African Hoopoe.
In the afternoon we were transferred to Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge (perched on the rim with spectacular views of the crater).
Day 6 – Sunday, May 25th
Our Safari guide took us into Ngorongoro Crater (161.5 Sq miles, 11-14 diameter) for a game drive. (Lake Manyara) We saw:
Wildebeest, Zebra, Caracal (cat), Crowned Crane, Gissel, Flamingos, Sacred Ibis, Blacksmiths Plover, Lion, Jackal, Eland, Black Headed Heron, Ostrich, Black Rhino, Hyena, Hippo, Purple Crane, Blacksmith Lapwing, Hartebeest, Kori bustard, and Crowned Plover.
Day 7 (1st of climb)– Monday , May 26th
Please note: Elevations are converted to ft. and miles from m and Km. Please excuse any minor estimate discrepancies.
Trek from Machame Gate (5,997 ft.) to Machame camp (9,908 ft). Distance 6.7 miles, over 3,937 ft. of elevation gain.
This was a tiring day for most of us. As Matthew put it "Day one was like Shock and Awe on the body!"
I really enjoyed this day! It felt good to give my body a good challenge, especially after sitting so much on planes and in vehicles!
Day 8 (2nd of climb) – Tuesday, May 27th
Trek from Machame Camp to Shira Camp (12,621 ft.) on the southern edge of the plateau. Distance is 3.23 miles.
These were our tents. See that tall thin one in the back? That was our portable potty. Our amazing porters hauled that thing all the way up to our final camp. This was so nice especially on day 4 when squatting became a real challenge!
Notice our porters. We had a team of 17-20 porters (usually required by the officials) that each carried 45-50 lbs in addition to their own packs! They were awesome! Although it was a luxury, I don't know if we could have done it without their help! It was so nice to have them set up tents, cook all our meals, and find water for us to treat and drink! They also brought us warm drinks in the morning, washing water before breakfast and dinner, and kept us on our toes. Apparently there have been porters (in someone's group) that steal from tents during the night, We kept all our valuables close at night, and I swear someone grabbed my foot one night! :) Of course, our guides (2 main) were essential and great company! They also helped us pace ourselves!
Day 9 (3rd of climb) – Wednesday, May 28th
Trek from Shira Camp to Lava Tower (15,230 ft.) for lunch (4.35 miles), then descend to Barranco Camp (13,071 ft.) (2.3 miles). The ascent and descent helped with acclimation.
I felt really good this day as I had previously, but surprised myself by how tired I was when I came into camp. Matthew and I fell right asleep upon laying down in our tent. We enjoyed a solid "power nap" before dinner.
Day 10 (4th of climb) – Thursday, May 29th
Trek from Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp (15,367 ft.),(distance 5.8 miles) via the 843 ft. high Breach Wall. There were 3 rises (including the "kissing wall") and falls before reaching Karanga camp where we had lunch. From lunch we then ascended 2,101 ft. to Barafu. We went to sleep early in preparation for the next day. Notice that the summit is closer than ever!
Thank goodness for medicine to help with Acute Mountain Sickness(AMS)! We all opted to use medicine and despite it, we all had touches of AMS. It mainly manifested in lack of appetite, fatigue, and shortness of breath. I was quite nervous about AMS, as there really is no way to prepare for it unless you live or hike at high altitudes. I was grateful that we could trust our guides to keep a close eye on us. I was pleasantly surprised at how I handled it. I felt my body did quite well at dealing with the lack of oxygen.
Day 11 (5th of climb) – Friday, May 30th
Around midnight we began our climb to the summit (19,340 ft.). We climbed via Stella Point (18,871 ft.), and then the final 469 ft. Distance (5.6 miles total (to and from Barafu camp)). Then, we descended to Millennium Camp (12,532 ft.).
This was a day of slow and steady! Our guide was careful not to let us spend all our reserves. A few groups passed us early on, but we ended up passing them as they rested further up the climb. I am again so grateful for our guides! I am glad we kept our stops to a minimum, because it got so cold if we stopped for too long. I also preferred to keep our momentum! It was also nice to follow a guide because then you could just follow the person in front of you. If I looked up and saw the hikers and their lights on the trail I became intimidated. We just kept putting one foot in front of the other. One poor soul lost his breakfast on the way up. I won't mention any names, but his name starts with a "M" and ends with "atthew" Ok, so I am selling him out a bit. But I merely share this with you to illustrate that this was not a "cake walk". He has been known to quickly hike up Longs Peak (14,000+ feet) on a whim in no time at all! This was clearly an intense climb! We arrived at Stella's point shortly after dawn, and after briefly refueling, headed for the summit.
Then the long descent!
Our muscles and joints were very stiff and uncomfortable by this point!
Day 12 (6th of climb) – Saturday, May 31st
We descended from Millennium Camp to Mweka Gate (5,384 ft), where we signed the summit register. We were then transferred back to Arusha, and The Outpost Lodge. Before final drop off we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant with our guides and cook.
Back at the lodge we had our boots cleaned, we showered, played cards, rested, and ate dinner. We were relieved to have conquered and grateful to rest!
Day 13 – Sunday, June 1st
We were taken to Kilimanjaro International airport for our flight to Zanzibar.
Upon arrival we got to see the home that Jeff uses when he is on assignment there. We also ate lunch, looked through the shops and had dinner with Jeff after he attended a funeral.
Day 14 – Monday, June 2nd
We purchased some souvenirs, went snorkeling, laid on the beach, showered, went to a spice farm and out to dinner for Ethiopian food.
Day 15 – Tuesday, June 3rd – We learned to play Bauoo, enjoyed the beach near "Jeff's house", flew to Dar Es Salam, enjoyed Jeff and Stacey’s home and ate dinner.
We then flew out at 10:55PM to Amsterdam (9hrs 20 min), 5 hr 40 min layover,then on to Washington D.C. (8 hrs 30 min), 1 hr 50 min layover, then on to Detroit (1hr 50 min). Arriving on Wednesday, June 4th in the evening. (Total travel time 27 hrs, 10 min not counting time to and from the airports)
Day 16 –Thursday, June 5th - We ate breakfast, did a quick shopping trip and got on the road around 2PM. We had to stop and sleep. We arrived around 3AM on Friday, June 6th.
This was the trip of a lifetime! The break from routine was refreshing! The food was delicious! The experiences were challenging and thrilling! It was so cool to see another place and perspective in the world! It was magnificent to see all of God's creations! It was priceless to spend so much quality time with Jeff, Stacey, and especially Matthew!
I am so grateful to Jeff and Stacey for carving out so much time to host us!
I am so grateful to the Sanchez family for opening their home to our children!
I am so grateful for Matt's adventurous spirit and kindness to me!
I am so eternally grateful for all the blessings that God has given me, especially my family, safety, and this beautiful earth!
And . . . I am so glad to be home again!
3 comments:
How awesome, neat, wonderful!!! We will have to go through all these pictures together when you come out to visit so I can ask you more about them.P.S. You look like Dad in some of these pictures!
Your trip looked amazing!
Wow! That looks like an incredible trip! What an opportunity. So glad you go to go!
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