Travel to the Summit of Kilimanjaro with me

While on the mountain I was not able to get cell coverage, apparently I should have brought tinfoil to fashion a better antenna. Then when we returned to the lodge there was continual power issues, thus making wifi access a bit of a challenge. Needless to say, I didn't post after the few safari updates. I'm still amazed that I had access to wifi in the middle of Tanzania, oh the modern advances we have come to find necessary. 

So without further ado, I've created a bit of a video diary to chronicle our days on the mountain. There is so much photo and video footage that I could really make a documentary-length production. Bare that in mind when you watch this, because it really could have been a lot longer. I tried to give you a hint of the terrain and mileage covered each day. There is really no way to fully capture summit night, but I will attempt to put it into words and put that up here as well. 

We've also managed to get quite a bit of news coverage over the last two weeks. I've included links to the coverage by Fox News below. Get yourself some popcorn and sit back and enjoy a climb up Africa's tallest mountain! 

Fox 43 News segment with Pammi and Michelle

Jon Scott's account - video #1

Jon Scott's account - video #2

Jon Scott's account - Compassion

Thursday and Friday

Quick update on the final two days of safari... Simply amazing! I'll have to post more when I return.

Wednesday - Safari Day One

We loaded up two trucks and headed out from the lodge through Arusha town towards the Tarangine. I asked our driver if I could ride an elephant. He said I could only ride a small elephant and he would find me one (only joking of course). We saw quite a list of animals: lion, elephant, monkey, baboon, dik-dik, giraffe, cheetah, zebra, antelope, buffalo, and colorful birds. We have a promise of more animals to come!

At lunch we sat at a picnic area overlooking the valley and could see all kinds of animals off in the distance. Up close and personal, however, were the baboons and monkey waiting for unsuspecting guests and opportunities to steal box lunches. They successfully grabbed two from other groups while we were eating. I stayed standing to eat so I could throw a leg if necessary.

After safari in Tarangine we drove 2 hrs up into a mountain and back a long and winding dirty road to our "tents." These tents sit on raised wood perches overlooking the hillside; it's a breathtakingly beautiful view. There was a slight hitch when we arrived, no water. Earlier in the day a herd of elephants destroyed part of the water line. They had ordered a water truck but it hadn't arrived yet. It's not everyday that elephants have thwarted my plans for a shower.

What a surreal experience this has been thus far. I can't wait for what awaits us tomorrow!

Village walk

We started off the day with a jolt, as I woke 15mins before breakfast was set to end. Follow breakfast we went on a 3hr guided walk outside of the lodge gates. Most the pictures are on my other camera, but here are a few. The members of our group that are going in safari arrived today, so it was nice to start meeting some of our trekking team.

Arrived in Tanzania

We headed to the airport early this morning unsure what would await us. Surprisingly it was an easy entry into airport and to our gate. 

The two hour flight passed quickly as I chatted with my seat-mates. I love hearing about how others journey threw life. I met a lady that moved from Germany to Kenya four years ago to operate a small hotel on the coast. This was her 44th trip to Kenya over the last 30 years or so. I'm told Kenya needs to be my next African destination, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind if a few of you made it your next destination as well. I also met a young Kenyan man of 20 that works in Dubai as a life guard. As the oldest male in his family (and no father involved) he is responsible to send 50% of his wages back to his family. What a diverse world we live in. Lots of opportunities to provide perspective on our own situations.

We are enjoying our lodge and some much needed rest to adjust to the timezone before heading out on safari. I like Tanzania already!! As we drove from the airport to the lodge we passed by a clouded over Mt Kilimanjaro. Our driver said it was clouded because we weren't supposed to be scared. He was a former porter and guide and gave us 3 tips for climbing: slow, water, and positive attitude. I think we might be able to handle those three!

View of our lodge below. 

It's a whole new world...

Left/ right... Stop/ go... Run/ walk... Life is full of opposites and contrasts and the last 24 hrs has thrown me into a world of them. I sat next to a lady from West Africa on the plane who only spoke French. When I told her "Je ne parle pas Francais" she took that to mean "Oh, she knows French!" The rest of the flight I was her assistant getting her drinks and snacks.

The seat-back entertainment unit for my seat didn't work. I tried and tried; it was clearly broken and nearly falling out of its socket. I found a plastic knife stuck behind it, someone's attempt at fixing it or sabotage. Finally one last wiggle and I got it working! Couldn't fix the seat entertainment controller though:-( and I did try. I had a bum seat! From now on if something's broken the phrase will be "Stick a knife in it!"

Arriving in Addis Ababa, while fun to say, was a very different experience than either of us expected. Inside our hotel, we could have been in any major city in the world with a modern, amenity-filled, tower of rooms. Outside of the hotel was a wild dog haven with chaos in the streets at every turn (not unlike driving in Indonesian). Attending the National Museum, it was hard to tell which was older the building or the artifacts. It's a very unique city.

But the highlight of the day was meeting Pammi's sponsor child and getting to know about life in her village. I loved hearing about education and social structures in Ethiopia.

Tomorrow it's off to Tanzania for a whole new set of experiences!

Paper or plastic? Packing choices!

How do you possibly pack for a 17-day journey? Let alone for a 6-day trek up a mountain. Let's just say it doesn't happen without a little anxiety, at least that's how it went down for me. I'm going with the EPA motto of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." Even still, I struggle with just how much stuff is needed for a climb to the heights of Africa.

This duffel and my backpack are the only two pieces accompanying me on the journey to the summit. Most of the space is consumed by my rather plush sleeping pad and my sleeping bag. Proper rest is so important when physical exertion is the order of the day, right?
There are so many lessons to life here... How often do I become overloaded with baggage as I wonder through life? Or allow the worries of the day to rob sleep and not give it proper importance in my day? Yeah, I'm sure the lessons are going to abound on this trip. There is one lesson I'm holding tightly these days "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13-14‬ NIV) This trip is about way more than reaching the Kilimanjaro summit!
Thanks for following my wildly awesome and forever humbling journey to Africa! More to come...

Things I've learned while conquering 14ers in Colorado

Living at 300 feet it's hard to imagine just how your body will react at higher elevations, it effects everyone differently. So my friend, Pammi, and I decided we had better try to experience some altitude above 300 feet before heading to the highest freestanding mountain in the world, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Here are just a few of the things we learned while climbing three 14,000 foot mountains in Colorado.
 
1- Horizontal feet is very different than vertical feet.

2- Where you're heading and where you can see you're heading are two different places.

3- Water is a precious resource.

4- Meandering paths and switchbacks are necessary to get you to the top. Straight is not always the best approach.

 

5- Your body may say stop, but your mind pushes you forward.

 

6- Your body is capable of more than you may think.

7- Hikers are friendly people.

8- Just because you sleep in a tent doesn't mean you need to eat bad food.

9- Hot water does wonders for sore muscles. (No pic necessary)


10- Sleep at high altitudes is optional and may elude you all together.

11- The view at the top is always worth the effort (except maybe Pikes Peak where there is a parking lot).

12- What goes up must come down. No short cuts.

13- Fires don't maintain themselves in a fire pit.

14- Mountain goats own the mountain and allow hikers to pass or not.  

15- Colorado men like to wear shorts to show off their calf-tats.(Slightly hard to photograph someone's calf inconspicuously)


16- Beavers really are busy.

17- Pika have been known to pass through a hikers legs during a chase scene.

18- Sunrises and sunsets are even prettier with a mountain present.

19- The stars outnumber the trees.

20- The way down makes you forget the struggle to the top.
 

21- Colorado leaves you wanting more!

22- When the way gets steep, all you can concentrate on is putting one foot in front of another.

23- Mountains should really have name tags prominently displayed.

24- Clouds can turn to rain and produce lightning in an instant while on a mountain.

25- Go big in Colorado so you don't go down in Tanzania!

Photo credit to Pammi Simone

Square Dancing for Clean Water

Get your boots on... cause there's gonna be a Hoe Down!! 

Arm Knitting Lessons on March 1

Arm-Knitting Party at Flying Fibers

I hosted my first arm-knitting party at Flying Fibers (a speciality yarn shop in Landisville). We had so much fun and raised just over $600 towards the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb and clean water for Africa project. Below are just a few pictures from the day. Thank you to those that came out and spent the afternoon with us. I'm looking forward to coming back to Flying Fibers on March 1 from 11am - 3pm. Any questions email me at michellegoesglobal@comcast.net

Scarves for Clean Water in Africa

I've taken up arm-knitting to raise funds for my Mt. Kilimanjaro climb for a clean water well in a slum community of Arusha, Tanzania. There is a possibility that I pearled one time in the very distant past, but it never produced anything off of the needle. Arm-knitting is great because you are forced to finish the project, or be left with yarn hanging from your arm (which proves most awkward when trying to remove dinner from the oven, trust me, I've tried). 

On February 1, 2014 from 11am - 3pm, I'll be at Flying Fibers in Landisville selling scarves and offering arm-knitting lessons for $5 (remember to bring or purchase at Flying Fibers 2 skeins of #6 yarn). Email me with questions: michellegoesglobal@comcast.net

My inventory of scarves is constantly changing, but here are a few samples of the arm-knitted scarves. I'll post more pictures as I continue to create!

I tried something different with these two...