Moshi

Hey there everybody!

So, I begin my trek up the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro at 7 am sharp tomorrow morning. Mike left today on a different route (Marangu Route) for a shorter but steeper climb. I will be taking a 6 day trek on the Machame route which takes longer but allows a little more time for the body to acclimatize to the extreme altitude changes.

We got to Dar on Friday morning and promptly found a bus to Moshi, a medium-sized town that sits at the feet of the mountain. We settled in at a cozy backpackers place and on Saturday, we started shopping for tour companies.

I had read that many companies are not good to their porters, so I decided to check out Ahsante Tours, which has a great reputation and caters to budget climbers. I really liked their vibes and they seem like a friendly, conscientious company. While Mike decided to arrange his own independent "hard-way" climb, I decided to go with these guys.

So, we lazed around Moshi Sunday since everything was closed and Mike set off early this morning for his climb. I met with the folks at Ahsante to go through all the details. They gave me a complete de-brief so I know how much we'll be hiking every day and the altitude gain for different sections. It is not going to be easy, but I feel more prepared than ever now. I joined up with a group of 3 people from New York and 2 Aussies but I will have my own guide. His name is Chris, he is very nice and quite experienced on the mountain.

I rented some gear from the tour company since I did not pack for sub zero temperatures and snow. Coming from the sun and white sand of Zanzibar, it might be a bit of a shock. I rented hiking boots, fleece, socks, snow pants and a baller winter jacket (that just happens to be orange and black, another good sign.) I walked around town with Chris this afternoon. I bought snacks for the hike and a headlamp. They didn't have any to lend and it's going to be essential since we start our summit climb at midnight on Friday, to ideally hit the top at sunrise Saturday morning. We had a great lunch of ugali at a local spot and then I packed up my bag to prepare for tomorrow.

I am so stoked to have the opportunity to climb Kilimanjaro. I am not so foolish to say that I will 'conquer' her peak, I merely seek the chance to join her at the top for a few minutes. I feel like I am in the right mental state now and I really like my guide. Ahsante Tours seems very on top of things and I know they will do everything they can to get me to the summit. So all that is left for me is a good dinner and a solid night's sleep. Tomorrow morning bright and early the trek begins. Wish me luck! Should be back to Moshi Sunday afternoon. I will let you know how it went next Monday.
Peace!