Anyone who has climbed Kilimanjaro will know what a huge part the porters played in their climb. As a photographer, I can vividly remember standing on top of Kilimanjaro in a sea of clouds watching with intrigue and amusement as the porters who had accompanied us to the top muscled in on summit photos, grabbing cameras to record our happy moment. And from there sprang the idea for the The Porters of Kilimanjaro Photographic Project – a chance to see the mountain through the eyes of a working porter.

The project is currently distributing disposable film cameras to porters who work on Kilimanjaro to collate a unique record of life on the mountain. Many of the published photographs available of porters on Kilimanjaro are taken from a distinctly Western perspective and taken by professionals on specialised equipment. Removing the technology and textbook expertise from photography can create some fantastic and unexpected results – especially when coupled with documenting day-to-day life on the roof of Africa.

The ultimate aim of the project is to create a book and series of exhibitions of the images in order to raise money for Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, a non-profit organisation based in Moshi, providing support and education to porters as well as educating climbers on the proper working conditions and treatment of porters on the mountain (visit www.kiliporters.org for more information).
To date 40 cameras have successfully gone up and down the mountain but we need your help to keep the momentum going so as to collect a good variety of images:

How can you help?

We need to distribute as many cameras as possible to porters on the mountain.

Distribute: If you are travelling to Kilimanjaro and can help to distribute cameras please contact me.

Donate: One camera costs less than $5 and takes 27 images. If one person can donate one camera to one porter we can build up the number of images very quickly – can you fit one in your backpack?

Spread the word: If you know someone who might be interested in the project or the work of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project please forward on the links.

Please contact me to help, donate or ask for more information

One of my concerns for the climb up Kilimanjaro was my ability to manage the altitude necessary to make the summit, and equally important, to enjoy the experience. Also, the threat of severe AMS lurked in the background to completely derail my attempt to summit or worse to miss my next birthday.

Past Experience

During previous hikes over 10,000 feet (3000m), I had struggled. Headaches, loss of appetite, and general fatigue were always present during trips to the Sierra Nevada. I recall experiencing shortness of breath just walking around camp at 12,000. When I was younger, better physical conditioning helped me push through the physical problems and get to the top (usually 13,000 to 14,000 feet). But Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet (5895m)! Plus now that I am, let’s just say more mature (over 50), I was really concerned.

I know that in my earlier mountain trips, I did not drink enough water. Compounding this was usually no time to acclimatize because of the requirement to finish hikes over a weekend. Drinking adequate water (4 to 5 liters per day) will be easy to do this time and our extended trek across the western flank of Kilimanjaro will provide for acclimatization. However, my doubts still lingered.

Diamox: How & Why…

For this trip, I decided to take Diamox (Acetazolamide) to speed up the acclimatization process. Because of the reduced oxygen at altitude, breathing harder and faster allows your body to get more oxygen in the system as it produces more red blood cells. The increase in carbon dioxide exhaled at the same time makes the blood more alkaline. The kidneys get involved to excrete the excess alkaline to balance things out. Diamox helps the kidneys by speeding up the process. My local doctor prescribed 250 mg daily starting 2 days before the hike. I had read a number of articles that recommended anywhere from 125 mg to 500 mg per day, so this seemed reasonable.

Side Effects

The side effects described were numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes plus more frequent urination. There was also a big caution about not taking any sedatives once you started the medication. All of the side effects go away when you stop. This seemed manageable especially compared to not making it to the top.

I started taking the Diamox at the hotel in Moshi the night before we left for Kilimanjaro. I wanted to have a bathroom ready to see just how frequent, frequent is. Three Tuskers that night at dinner added more liquid than normal, but frequent turned out to be every other hour! Manageable in the hotel, but no more Tuskers until the end of the trip.

The first three days of the hike we climbed from 6890 feet (2100m) to 12,600 feet (3840m) over a relatively gradual incline and 22 km. I did not have any difficulty. The tingling side effect in my fingers and toes was no different than if you slept on your arm and felt mild numbness. It lasted for 20 to 30 minutes. I maintained my water intake which created two excursions per night out of the tent. This was not a problem because after midnight the skies cleared and I was able to view the splendor of every star in the sky and the Milky Way stretched across the heavens. A great side benefit even at the expense of a temporary chill from getting out of the sleeping bag.

The Result

The first test was Day 4 when we hiked from Shira Hut to Barranco Camp via the Lava Tower at 15,230 feet (4642m). We would ultimately sleep that night at 13,000 feet, but 15,000 feet was the highest I had ever hiked. It turned out to be no problem at all. Walking slowly (Swahili – poley poley), plenty of water, a good workout program prior to the trip, and the Diamox combined to make this day’s hike a great experience. I was not winded, no headache, and plenty of energy. The landscape was phenomenal and I was able to fully enjoy and appreciate it.

This was a major confidence booster for me. Over the next two days, we hiked up to Barufu Huts Camp at 15,358 feet (4681m). This was the last camp before our summit attempt that night at midnight. After 6 days and almost 40 kilometers of walking, the excitement and anticipation provided plenty of adrenaline. I was raring to go and felt great.

The Summit

When the last cheers of “Happy New Year” started to subside, we left Barafu Camp for the summit. Pitch black with your headlamp only illuminating the next three feet, we trudged steadily up the next 4,000 feet over the next 7 hours. We pass multiple groups huddled over fallen comrades and we lose one of our own to the altitude (Note – later in the day, she recovered and made it to the top). The ingredients of training, pace, hydration, and modern medicine combined to deliver me to the peak at 6:45AM. An unbelievable feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction wash over me as I get my picture taken at Uhuru Peak 5895m, Africa’s highest point, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain.

Could I have made it without Diamox? I don’t know. I wanted to give myself every advantage possible so I trained hard, took care of my body during the trip, followed directions (poley poley), and used available medicine whether it was Imodium or Diamox to aid my ascent. What I do know is that I made it and that is good enough for me.

Recently, however, I have been receiving lots of interest for people climbing Kilimanjaro during the dreaded rainy months of April and May. Typically, I might organize a few groups during these months, but you can pretty much except consistent rain, heavy mud, loads of clouds with limited visibility, but also a mountain pretty much to yourself. If you are looking for this kind of experience, the Marangu route might be the best option during April & May, as you can sleep inside every night on your hike up Kilimanjaro – staying at Mandara Hut, Horombo Huts, Mawenzi Hut and Kibo Huts. You will stay dry, be somewhat warm, and be able to avoid the rain, unlike if you are hiking up the other routes during the first rain.

I would consider arranging your Kilimanjaro tour to descend via the Mweka route, to maybe break up the scenery a bit, and see another side of the mountain as you descend.

Yesterday I received a press release about Bill Barkeley, a guy who suffers from Usher Syndrome, which is taking away his hearing and vision. Bill climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in order to raise proceeds for his project, Hear the World.

While I know of other blind, deaf people who have climbed Kilimanjaro for similar causes, I was trying to think about what makes this story unique – and I think the real message came out in the interview on ABC news. It’s more a statement about how you “define your own abilities through what do in life.” You can sit around and say you can’t, or you go after those goals and attempt to accomplish them. Watch Bill Barkeley’s interviews on ABC News. This really is the true meaning behind why most people endeavor to climb Africa’s highest moutain. It’s possible, but it’s hard, far away and takes a huge physical commitment.

Now, I bet Bill would even attempt to climb another mountain – Island Peak, Aconcagua? Kilimanjaro is the starting point – the dream accomplishment – but most people come home thinking, “What’s next?”

OK, you’ve been warned…

“But when I say that our sport is a hazardous one, I do not mean that when we climb mountains there is a large chance that we shall be killed, but that we are surrounded by dangers which will kill us if we let them.” George Mallory

Mallory’s comments are in reference to the Himalayan “giants”, but the call for personal responsibility; making good decisions and managing your own situation can be taken to any adventure, including Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Recently, I’ve seen some questions on the BootsnAll, Kilimanjaro blog concerning the level of risk involved in climbing to the roof of Africa and how to handle the negativity from people (like parents) that have only heard about some of the tragedies on the mountain. This article is my attempt to put these issues into perspective and promote safe, successful adventures.

It is true that 8 or 9 trekkers per year die on the mountain from 30,000 attempts. A few of these make the headlines and unfortunately, that is what people remember. Heart attacks and Acute Mountain Sickness are the main reasons. But it is also true that if 60% (18,000) make it to the summit then a whopping 40% (12,000) trekkers, every year, have turned themselves around or been told to turn around and walk off the mountain with everything from knowing they did the very best they could, to crushing disappointment, or perhaps a steeled resolve to return and conquer. In addition, a small number of people have needed rescue.

In the following paragraphs, I will discuss all these different issues so that the first-timers can understand the choices and probabilities for success.

What can kill 8 to 9 people per year?

Heart attacks
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)
High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
Falls
Avalanche

Heart attacks
My son and I were obliged to climb past a dead man on the Western Breach who had died from a heart attack and subsequent fall. It is my understanding that this man was very fit and had been at altitude before. I share this to make the point that some situations are difficult to predict and happen beyond anyone’s control, especially climbing to an altitude of 19,340 feet. The better outfitters require a medical release form signed by your own physician. I’m not a doctor so all I can tell you is I passed my own stress test and went to the mountain knowing that, at least at sea level, I was in good shape. Remember this only happens to maybe 1 or 2 people each year. It is your choice about how best to prepare.

AMS, HACE and HAPE
The website hotlink below was written by Dr. Jim Duff. It discusses AMS, HAPE & HACE in great detail. Any of you who are students of Himalayan climbing history will recognize Dr. Duff’s name from books that chronicle the successful ascent of the South West face of Mt. Everest in 1975. This website should be mandatory reading for anyone climbing to significant altitude. He can certainly explain each of these altitude driven infirmities much better than I can.

http://www.treksafe.com.au/medical/altitude_illness.htm

6 to 8 people die from AMS, HACE or HAPE every year. It is my opinion that two things happened in most of these cases; the individual did not recognize their own symptoms (common sense is the first thing to go with altitude sickness) and worse, the people charged with guiding them up the mountain and keeping them safe, did not identify the situation and take appropriate action. As you can read on the treksafe.com website, some symptoms are progressive, (e.g., not feeling hungry, then nauseous ness, then vomiting) and other symptoms can appear quite quickly. The better outfitters will monitor your health and take more days to ascend the mountain so they can anticipate trouble and maximize your chances for success. The good ones will also have evacuation protocol and safety equipment that can save your life in an emergency. Conversely, some of the bargain outfitters are not concerned with your health and have even abandoned clients on the trail. In other words, dying from AMS, HACE or HAPE has more to do with choices made prior to the climb concerning your research, selection of outfitter and numbers of days chosen to make your climb than simply being a victim. I agree with many opinions that most deaths are preventable.

Falls
All the routes up Mt. Kilimanjaro are non-technical (no mountaineering skills or special gear required) but just like your bathtub at home or your basement stairs; you can take a bad step. Ankle twists and banged knees are far more common that falling off the mountain. Most trails are well trodden, pedestrian and predictable with only a few areas where scrambling (using hands and feet) is necessary at places like the Barranco Wall. Even the, now closed, Western Breach with its famous scrambling sections, would have necessitated a concerted effort to “fall off”, at least that’s what this neophyte from Wisconsin thought.

The greatest danger for falls is probably around Barafu Camp in the middle of the night when you are out for a pee. If you haven’t taken a good look around in the daylight or using your headlamp (and even the light from a headlamp can be deceiving), there are some areas where trouble can be found if you are not careful. But again, knowing your surroundings is not an exclusive Kilimanjaro thing. It is simply common sense.

Getting used to your climbing boots, taking your time and using trekking poles, as this 53 year old did, goes a long way in adding to your confidence on the trail.

Avalanche
This is the very reason the Western Breach was closed in January 2006. When 3 Americans and 5 or 6 guide/porters were killed in a freak rockslide during a snowstorm. I say, “freak” because his particular situation was exasperated by high winds and low visibility so the victims couldn’t hear or see it coming. The Western Breach was probably the most susceptible route to avalanche on the mountain, but the fatalities in 2006 were the only rockslide accidents I ever came across during my research. The best way to minimize the danger is to climb avalanche prone areas when it is coldest, at night or the early morning and your guides should know that.

Evacuation/Rescue
Even before my son and I left Wisconsin for Africa, I knew the outfitter I’d chosen had the appropriate safety equipment e.g., a cell phone, oxygen, Gamow Bag (artificial pressure chamber), stretcher, an english speaking guide for each of us (this guaranteed we each had an interpreter if one of us had to go down) and most importantly, a evacuation plan. There are guide companies that have none of this and those in between. I knew that going to altitude after 50 years of age was adding additional risk, I was taking my son and neither of us had ever been to significant altitude, so my choice of outfitter was relatively easy. If you are younger and have prior altitude experience you can certainly be more strategic i.e. economical, in your choices. The fact remains that if AMS, HAPE, HACE, heart trouble, a bad appendix or injury strike you, getting down the mountain as quickly as possible is of paramount importance. In our case we had a stretcher available and a plan we never had to use. On our way down we saw the “community” single wheeled contraption used for rescue but someone has to bring it up or go down to retrieve it in an emergency. It doesn’t cost anything to ask some questions while choosing whom you will trust to take you to the roof of Africa and how much risk you are willing take. The decision is yours.

In summation, with all due respect to the families who have suffered a loss, I wish to reiterate that heart attacks, falls and avalanches are very rare indeed. But, Kilimanjaro is 19,340 feet high and any trip to those altitudes comes with some risk. AMS, HAPE & HACE symptoms can be minimized with personal awareness & preparedness, choosing a quality outfitter and picking a climb with enough days to enable good acclimatization. All of these choices can be made even before you leave your home.

Why do 12,000 trekkers fail to reach the summit every year?

The different symptoms from AMS, disillusionment and cold are the main reasons most of the 12,000 trekkers per year turn around and walk off. Individuals with HACE or HAPE cases are, hopefully, carried off the mountain.

To me, this is a much more important issue because it affects 40% of the attempts made on Kilimanjaro. Nobody interviews these 12,000 folks that don’t reach the summit but all of them have spent money to get to Africa and climb the mountain. I’ll wager the majority has come on a “budget”, picked an “affordable” outfitter and chosen the 5 or 6 day climbs clinging to the notion that Kilimanjaro is a non-technical walk-up (which it is) but it’s the altitude and the potential malaise associated with it, which brings people to their knees. I saw people suffering in the high camps myself. You haven’t saved any money if you have to come back for a second attempt, or the cash you think you’ve saved leaves you with lousy memories. It is cliché, but true, you get what you pay for.

The “rule of thumb” for chances of success based on climbing days is as follows; 5-days 50%, 6-days 60%, 7-days 70%, 8-days 80% and 9-day 90% success rate. That is to say, the faster you climb the greater susceptibility you have in getting AMS. No matter how many climbing days you have chosen, you can increase your chances for success by drinking copious amounts of water.

Everyone has different levels of discomfort that they are willing to endure.

AMS symptoms are headache, tiredness/weakness, dizziness, loss of appetite/nausea or vomiting and insomnia/disturbed sleep/frequent waking.

Some hardy trekkers can climb through the headaches, nausea and fatigue but it is no easy task and most of us have never experienced anything like it. Go to the mountain expecting to endure some sort of distress.

If you get wet and cold it can zap all the energy from your body. I’ve heard stories from my own guides about finding somebody else’s clients without rain gear in tennis shoes, freezing their asses off. This only underlines the importance of having the correct gear and decent guides.

If your guide doesn’t speak English (or your language) you have no way of knowing what to expect or the ability to learn things like the correct breathing technique or rest stepping and, more importantly, no encouraging words. Yes, you can buy a trip like that! Do your research!

If your outfitter has cut corners and your diet is mostly starch (which can happen) you are not using the best fuel you could and it will slow you down. Ask questions when talking to possible guide companies about their menu. Look for the vegetables and fruit.

It must also be said that mountaineering is 50% mental. How each person prepares, and their expectations, are the foundation for what they are willing to live through and cope with. Ask the outfitter if you can speak to past clients (I found this very valuable because one of the successful gentlemen was as old and as dumpy as I was…a huge confidence builder).

I’m not lobbying for using only the most expensive outfitters. My mission is to draw awareness to most of the potential obstacles in the way of success. There are many, many choices, but asking good questions and adding an extra day once you’ve popped for the ticket to Africa, bought or rented the gear and hired a guide, will only cost $150 to $300, hardly a high price to pay for a better chance for success.

Lastly, Mt. Kilimanjaro attracts many first-timers because it is non-technical, incredibly beautiful and exotic. But, although it sounds easy, its 19,340-foot height challenges every trekker. Sooner or later, during an ascent of Kilimanjaro, you will find the opportunity to be in a position to have to take a step, which you will consider impossible to take. This is the step that creates the statistics, summit or not. The place most of the 12,000 people per year turn around in disappointment. How you prepare yourself to handle that moment is up to you.

The 18,000 trekkers that take that impossible step and beyond to the summit find an experience best described by the mythical mountaineering icon that I used to begin this missive, George Mallory.

“It is impossible to make any who have not experienced it realize what that thrill means. It proceeds partly from a legitimate joy and pride in life.

(The author climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2004 using the Lemosho/Western Breach route. His first “step” came on the forth day of the climb just above 13,000 feet. AMS symptoms and Lariam (Malaria preventive) side effects combined to convince him he could not continue…his guide talked him though it…thankfully. His second “step” came the morning of the Breach climb knowing they would pass a dead climber on the trail.)

A complete account of the author’s father/son adventure can be found at the following URL;

http://www.mtkilimanjarologue.com/stories/nothing-but-sky.html

“I’d been awake most of the night, struggling for breath in the meager air “
Jon Krakauer from “Into Thin Air”

No, this isn’t the newest diet fad or a way to stop someone from choking.

This is the name given to the process of running short of oxygen and being jolted awake by the horrible feeling of suffocation while attempting to sleep at significant altitude. Both my son and I experienced this potential altitude effect while cocooned in our minus-20 rated bags during our memorable night at Crater Camp (18,800ft), before our summit of Kilimanjaro the following morning.

“Sleeping is a problem for most high-altitude climbers due to a phenomenon known as Cheyne-Stokes breathing. While dozing, the climber breathes normally for a minute and then stops completely for thirty seconds. Suddenly, breathing resumes at an accelerated rate. One minute you sound out of breath, the next, dead. It is often more disconcerting for the tent mate than the sleeper.”
John Roskelley from “Nanda Devi, the tragic expedition.”

Please understand this missive is for edification not condemnation because I was the flatlander who had chosen to climb the Western Breach and camp just under the summit. I was the flatlander who thought doing an overnight at 18,800 ft. would be the experience of a lifetime. And I’m the one who wouldn’t trade that sleepless night with my son for anything in the world.

We discovered this phenomenon while attempting a nap before dinner. We had been up, in the predawn chill, climbing to minimize the risk of rock falls on the Breach (the very thing that ultimately closed the route in January of 2006). We had scaled it in just under 5 hours and spent 2 hours exploring the Reusch Crater, the surrounding cinder cones and the mythical iconic glaciers. As we arrived at our moonlike camp nestled between the Furtwrangler Glacier and the foot of the 1000ft summit ridge, our head Tusker guide simply said, “The UV is intense up here, you should stay out of the sun before dinner”. Our oxygen starved brains went “OK” without thought and we lumbered into our much loved, two man Eureka Scorpion tent. We had been on the mountain 9 days to this point and were tired by default. Naps were easy to accomplish. As I recall however, I was the first one to grope to a sitting position gasping for breath but with 50% less oxygen in the air, I have little memory of how we spent the time before dinner or what was said. I don’t even remember dinner.

As night fell we were warm and cozy in our bags but deep sleep again forced our gasps for breath needing 2 to 3 desperate inhalations to regain our oxygen balance.

For whatever reason, (I’ll blame the altitude), I waited until midnight to get up and tell our head guide we were having trouble breathing. He dutifully got up and came to our tent with the pulse oximeters and some oxygen. The oximeters measure blood oxygen content and my numbers were “normal” for 18,800ft. He gave me some O2 but I could breathe just fine while awake and it had no effect. If he would have let me sleep with it I probably could have, but there was only one bottle and one mask. There was no way I would have considered using it if my son couldn’t have the same so I didn’t even ask.

It was then I remembered the dozens of mountaineering books I have read and all the references to, “sleep was out of the question” and “another sleepless night” comments. I looked at my son and said, “Welcome to altitude buddy, what do you want to talk about until morning?”

There was an abundance of quality material to solicit from each other; we’d ascended past a dead climber being dragged down the Breach Route in a tarp earlier in the day, we knew we would summit “easily” (compared to the Western Breach) in an hour when the sun came up and we’d be at 12,500 ft. the next night, we were two nights from our coveted first shower in 11 days and we knew hunger would return so we made lists of all the foods we were going to eat…and lots more.

The gift that was rendered from our sleepless canvass that night wasn’t so much what we said or the stunning beauties of the moon lit cerulean blue glaciers or by stars close enough to pluck from the sky with your finger or even our location on top of Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa. The true essence of the experience we shared was the opportunity a father and son were given to fight a common foe. No doubt climbing the mountain together was a big part of it but that night keeping each other company and awake, was the exclamation point. I don’t know how many times we clamored, “Can you believe we are on top of Kilimanjaro?”

Since that night forward our good father/son connection became an indestructible bond which has never let our relationship suffer. This would never have happened with such conviction had we been able to sleep.

In all the accounts I’d read while researching our trip everyone seamed to be able to sleep just fine at Crater Camp. The night before at Arrow Glacier Camp we slept without issue at 16,000 ft. so I can’t really say why 2,800 ft made such a difference, but it is, indeed, over a half mile higher into to rarified air.

I still recommend the Crater Camp strategy to anyone who asks because so few take that opportunity (less that 5% of the annual trekkers choose this option) to experience its unique topography and stunning beauty. Summit day starts with an hour pitch up to the top, not an 8-hour slog through the night and standing next to the “Snows of Kilimanjaro” may not be available after 2015 or at least that’s what the “experts” say.

My research never identified Cheyne-Stokes as an issue on Kilimanjaro so I will postulate that we were some of the very few to experience it but my son and I carried priceless equity from our sleepless endeavor none the less.

As expected, when we settled in at our last camp our hunger returned and our trouble sleeping the night before was forgotten. After our exceptionally delicious celebration dinner we slipped into our bags as the sanguine glow of dusk receded and slept like two guys that had just climbed a 19,340-ft mountain.

It is fun to watch the jaws drop on the folks I share this story with now. Most of course, would never dream of climbing Kilimanjaro much less camping at 18,800-ft. When they understand I’d been there however, the first question is always, “What’s it like up there?” Before I answer, I take a breath.

This quote of Esther’s is pretty indicative of msot porters dreams too, except for the part of being a tailor. Most porters want to become a guide, as you don’t have to carry much, the money is better, and interact with people from all over the world.

“If I improve my English I might be able to work as a mountain guide some day,” Esther says. “But it would be even better if I could built up my own tailoring business. Then I would always be near my children.”

Read more about Women porters on Kilimanjaro

I stumbled across this interesting link today. It’s a Climb For Christ event where people climb Kilimanjaro, and then talk about how God could better serve the people of the Kilimanjaro region.

You have to be kidding me, right? I hate to say this guys, but the missionaries came about 200 years ago, and did a good job of converting most people (except the Masai) to Christianity. When I wandered the slopes of Kilimanjaro for more than a year – I received too much Jesus talk. It’s all people really have. Everyone asks you if you love Jesus, and everybody goes to church. If you are not in church, then the whole village wonders what you are doing. Church is a mandatory life for the average person; it’s kind of like watching American Idol in America.

The Climb for Christ event is looking a missionaries who, for two years, will be “working with guides and porters who climb Kili to teach about the effects of high altitude and to help equip guides and porters with better gear for conditions on the 19,340-foot mountain. Through relationships developed by living in the community, there will be opportunities to share the Gospel and witness to locals.”

How is a missionary, who may have climbed one mountain, educate a porter that only speaks Swahili, about altitude sickness and Jesus, when the porter has climbed Kilimanjaro for 10 years – over 400 times – and already goes to church 300 times per year?

The benefit this group has is there is an emergency descent route located nearby. Just a few hours from Shira Camp is an emergency road where rescue vehicles can transfer people down the mountain and back to their hotel. If they were to continue, the rescue becomes much harder, as there are no quick routes down from Barranco Camp or Karanga Camp. After Karanga Camp, you can descend via Mweka Route, but this is still two days away.

I kind of feel bad when people aspire to climb Kilimanjaro and plan and train for many months. Sometimes the mountain beats you, and you have to admit defeat, and just continue on with your safari in Tanzania. Take warning all you future climbers!

It’s pretty amazing that someone can text message you around the world for about 10 cents. Each day, he emails me an update of the trip and let’s me know they have arrived in camp. I text message him back. I would encourage anyone to take their cell phones and test out text messaging to your friends and family. If you are in Tanzania, make sure to do your text messages at night, so your friends and family will get them early in the morning.

You know, I know some people are going to criticize me for advocating trekkers climbing Kilimanjaro to bring phones on the mountain, as it does take away from the feeling of being remote and out of touch from society, but as technology continues to progress, it’s only going to be something that we deal with more and more. All the guides on Kilimanjaro carry phones to communicate to the office. I hate hearing cell phones out in the outdoors too, but this kind of technology is not going away any time soon. Embrace it or become a bitter old curmudgeon.