Kilimanjaro

Snow on the equator....what will they think of next?

Here's Kilimanjaro (or 'Kili' as they say) in a nutshell:

Day 1: Rainforest


Day 2: Steppe


Day 3: Desert


Day 4: Glacier


The Swahili phrase 'poli-poli' (slowly slowly) is applied to nearly every facet of life in Tanzania, usually to the chagrin of overly-eager tourists. But on Kilimanjaro even the most type-A westerner must learn to breathe a bit. Yes, literally. Increased altitude = less oxygen. Though I started my ascent with a brisk stride, my final steps were baby steps indeed!

Night three was spent at the foot of the glacier at 15000 feet. Bedtime was 4PM, though no one could sleep because of the altitude. At midnight, everyone got up to begin the final ascent. Fortunately it was a clear night, though flashes of lightning from clouds below illuminated our shadows on sheets of rock. I felt dizzy for the first two hours, but my heartrate doubled after taking my second dymox. It was extremely easy to become demoralized when gazing at the behemoth ahead of you. Eventually I kept my head down, taking one step, then the next, until reaching the Uhuru Peak, over 19000ft above sea level.

Altitude sickness pills, aspirin, and my iPod certainly boosted me along the way, though I don't think I would've made it without my prime source of inspiration: a team of 30 Iranian paraplegics that accompanied me every step of the way. They all lost their legs in the Iran-Iraq War of 1979, a conflict fueled by loads of U.S. military aid to Iraq. Contrary to all the negative press Iran gets in the West, I have never met a nicer group of people. They wanted to share everything they had, and would've given the shirts off their backs if asked. I had never thought about visiting Iran before, but now I'm dying to go.


I should also mention that you're reading the blog of a soon-to-be C-rate Iranian celebrity. On the way down, I was interviewed by an Iranian journalist documenting the climb. The tape should be airing on Persian International Television (Jamjam) at some point in May. Stay tuned.....