Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

Kilimanjaro Day 2: 6am

This entry is from my journal:
Last night was downright freezing. We were under the impression that we would at least be comfortable for a few days before the cold would set in. So much for escaping the Northeast winter. Tonight I am most definitely pulling out the long johns.

Yesterday was our first day on the trek. It was a short day. I think we walked for about two hours. So far the altitude has not been much of a factor. Before we are done this trek we will reach 5825 meters high. We walk at a snails pace! Our guides yell, “Pole”, “Pole”–which means slowly, slowly– whenever someone gets the urge to push a little harder. It is clear that  they want us to get to the top of this thing. Over exertion is one of the biggest causes of altitude sickness.

Guiding our way up the hill are four guides, all from Tanzania working for African Walking Company. Obote, Wilfred, Daniel, and Hans run the show. In addition we have our cook and 40 porters carrying everything: Our mess tent, chairs, food, sleeping tents, mats, pots, pans, our toilet tent, and our large personal bags. Largely, we carry only our day packs. The team of porters carry everything else.

It looks like we have a  interesting collection of people in our 12 man crew. Surprisingly most are Americans. Jim (61) and Ryan(31) are doctors. Scott(27) works for NASA in Houston. Tom(59) is a lawyer. David (47)is a computer programmer just like Marvin. Link(37) is a publisher. Tracy(35) and Carmelina(35) work as human resource consultants. The non Americans are Eva(25), she is from Indonesia and works in the oil business in Angola. And, then there is Isaac (50). He splits time living between Trinidad and Tobago and Mississippi and works as a pilot for UPS. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Isaac is a tool. I hate to judge a book by its cover. But, this guy seems like he is more full of shit then the permanent outhouses that the porters use. An air of nobility comes with every word this guy says in his tantalizingly slow Caribbean draw.

Last night I awoke to use the little boys rock and saw Kili–which is hidden by clouds during the day– for the first time up close. It’s presence dominates the sky– a big black looming force. The stars here are as bright as the Salt Flats in Bolivia–millions of radiating,  blinking sparkles. The creamy white Milky Way dissects the sky right down the middle, cutting it exactly into two equal parts. Kilimanjaro is located almost exactly on the Equator.

There are just 5 more days until we get on top of Africa. And, there are just 4 more days until my 20’s are a thing of the past.

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