Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

 I just turned  the big 3-0 while hiking the largest mountain in Africa. On top of that, my birthday has been the best day of the 8 day trek. Today we banged out the Barranco wall, a sprawling plateau smack dab on the side of Kilimanjaro rumored to be the hardest obstacle in our way. The kissing rock– the one place where you could easily fall and lose your life–was executed with ease by everyone in our group. Obote, our head guide, made sure to remind us all that the porters hike the Barranco wall with heavy objects balanced on their heads.

After a bought with altitude sickness last night (we slept at 4200 meters), I have made a complete recovery today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the makers of Diamox, the altitude sickness wonder drug for enabling me to get rid of the worst headache I have endured this millennium. Physically, I find myself in better shape for this trek then any of the others I have completed. I have yet to become sore and surprisingly have no blisters to speak of.  My legs seem to be up to the challenge. I also think I am losing weight.

The summit is  rapidly approaching. Kilimanjaro grows bigger with every step we take.  We are walking  at a meticulously slow pace. Left Foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. At it’s best, we slip into the zone while performing a walking meditation of sorts. At it’s worst, frustration sets in with the old lady stroll that we are forced to adhere to, and the hike becomes boring.

 The first casualty happened this morning. Dave from London, hiking in our adjacent group fell ill from altitude sickness. From the first day he had a pounding headache. Eventually, his fingernails turned blue and he began to  vomit violently.  When it looked as if the sickness had set in for sure, his guides made the call that he should be escorted down the mountain. Dave was young, fit, and seemingly in shape. Altitude sickness can hit anyone at anytime. We later found out that if he would have stayed up on the mountain any longer than he did, he might have died.

 We will reach the summit the day after tomorrow. Our group will go to bed after dinner and be nuged out of slumber–for those that can sleep– around 11 PM. From there, we will have tea and will set off on the final ascent through the wee hours of the night, hopefully reaching the  summit by sunrise. There is a short window in the morning where visibility is clear before the clouds take over the sky.

On a personal note, as I have been hiking I have been thinking quite a bit about my upcoming move to New York City. I find myself daydreaming about the possibilities that the city may create for me and feel a real motivation to work– a motivation I have not had for a long, long time.

But, before I get ahead of myself, there is a certain mountain that needs to be dominated.

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