Climb for Hospice

One of the best parts about telling people of my upcoming adventure to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro is the “advice” I get. It doesn’t matter if people have climbed Kili or haven’t climbed Kili – they all want to give me advice.

Now, I appreciate the kindness, really I do, but I find that I seem to hear the same things over and over again. Therefore, I have decided to be proactive: I am going to make a list of all the advice that I’ve been given to date. That way, if you’d like to give me advice, you can check to see if I’ve heard it before. If I *have* heard it before, I’d appreciate it if you gave me advice on something completely different. For example, I could really use some advice on how to make the perfect omelet. I’d also appreciate advice on how to get dog fur out of micro suede. Or really, I’d love some advice on how to fix floor lamps, because the one in my living room decided to stop working and it frustrates me to no end.

And so, here follows the list of advice that I have received (to date) regarding my climbing of Mount Kilimanjaro…

1) Go slow
2) Make sure you take the time to acclimatize properly
3) Go slow
4) Make sure you go slow enough to acclimatize properly
5) Do NOT wear 20 year old Doc Marten boots to climb this mountain
6) Have a good shell (rain jacket)
7) Prepare yourself to be very dirty and dusty, all day, every day
8) Go slow
9) Prepare to go slowly – so slowly that you’ll want to beat your guide with a donkey stick
10) The beer stand at the bottom of the mountain takes Visa
11) Work on your cardio before you go
12) Make sure you’re in shape before you go
13) You don’t need a lot of cardio or to be in good shape to climb this mountain
14) Take it slow. You need to acclimatize properly
15) Drink LOTS of water… and go slowly
16) Go slowly on the way down, too! “Don’t be stupid like I was” (Thanks Sal!)
17) Make sure you have a guide with you
18) Headaches are to be expected, but listen if your body tells you to stop.
19) Don’t push yourself farther than you should
20) GO SLOWLY. Acclimatize properly, and you’ll be just fine.

So… Guess I’ll be going slowly. Which will, you know, give me a good deal of time to mull over the best way to make a perfect omelet.

When discussing the idea of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with people, I am met with many different reactions. I know that people are supportive, but sometimes it’s funny how that “support” is portrayed. For example, a friend of mine recently decided to point out:

Six kilometres straight up! It’s like doing The Chief 8½ times without a break!

Thanks. I really needed to hear that.

I’m trying to avoid the reality of this situation for as long as possible. Right now I’m thinking that I’ll be needing some good shoes, a few granola bars, some water and a good porter to get myself up this rather large hill. I like it when people keep me somewhat ignorant. It keeps the fear at bay for a little while longer.

Recently I was taking the bus into Vancouver (you know, I’m not even going to comment on the changes to the 601, mkay?), and I was going to walk to the bus loop on the other side of town. My mother asked me if I’d like a drive to the loop, and I thanked her but replied that I would rather walk. “Walk?!”, she says, “All the way there?!”

Considering I am climbing “six kilometers straight up”, a little stroll across town doesn’t seem too daunting.

I like walking. I have two dogs (Jenn and Luna) that I walk quite frequently, so I really don’t mind a few extra steps here and there. That being said, hiking is different. So from here on in, every weekend until I leave I will either hike or *shudder* camp with a variety of friends and training partners. Tomorrow my friend Ali and I head to Lynn Canyon, rain or shine.

I’ll let you know how it goes. However, as for today…. I need to go buy hiking boots.