|
So here we are in our last full month before the off and it is all feeling very close and very real. That said we are actually really wound up and ready to go. Just can't wait! One or two last purchases like Nuun electrolyte tablets to pop into our water containers to make the water more palatable, making sure we renew the travel insurance getting cash sorted for the various parts of the trip where we won't have access to banks etc and we should be really, really, ready. Training of course continues with a vengeance and we are aiming to clock up about 1,500m each week, which is pretty much the best we can do from where we live and almost the same as we achieved in June. This, together of course with our planned acclimatisation trek in the Alps where we will spend 4 days just below 3,000m and have real mountains of nearly 3,800m in which to play should mean that we are as fit and as acclimatised as it is realistically possible to be when we set off for the "Big Hill". Alongside this we have begun thinking seriously about the packing. We are limited to 15kg on the hill and as we understand it bags are weighed, so now that we finally have everything we want to carry up the hill including trail mix and jelly babies to nibble on, it seemed sensible to make sure it all fits in the porter's bag and that it weighs in at less than 15kg. We therefore laid everything out on the floor, took a photo and began weighing and allocating to day pack or porter's bag. This went well and the heaviest the porters' bags will be is just over 12kg each, so well within the 15kg limit. As a few kilos relate to our nibbles the bags should get lighter as we move up the mountain. There is more detail on the equipment page, where we also provide the final kit list for the climb. Our final weekend before we pack the car and head off for the Alps saw us beginning to pack for real. Many items are needed only for the climb or only for the Alps but a significant number of things like boots, first aid kit, fleece, trekking poles etc will need to be moved from one bag to another as we move through the various stages of this adventure. To avoid leaving something in the car that is vital to life on Kilimanjaro, given the tight schedule to descend from the hut, drive to Munich, re-pack the bags and fly out to Africa we found ourselves resorting to all sorts of packing lists with items needing to be "remembered" clearly highlighted on the list. Here's hoping all this preparation pays dividends! We are now packed and all ready to go!! Can't wait!
|
|
