Apr 04, 2012
Kili Training
With 70 days to go until the start of the Kilimanjaro climb, we’ve done a lot of work to get ready for the big trip. We’ve ordered massive amounts of gear including cold weather clothes and sleeping bags. We’ve lifted major weight at The Bar Fitness in Ahwatukee with our friends Kaylee and Brian. We’ve hiked all over the beautiful trails of South Mountain. We’ve booked flights and lodging for the travel not included with our Climb and Safari package. We’ve renewed passports and taken steps to get visas and vaccinations. We’ve lined up the house sitter and updated all of our documents. We’ve also been reading lots of guidebooks and blogs, and talking to others about their experiences with the hike.
In the coming 70 days there’s still a lot to do, most importantly, getting in the best physical shape possible for the challenges of the mountain. The 3 toughest days on the mountain are going to be:
Day 6, when we take 7 to 9 hours to move 2 miles and 2,397 feet up the Western Breach.
Day 7, when we take 1 to 2 hours to climb 841 vertical feet in 1 mile to the summit at 19,341, then descend 6 miles in 9,041 vertical feet in 6 to 8 hours (oh my knees are killing me just thinking about it)!
Day 8, when we will take 7 to 9 hours to hike 6 miles in 4,722 vertical feet down the rest of the mountain.
My favorite training hike on South Mountain is a 7.4 mile loop that takes about 3 hours. It starts at 1329 feet, tops out at 2550, and offers a net gain of 1450 and a net loss of 1450. Seems I might need to start doing that twice a day. I envy our hiking pals Rich and Lisa who live in Denver, since they have access to some serious elevation. I think we’ll try to get some Humphries hikes in this May so we can challenge ourselves.
