{"id":1845,"date":"2015-07-20T19:38:50","date_gmt":"2015-07-21T00:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/outsidesuburbia.com\/?p=1845"},"modified":"2021-01-28T19:11:44","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T01:11:44","slug":"climbing-kilimanjaro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outsidesuburbia.com\/os-inspirations\/feature\/climbing-kilimanjaro\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing Kilimanjaro: My Journey from a Dream To Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Climbing Kilimanjaro has been on my bucket list for a long time. I used to do lots of hiking when I was a teenager in India but the rat race after I came to the USA and other responsibilities made hiking one of the things that was last on the priority list. Now I am 38 and 20 lbs over-weight. I realized that I needed to start doing things I really enjoy doing and what I have always dreamed of. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n My love for the mountains was always there but the dream of climbing them was slowly slipping away as I was getting older and the thought of that was just unbearable. Back in college I read about how majestic and magical Kilimanjaro was. Climbing it was like climbing from equator to north pole in 7 days with its four different climate zones. It is a “trekking mountain” which means it is not technical and you can walk up all the way to the summit without requiring ropes, ice axe and bottled oxygen. It is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and climbing it comes with risks of altitude sickness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My brother-in-law, Greg, has been wanting to climb Kilimanjaro so he was the first person I called and he immediately agreed to join me. My friends Adonis and Samir got lured into my “adventure of lifetime” marketing efforts. They were already in great physical shape. Tushar was on board when he heard about our “ambitious” plan and we were thrilled to hear that he would join us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was fascinated by the idea of conquering that mountain alongside with my buddies but before doing that I had to conquer the mountain within me. The dream of climbing Kilimanjaro will have to come with a major fitness overhaul, change in eating habits and a massive training program to loose weight, and build endurance as well as stamina. I started training in March and for the next ten months I trained seven days a week. Adonis trained along with me and continuously inspired me stay on my toes. Also, I trained on real mountains by climbing three mountains with Adonis ( including Mt. Elbert – highest mountain of Colorado) and three 14k feet mountains (14ers) in Colorado along with Samir and Tushar. Mountains demand respect as they have their own weather system, exposed steep sections and false summits. I was ready for Kili after climbing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While climbing these mountains in Colorado, I learned that having proper gear is absolutely essential and the lack of it can be fatal. My favorite part of this endeavor was researching and procuring gear that I would need. Krupa, my wife, started making fun of me when she noticed my frequent trips to REI and deliveries of mountain gear from online purchases. When she asked me if I really need all these fancy gear, my response was “Do you really need all the fancy stuff you buy when you go shopping?”. She smiled and said “good point.. carry on!”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally December came along. I increased my training routine to 2 hours daily. Greg drove down along with my sister from St. Louis on Christmas. We were comparing our mountain gear with “toys show and tell” like little boys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n January 28, 2014 : We fly to Africa<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n My 7 year old daughter, Anya, made me a “Good Luck… hope you make it to the top” card. The thought of not being able to make it to the Kilimanjaro summit gave me chills when I looked in her eyes so sure that her daddy would stand on top of the mountain. I shrugged off the feeling and told her that I would take a picture of myself with the card she made and send it to her. My 3 year old daughter, Natasha, kept telling everyone she meets “My daddy is going to climb a mountain in Africa”. Daddy felt like he was going to climb mount Everest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On January 2nd , we checked-in at Weru Weru River Lodge, a beautiful lodge near Moshi, Tanzania. We met up with our Kilimanjaro guide, Julio, for a pre-climb briefing. He briefed us about what we should expect during our 7 day adventure up to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame Route, a strenuous but most scenic route up to the “hill”. My friends,Samir, Tushar, Adonis and Greg were all in great shape and full of excitement. The five city slickers were ready to take on the adventure of their lifetime on the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n January 3rd 2015: Day 1 – Machame Gate (5300ft) to Machame Camp (9300 ft)<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was morning filled with excitement when we all got ready by 8 am to be picked up from Weru Weru River Lodge, owned by the same outfit that arranged our Kili climb, Ahsante Tours. Our guide, Julio, picked us up in a Land Cruiser for the drive to the Kilimanjaro National Park – Machame gate. We stopped at Machame village to take photo of the Kilimanjaro Summit as it was a clear day. From a distance it just looked like a “hill”. On a mountain as big as Kilimanjaro the distances can be deceiving. It did not look so high as there was no way to gauge the distance or height. The summit showed only glaciers and there was no snow. If everything goes as planned we would be at the summit in 5 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\nClimbing Kilimanjaro – My Journey from a Dream To Reality<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
by Gaurang Patel
Summit Date: Jan 3 2015
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