After three easy days on the trail, day four was a killer. We took our time heading up to Kibo huts, knowing that if we made it to 4750m sick or feeling ill there was no way to make it to the summit the following morning. So we took our time and meandered our way up to Kibo. The trail itself was easy and although we gained nearly 1000m in altitude, and found ourselves at the end of the day in a relatively low oxygen environment, the hike itself wasn’t so hard. Unlike the hike to Horombo, the landscape to Kibo was basically desert. Very few plants live at that altitude near Kilimanjaro and within …

After a hectic day one, we enjoyed a good nights sleep at the first camp and woke refreshed and ready to go. Hilly but manageable, the hike to Horombo huts was relatively easy and perhaps the most picturesque of the entire hike. We climbed from 2700m to 3700m, from rain forest to sub-alpine vegetation somewhere along the way catching our first view of what we thought was Kilimanjaro. It was a beautiful hike and probably one of my favorites of the entire trek. Covered in snow, the peak looked rather daunting and for the first time I began to wonder if we should be doing this. Assuredly the head guide, George, reminded us to go …

I really don’t know what we were thinking. Somehow, we knew since the beginning that we would give Mt. Kilimanjaro the old college try. It stood there, standing at nearly 20,000 feet, blocking our view of Kenya. With the one year mark of this trip nearly upon us, we ponied up what felt like our life savings (just wait till we post our budget numbers for Tanzania) and embarked on what was no doubt, a once in a lifetime experience…

Leaving Dar Es Salaam the day prior and arriving after dark to the town of Marangu we started the trip a bit harried. Not able to choose our gear and get briefed the day before departure, we …

I don’t know if its called the San Francisco of the Southern Hemisphere, but if it isn’t and the name catches on, well you heard it here first. The winelands are close by. There is a famous prison in the bay. The vibe is cosmopolitan. The coast is wonderful but without a wetsuit you might find yourself a bit cold. Cape Town has the world’s largest population of Great White Sharks, followed by the waters off shore of San Fran. I suppose the biggest difference, on the surface anyway, is that San Francisco is dotted by huge hills whereas Cape Town is divided by a huge mountain. But, that’s just the surface I’m …