To tide you over I've got a poll to the right for your amusement. See if you can guess the right answer.
I'll also upload some picture galleries, possibly interspersing some of Jen's pictures (they'll be the ones that have artistic elements like composition and focus). Jen's also don't have thumbs, unlike the picture below:
This fine gentleman's name is Kefas. He accompanied me to the top. Accompanied really doesn't describe it, though. He carried my pack, encouraged me, and was generally unaffected by the whole ordeal. He didn't even try to dodge when I made some very convincing vomiting noises. In case you're curious, I didn't vomit - nothing left my mouth.
There were 3 of us climbing Kili. A woman named Helen joined our trek at the last minute (more about her in later posts).
For the 3 of us there were:
9 porters
1 cook
1 assistant guide
1 guide
So 15 people went up the mountain. Only the guide, assistant guide, and Kefas actually made the trek to the top (1 guide/tourist). The porters basically carry about 55 pounds apiece, and are responsible for beating you to the next camp site so that camp is ready when you get there.
Put another way - they carry twice as much as you do (at least), don't use their hands, and climb twice as fast as you do (at least). As far as I can tell they eat once a day, and use about one third of the water that you do.
They're the real man-oxen.
2 comments:
Glad to hear you made it! Can't wait to hear the rest of the story.
Awesome man! I can't believe you really did bring the shirt up the mountain. I spent the last week bumming around the beaches in Hawaii and you climbed a giant mountain. The roles have reversed. You are now the terminator. I bow down to your ox powers! I hope you have fun in South Africa as well and have a safe return.
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