20 Days to Kilimanjaro

20 Days left til Kilimanjaro and counting.

For the last 4 weeks, I've been working out at least 4 days a week with a mix of running, P90X, Insanity, Jillian Michaels, parkour and yoga. The last 4 Saturdays, I've gone to the stadium in the morning to climb stairs for a solid 60 minutes. The stairs and yoga mix have been important since I'm still recovering from a knee injury in October which I'm currently taking anti-inflammatory meds for and to prep my calves in preparation for the 5 day ascent. My hope is that I acclimatise well since altitude sickness is the main reason that cause people not to reach Uhuru Peak. It's estimated that only 30% of trekkers make it to Uhuru Peak.

I've started packing for Kilimanjaro, digging all my cold weather clothes back out. The hike up Kilimanjaro is best described as a hike from the Equator to Antarctica in a matter of days. When we start the hike at the bottom, it will be hot and damp with rainforest, but when we get to the top of the peak, Kili is covered in glacier.

I'll be packing layers to put on and peel off, lots and lots of socks and lots of cotton underwear. We won't have access to showers until the end of day 6, so good deodorant. I'll be going directly to Close of Service in Gaborone where we'll have dinner with the U.S. Ambassador, so a dress for that.