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Kilimanjaro Gear Notes

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Kilimanjaro at twilight, Shira 1. I started building my Kilimanjaro gear months before wheels-up Feb 28. It was a balance between realism and very real weight limits, hedging my bets at every turn; to the extent of buying a new digital scale. In the end, it's not your scale that counts. It's the airline's and then the tour group. Then add in that I was doing a post-Kilimanjaro trip, and needed to figure that out. I got expert advice from Dave Turner, who's forgotten more about mountain travel than I'll ever know. The Four Main Components 1/ The LARGE BLACK DUFFEL , the 1997 Eagle Creek Black Whale held all the trek gear. Inside it were [depending on trip phase] 2/ PORTER DUFFEL 3/ ARCTERYX DAY PACK 4/ GREEN BURRITO PACK: for off mountain travel [see below] The following list is what I dragged/carried to Kilimanjaro and further on. Black Whale, with Green Burrito visible. Porter Duffel obscured. 1/ LARGE BLACK DUFFEL 20L compression dry bag [for sleeping bag] Sleepi
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Kilimanjaro Notes

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Kilimanjaro, from a sunflower field outside JRO, 01 MAR 01 MAR Arr JRO. Little sleep. All gear arrives. Hello Africa eSIM not loaded properly. I'll ride wifi until out of country. Mbahe Farm. Hillary, driver Leonard, chef Lillian, maid 02 MAR Adjoining cabins at the Mbahe Farm. Utterly delightful. Mbahe Farm 6000' Hike around Mtuy farm. Met other group- Doug Marsh, Megan Woods. Scarecrow at Mbahe Farm field Scarecrow. Wild ganja plant from random field workers. Jet lag kicking my ass. Final gear weigh-in: 12kg Gear layout inspection. Add extra pad. Diamox discussed and not used. Doug opted for it, and was pissing like a fire hose the entire trip. I relied on my ultra experience: pounding Gatorade, and pissing clear.  2hr sleep at best Begin 2x daily stat checks with Oxymeter measuring oxygen intake [100 being best] and pulse. STATS: AM 6,100  Mbahe Farm 96 56 PM 6,100  Mbahe Farm 96 53 03 MAR DAY 1: Lemosho Ga
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Kilimanjaro Card Oracle and Smokes

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One of an occasional series on Random Card Oracles. I found this lonely card somewhere below Barafo Camp in the clinker. One source suggests that Ten of Diamonds is "a responsibility or alliance." Maybe. Another source suggests  Diamonds are all about money and finance s, and that 10 of Diamonds:  Financial prosperity, good fortune. Well, I was there heading down from Barafo Camp, where I found this little nugget. Smokes Elsewhere on the 10-day trek, I noticed occasional cigarette butts. In my hypoxia state, I wondered about it for maybe a split-second, then went back to the business of breathing and not breaking myself tripping over something.   One day, our group was taking a break, resting on some fine-ass comfy rocks. I smelled a cigarette, and went to look. On the other side of the low rock wall, were a group of other porters taking their break. Being all sociable and curious, I walked around and introduced myself, at the exact moment one of them was rolling a joint
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