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Hiking Kilimanjaro (Or, how I became the sweaty yeti)

January 29, 2023

I’m just about a month away from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and everything is starting to feel very real. I’ve been doing a lot of training hikes and testing out all my gear, and one corner of my bedroom looks like I’ve robbed an REI. It’s just a big pile of base layers, gaiters, gloves, Nalgene bottles, a portable urinal…

Yeah, I’ll probably post more about that last thing at some point.

But I also have very thick, knee-high socks that I’m packing especially for summit night. Since these socks have a yeti on them, somehow I started thinking of myself as The Sweaty Yeti.

While I know there aren’t any yeti stories associated with this mountain — not even close — it makes me feel stronger and cold-weather resilient to imagine myself as part-Yeti. (Sweaty is a given.)

I’ve also been looking over the schedule and poring over maps. By law, every hiker on Kili must go with a guide, so I’ve signed up to do a group hike with a local Tanzanian company. (And a couple of my friends will be joining in too!)

We’ll be taking the Machame route. It looks like this:

DAY 1: Machame Gate to Machame Camp

Elevation: 5,380 ft. to 9,350 ft.
Distance: 11 km/7 miles
Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: Rain Forest
We begin in the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain. As we leave the park gate, we will walk through dense rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge until we reach Machame Camp, where we will stay overnight.

DAY 2: Machame Camp to Shira 2 Camp

Elevation: 9,350 ft. to 12,500 ft.
Distance: 5 km/3 miles
Hiking Time: 4-6 hours
Habitat: Heath
Leaving the glades of the rain forest, we’ll continue on an ascending path up to a steep, rocky ridge. On the Shira Plateau, we’ll pass through heather and open moorlands, then cross a large river gorge to Shira 2 Camp and stay overnight.

DAY 3: Shira 2 Camp to Barranco Camp

This day is divided into two parts:

Shira 2 Camp to Lava Tower

Elevation: 12,500 ft. to 15,190 ft.
Distance: 7 km/4 miles
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert

Lava Tower to Barranco Camp

Elevation: 15,190 ft. to 13,044 ft.
Distance: 3 km/2 miles
Hiking Time: 2-3 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We’ll continue to the east along a ridge and then head southeast towards the Lava Tower – a 300 ft. tall volcanic rock formation. Then we’ll descend down to Barranco Camp through the strange but beautiful Senecio Forest to an altitude of 13,000 ft. Although we’ll begin and end the day at the same elevation, the time spent at higher altitude is beneficial for acclimatization.

DAY 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

Elevation: 13,044 ft. to 13,106 ft.
Distance: 5 km/3 miles
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We’ll begin the day by descending into a ravine to the base of the Great Barranco Wall. Then we climb the non-technical but steep, 900-foot cliff. From the top of the Barranco Wall we’ll cross a series of hills and valleys before descending sharply into Karanga Valley. One steeper climb up will lead us to Karanga Camp. This is a shorter day meant for acclimatization.

DAY 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

Elevation: 13,106 ft. to 15,331 ft.
Distance: 4 km/2 miles
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We’ll leave Karanga and hit the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail. We’ll continue up to the rocky section to Barafu Hut. At this point, hikers will have completed the Southern Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we’ll make camp, rest and enjoy an early dinner to prepare for summit day.

DAY 6: SUMMIT DAY

Another day divided into two parts, and IT’S A DOOZY.

Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak

Elevation: 15,331 ft. to 19,341 ft.
Distance: 5 km/3 miles
Hiking Time: 7-8 hours
Habitat: Arctic

Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp

Elevation: 19,341 ft. to 10,065 ft.
Distance: 12km/7 miles
Hiking Time: 4-6 hours
Habitat: Rain Forest
Around midnight, we’ll begin our push to the summit.
This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. The wind and cold at this elevation and time of day can be extreme, and we’ll ascend in the darkness for several hours. Near Stella
Point (18,900 ft.), hopefully the sun will come up and reward us with a magnificent sunrise over Mawenzi Peak.

Finally, we’ll arrive at Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.
From the summit, we’ll make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. The trail is very rocky and steep. Many have said this is actually the worst part of the hike, due to the strenuous, rocky descent that can be hard to the joints, combined with physical fatigue from hiking throughout the previous night.

DAY 7: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

Elevation: 10,065 ft. to 5,380 ft.
Distance: 10km/6 miles
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Habitat: Rain Forest
On our last day, we’ll continue the descent to Mweka Gate and collect summit certificates. From the gate, we continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet us at Mweka Village to drive us back to Moshi.

Holy crêpe: Paris and the tale of the long layover

January 22, 2023

Paris at twilight when the sky is lavender

Why am I stopping in Paris on my way to Tanzania?

That’s a great question, and the answer offers some insight into how I travel.

I’m headed to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro in early March. It’s an expensive trip that has been a long time coming, so I want everything to go as smoothly as possible.

In reading accounts of people who didn’t successfully summit the mountain, three things repeatedly popped up: The hiker started their trek while still feeling the effects of jet lag, they didn’t have sufficient gear, and/or they physically couldn’t acclimate to the altitude during the climb.

Two of those things are within my control. (Meanwhile, acclimatization seems to be a roll of the dice.)

I usually don’t check luggage, but in this case I have too much gear for a carry-on bag. So for my trip to Tanzania, I’m going slowly. My hope is that this will minimize jet lag, and the handful of extra travel days will serve as a buffer in the event of delays or lost luggage.

I looked at all my options for long layovers, and Paris jumped out for a few reasons: It’s a necessary stop for a future book project; I thought I’d be able to convince my friends to join me; and most importantly, I’ve never been! Though I’ve traveled to France before, I’ve somehow always missed Paris. And while I’m enough of a contrarian that I don’t feel a deep need to visit the city of lights, I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to explore a beautiful place.

I found a great deal on a nonstop flight from LAX to Paris for $400. Then I used United MileagePlus award points to book the rest of my trip, a flight from Paris to Tanzania with a brief stop in Ethiopia.

Usually I like to keep a lot of space for spontaneity when I travel. But because I only have three days in Paris, I created a schedule to make the most of that time. I booked a hotel, scheduled interviews, arranged tours.

The airline, however, had a different plan — and they cancelled my flight. While they did offer to put me on another flight, one was a week earlier, and one arrived too late. So that didn’t work.

Since we’re just over a month out from the trip, new flights on other airlines are about $1,000, plus taxes and fees. Merde!

At this point, I have too much research, work, and money invested in going to Paris, so I can’t skip it. But at that price, I can’t go to Paris.

My simple layover was going to drive me in-seine.

Here’s how I fixed it

First, I did many, many searches for flights, using every trick I know.

Nothing.

Then I moved some points around to my United MileagePlus account and booked an awards flight from Palm Springs to Paris for 30k points + $5. I kept the awards flight I already have from Paris to Tanzania.

For my return, United doesn’t charge a change fee for awards flights, so I rescheduled my Tanzania to Paris flight as a Tanzania to Palm Springs trip, which cost 44k points and $240 (most of that money was for seat selection, a pointless fee I will forever gripe about). It is going to be a terrible, 37-hour travel day — but I don’t need to build any buffers into the return flight, I just need to get home.

So I’m getting for Paris for less money than the flight I originally booked, though I am blowing through a lot of points. But hey, that’s what those are for, right?

I have to admit, right now I feel … triomphe-ant.

Road trip: Underground adventure at Mitchell Caverns in the Mojave Desert

January 9, 2023

The guide prepped us with a countdown of “Three, two, one …”

Instantly, we were plunged into the blackest darkness I’ve ever experienced. A darkness so complete, it felt thick. I put my hand in front of my face, and not only was I unable to see it, I wondered if my hand still existed.

Just when I felt like I might be falling through space, my son wrapped his arms around my legs. A moment later, the guide turned on the small lights that illuminated the path.

I quickly reoriented myself. Ahead of me, cave. Behind me, cave. Above me, you guessed it. Cave.

It’s a good thing I’m not the kind of person who gets claustrophobic in confined spaces. Rather, I’m the kind of person who, when faced with darkness, potentially loses their own body.

I was standing in the deepest point of Mitchell Caverns, an adventurous Southern California road trip destination within two hours’ drive from Barstow and a fun add-on for camping trips in the surrounding area.

The caverns are named for Jack Mitchell, who bought claims to the land and sounds a bit like a sunbaked, desert version of P.T. Barnum. Back in 1934, he and his wife, Ida, built stone structures by hand on the property and ran a small resort that included tours of the caves. They also developed the road that led from Route 66 to the caverns, approximately 22 miles, and turned it into a popular attraction.

On view are two main caves: “El Pakiva,” the Devil’s House, and “Tecopa,” named for a Shoshone chief. There’s a third cave, but it’s deep and dangerous, and at this point it’s off limits to the public.

The tour enters through the “eyes of the mountain” and only becomes more spectacular from there.

The caverns feature some unique and unusual formations, and our guide was excellent about explaining them. I knew about stalagmites and stalactites, but I had no idea that so many cave features are named for food! We saw cave bacon, cave frosting, cave mushrooms, and cave shields — “they’re kind of like a sandwich,” our guide said.

Overall the caverns were more impressive than I expected, a true gem within the California state park system.

GO SEE IT

Where: Mitchell Caverns is located in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area in the eastern Mojave Desert.

When: The State Park is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays from September to June. (Closed July and August.)

You must have a guided tour for the caverns. Reserve this by calling (760)928-2586 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays. Group size is limited to 15 people.

What time: Tours are approximately 2 hours long and take place at 10 a.m. in June and September, and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the other months.

Cost: Tours are $10 per adult, $9 per senior, and $5 for children. There’s also a $10 State Park fee per vehicle.

Bring: There’s no gas or food located within many miles of the attraction, so make sure you have everything you need to fuel yourself and your vehicle. For the tour, you can take a water bottle, but no backpacks or snacks.

Good to know: The bat population is being decimated by white-nose syndrome. It’s a fungal growth that does not affect humans, but humans can carry and spread the spores, and the spores can survive for up to a decade. For that reason, the park requests that whatever you wear to Mitchell Caverns, you never wear into another cave. (So if you have plans to visit another cave soon, this is a great excuse to buy new hiking boots!)

Accessibility: The location of the caverns do not allow for trails to be ADA accessible. Also, the cavern formations create areas as low as 62 inches and as narrow as 14 inches. There are video tours of the caverns that can be viewed inside the visitor center.

Find out more: Visit the park website

Need outdoor gear? Check here first

December 26, 2022

There are plenty of reasons to buy used outdoor gear. It saves money, making recreation more affordable and accessible. It’s better for the planet, (and if you’re spending time outdoors, chances are you dig this planet). And at a time of fast fashion, when 85% of clothing ends up in landfills, buying used means you’re not contributing to that abysmal number.

I’ve been prepping for a trek on Mount Kilimanjaro, which unfortunately comes with a hefty gear list. I’ll be renting some items in Tanzania, but for things like base layers and jackets, I want to have my own reliable pieces. At the same time, I don’t want to break my budget on $90 waterproof mittens I’ll wear once.

That’s how I found these excellent sites where you can extend the life of quality, functional gear without spending a bundle. It’s never been easier to reduce consumption!

Here are my favorites so far:

• Patagonia Worn Wear — Patagonia Worn Wear consists of two main collections: Recrafted garments are new pieces made from the fabric of used clothes; meanwhile, Patagonia pieces that leave the factory with some sort of flaw are refurbished for the Seconds collection.

• REI Used — Awesome selection of a wide variety of gear and clothing. Note that you have to be an REI co-op member to shop (or sell) on the used site.

• Arc’teryx ReGear — Arc’teryx makes high quality goods with a price tag to match, which makes the used clothing such a great deal

• Eddie Bauer (Re)Adventure — You can rent from this site or make a purchase. (I scored a very cozy 3-in-1 ski jacket for $66!) [EDITED TO NOTE: Eddie Bauer has sadly discontinued this program. Fingers crossed they will bring it back.]

• The North Face Renewed – The same North Face stuff you love elsewhere, but at a fraction of the price.

• GearTrade — A marketplace of many brands and a frustrating search portal. But the deals are good, and it’s worth scouring the site to find what you need.

• ThredUp — This thrift site for women and children’s clothing isn’t dedicated to outdoor gear, but I’ve found a lot of great active wear. If you haven’t shopped ThredUp before, here’s $10 off your first purchase.

• Outdoors Geek — A site for rental camping gear that also sells gently used goods.

Know any others? Let me know in the comments!

My ultimate California bucket list

December 19, 2022

I confess it’s taken me years to pull together my ultimate California bucket list — but that’s probably because there’s so much to do in the Golden State!

I’ve been chipping away at items ever since I moved here in 2005. Some things I did immediately (road trip along State Route 1), some fell off the list entirely (appear as a contestant on The Price is Right), and many I’d still like to do (bike the Golden Gate Bridge, hike in Yosemite, and so on). This post is a compilation of my top 50.

Keep in mind, this list is in no particular order. Also since I live in Southern California, it’s heavy on items in this part of the state.

What else would you add?

50 things you must do in California

Hike to the Hollywood sign
Stay at Madonna Inn
Watch a show at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace
Summit Mount Whitney
See a Joshua Tree sunrise
Bike the Golden Gate bridge
Check out the mud pots in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Attend the Indigenous sunrise gathering on Alcatraz
Stay overnight in the haunted room at the Queen Mary
Tour Hearst Castle
Drive State Route 1
Visit General Sherman at Sequoia National Park
Whale watching at Dana Point
Disneyland
Visit La Brea Tar Pits
Sound bath at the Integratron
See Solvang during the holiday season
Go camping in Big Sur
Swim in Lake Tahoe
Drive around Catalina in a golf cart
Stay at Esalen
Order from the secret menu at In-N-Out (Actually I should do a separate list of California bucket-list foods)
Visit the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County
Spend time in Channel Islands National Park
Visit Watts Towers
Ride in a San Francisco cable car
See a movie in Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Buy books at City Lights
Tour Winchester Mystery House
Watch the rocks at Death Valley racetrack
See the swallows at San Juan Capistrano Mission
Hike Half Dome in Yosemite
See the Antelope Valley poppies in full bloom
Attend Pageant of the Masters
Help build floats for the Tournament of Roses Parade
Drive (the CA portion of) Route 66
Look through the telescopes at Griffith Observatory
Visit a fire lookout
See a live taping of a TV show
Experience the Magic Castle
Climb Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert
See the Mono Lake Tufa towers
Watch the sunset from Sunset Cliffs in San Diego
See a show at the Hollywood Bowl
Hike to Potato Chip Rock
Put dimes on Frank Sinatra’s grave
Visit Golden Gate fortune cookie factory in San Francisco’s Chinatown
Stroll Rodeo Drive
Explore Salvation Mountain and East Jesus
Be an extra in a film

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