Day 5 - Meyersdale to River's Edge Family Campground - 60 miles
After crossing the Eastern Continental Divide, it was supposed to be all down hill, I guess it was but it was hard to tell. I met up with my final riding companion in the morning and we took off on the super highway, the GAP Trail. This trail is well groomed and much faster riding than the C&O Canal.
Read MoreDay 6 - River's Edge Family Campground to Pittsburgh - 58 miles
The last day on the trail! It was a bittersweet finish. The time on the trail was worth every challenge, muscle tweak, and hot, sweaty day. Six days and 334 miles of trail was an amazing journey and accomplishment. When I got home, I started searching for other trails without traffic. There is something nice about hitting a trail instead of the road, and I've done both.
Read MoreThe entire reason for the year-long preparation of training and fundraising, which led to climbing the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, was to bring clean water to a community in Arusha, Tanzania. While our goal was to raise enough money for one well... we actually raised enough for TWO wells! We were able to transform this...
Read MoreThe news of our climb reached many as media outlets picked up the story.
Read MoreOver a year in the making and we were finally on our way to the Rongai route trail head on the north side of Mt Kilimanjaro. We packed into two buses and made the journey from our lodge outside of Arusha towards the Kenyan border and our starting point. Nerves and butterflies were firing on all points.
Read MoreSounds of zippers opening and closing filled the night air at Simba Camp. It seemed everyone was visiting the toilet tent in the middle of the night. Staying hydrated on the mountain is critical to staving off the effects of altitude sickness, but it comes at a cost of frequently needing to empty.
Read MoreSettled into the routine of life on the mountain, it was now normal to wake up with the morning tea/coffee and wash bin set outside of the tent. Opening the tent and seeing a blanket of clouds below was truly surreal. So to fully enjoy the view, breakfast was served alfresco, no tent to hinder the view.
Read MoreThis was the last morning for a wash bucket outside of the tent, because now our water source was limited to the stagnant pool at the base of the Mawenzi Tarn. Water was the purpose for our climb, and it became a theme throughout the climb.
Read MoreThere are somethings that no amount of training and reading can prepare you for, and climbing to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro is no exception. It's hard and amazing, and reaches for every ounce of determination in your being. The schedule for climbing to the summit will help explain the journey to the top.
Read MoreThe last day on the mountain was bitter sweet, being without a shower for 6 days was starting to show, but the routine of the mountain and camaraderie forged on the mountain between the guides, porters, and fellow climbers were incredible. Walking down the mountain was fast. The route to the bottom took us through the 5 ecological zones on the south side of Mt Kilimanjaro.
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