Interesting Observations from the Packing Party

So, now that you've read about the packing party - let me share a few observations:

The Underwear Affair:

     Apparently no women are bringing panties or bras and only one guy is planning to wear underwear (boxer briefs in case you were wondering). Does this mean we are all really going commando or that no one was brave enough to show off their underwear? In my pre-blogger days I wrote a bit when I was travelling to Beijing on the glories of taking period panties on vacation - that way you can throw them out if you need the space for souvenirs.  Is that what's going on here? Is everyone planning to bring ratty underwear and then just burn them rather than bring them home. Or is something deeper going on?
     No one is brave enough to discuss just how many pairs of underwear they are bringing. Are they planning to bring a really low number and don't want everyone to know? Are they planning to bring a high number and don't want to be ridiculed? Do you bring extras in case of GI distress with unexpected explosive results? Can you safely wear a pair for two days, just turning them inside out on the second day (or rightside in in my case since I always wear my underwear inside out)?
Hmmmm..  I'll let you make your own conclusions because I didn't take any to the packing party either, and I'm not revealing how many pairs I'm taking with me.

Snacks

    Quite a few people brought the snacks they are taking with them. Most people had a power bar or two and maybe some other kind of packaged food. I (shamelessly) brought all 6 lbs of snacks I am taking with me. Yes, that is an extremely large amount - about a pound a day. Now, those of you who know me, know I have a great fondness for candy - evidenced by my physical appearance and by the fact that I will start creeping you after Hallowe'en for all your left over candy. I'm not really interested in your chips, will eat your chocolate if necessary, but will gladly arm wrestle you for your sugary candy.
     Interested in just what is contained in a pound of snack a day? I have a couple hundred grams of actual kids candy- Valentine's hearts, zingy zaps, sour soothers and the like. I also have a Kendle's peppermint cake, an Eatmore bar and some nuts. The more people I talk to who have climbed the mountain, the more who say they were unable to eat due to nausea and then were very weak when summiting. I have purposefully chosen candy I love in hopes I will be able to eat it if nauseated. I have approximately 1000 calories of snacks per day. If I feel good and am enjoying the food they cook on the mountain, then my snacks will be given away to the porters at the end of the trip. I do not want lack of food intake to result in a failure to summit. I also have a secret food weapon that I will discuss after the trip with you....

Toilet Paper
      There were varying amounts of toilet paper in each person's bag. We have to bring our own and the big question is, "How much paper does one actually need over 6 days?" I have three rolls of compact toilet paper purchased at the camping store. Each roll is about the size of the hollowed out middle of a conventional toilet paper roll. Will this be enough? The rolls don't list how many squares are in them. but basic math says I have a roll for every two days. In the rain forest I could use leaves, but once above the treeline there are only rocks. If worst comes to worst, I will budget squares just for the big business and force myself to shake and air dry for the other! Or... buy some from one of the other climbers, a steal of a deal at $5US per square!

Luxury Items
     Remember on the original Survivor how each player was allowed to bring a luxury item. One guy brought a paella pan and then never made paella. Other people brought smart things like a flag that could be used as a shelter or a razor for shaving. What do Kilimanjaro luxury items consist of? Good question.
     For some of us - it is a pillow. I am taking three because that's the minimum number of pillows I can peacefully coexist with. Two of them are the blow up kind and one has some fill and is also blown up to achieve head resting perfection. They don't take up much room, are light and what I deem a necessity.

     A couple of people are bringing their electric toothbrushes. No, we don't have electricity on the mountain. One will just use her toothbrush manually when the charge runs out, the other is bringing two of them so she never has to manually brush her teeth.
    One woman is considering bringing shampoo, just in case she can wash her hair on day two or three. The porters do bring us a pan of warm water twice a day to wash with, but I've read a lot of reports that say the terrain is so dusty, there isn't much point in anything beyond washing the majority of gunk off your hands. I did offer to go with this woman to the stream the porters will use to get our water and help her wash her hair in it.....no reply yet.
     One guy is bringing his multi tool and a pair of scissors and a knife. I have a very small, single blade knife with scissors, figuring I can use one or the other to cut any moleskin for my blisters. I can't figure out why the guy wants to carry a multi tool and a knife and scissors, but hey, each to his own luxury item.
     I didn't steal a feel but I think one lady is bringing silk pajamas. I couldn't figure out how to politely feel them to see if that's what they are made of. My sleeping bag has nylon inside and I can't imagine the amount of sliding around nylon + silk will equal. I'm bringing fleece long johns, sweater and the warmest socks on the earth to sleep in. Totally unsexy to everyone but a true Canadian, but warmth is important in my book!
     A few people are bringing ginormous cameras with them. That one I understand on many levels and yet, one guy who recently climbed to the summit thought he took fantastic pictures until he reached an altitude with much more oxygen. Upon reviewing the pictures and video he took on the summit - he discovered none of his pictures will be gracing the cover of National Geographic. They are all shaky and crooked and some have his thumb in the middle of them. Apparently lack of oxygen affects fine motor skills!
     And the ultimate luxury item? For the low price of $200US, one can have a portable toilet and privacy screen carried up the mountain for them. However, $200 divided by 5 is only $40 each. I bought a share in the porta potty and am "looking forward" to doing at least some of my business in relative privacy. I have travelled to countries where squat toilets are the norm, and I have reasonable aim in the short term but find I get a terrible case of the leg shakes for anything taking longer than 30 seconds.

 If you were climbing Kilimanjaro - what would your luxury item be?

Packing Party!

Two weeks ago we had a packing party. This entailed packing all your gear up, taking it to the meeting room, unpacking it all and then repacking it to take home afterwards.

What's the reason behind this you may ask? Sounds kind of silly doesn't it? Well, it was a good idea for a couple of reasons.

First - I am now sure that all my gear will fit into my Kilimanjaro duffle bag and that I am within the weight limit. They are a bit squidgy about what exactly the limit is, but it has settled on 25 - 35 lbs, including your sleeping bag. All in I am at 28 lbs with a few small items still to be added. NOTE: this does NOT mean I am looking for more things to take with me. What it does mean is that I don't have to jettison any of my six lbs of snacks.

Second - We all got a chance to look at what everyone else is bringing and decide if they have better ideas/ taste than we do. One lady was taking pictures of my sleeping socks (TMax from Mark's Work Wearhouse - warmest socks you will ever wear). We got to debate the merits of round compression sacks vs. uncompressed square packing cubes.

Third - for the two members of Team Antelope (my team) that attended, we got to decide who was bringing what team gear. Of course, the ones who weren't there got saddled with all the hard to find, heavy, large volume stuff, while those of us who attended got the easy, light gear to contribute.

I now have two huge piles on my downstairs table - one that's going in my carry on and one that will be in my checked luggage because, of course, how we pack to go up the mountain is not how we pack to actually get to Africa!

Currently nine sleeps left until we fly off. It has long seemed that departure date was a long ways away and now, all of a sudden, it is just around the corner. My list of things to do is very short, which I find quite scary because I'm worried I have missed something. Still, my conventional pre-vacation advice is always - "you have a credit card, they have stores" and I'm going to stick with that line of thinking.

The training.....
I've had my orthotics for over a month now and I am seeing improvement in my feet. They still hurt after about 2 hours of hiking, but the soreness doesn't last as long as it used to and it doesn't bother me the next day. I have also had some accupuncture and massage. I think my feet will be in good enough shape to get me to the top and back down safely.

I have done my last training walk outside. I nailed my layers for very cold weather and am comfortable with the clothing choices I have made. With the very cold weather and the icy conditions that currently exist here, I am getting more afraid every day of injuring myself outside and have since decided to finish my training in the gym. This also means I can do my final laundry now and actually put things in my suitcase.

I have been doing indoor stairs again and am pleased to say I actually learned something and did not overdo it the first time. I am gradually working my way up (no pun intended) to longer sessions.

Stay tuned....9 sleeps left!