Thesis Thursday

Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. ~Lawrence Durrell

As part of the process to graduate from the University of South Carolina Honors College this May I have to complete a senior thesis project. The project can be about anything of my choosing which is both a gift and a curse.

For a long time I really struggled with finding a topic for my thesis. With the freedom and flexibility to do my thesis about absolutely anything, it was difficult to narrow down topics. While I initially struggled with selecting a topic, as soon as I began hiking Kilimanjaro I knew that the whole experience would be my thesis topic.

My thesis focuses on two main things: reflecting about my hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro and providing detailed information about my experience hiking Kilimanjaro to others. First I wanted to look at the experience introspectively to identify what hiking Kilimanjaro meant to me in terms of a learning experience.

Second, I wanted to share this experience on a large scale which is why I opted to incorporate a blog into the thesis process. Hopefully this blog will help anyone considering hiking Kili or anyone who is planning their Kilimanjaro adventure with the preparation process and with what to expect.

Also I have found a love for blogging. I look forward to continuing to blog about my travel experiences. Summer of 2009 I spent five weeks in Spain, four of which were in Barcelona. Right before hiking Kilimanjaro I spent several days in London and two and a half weeks in Tanzania. Fall of this past year I took several weekend trips, one of which was to Asheville, North Carolina. Already since I began this blog I have been on a ski trip to Colorado and a spring break trip to Walt Disney World and Naples, Florida. I love to travel and want to continue sharing my trips and travel opportunities with others through this blog.

In the process of working on this thesis I have learned a lot. Tomorrow’s post will be about my reflections on the hike overall and what I feel I learned throughout the whole process.

Hot Off the Press!

One of the coolest things about having hiked Kilimanjaro is the recognition I have gotten on my campus. 

So far I have been interview by the University of South Carolina media relations office twice, once for the Summer Series articles, and once for Discovery Day. 

I was featured on the USC homepage at the beginning of fall semester. It was so awesome to open the University’s homepage and see a picture of myself there. I had so many people come up to me and tell me they read the article and their thoughts. The article can be found here.

 

Right now I’m waiting on the final draft of the article on Discovery Day before it goes onto the webpage.

I also was interviewed by a fellow University Ambassador, Katie Rudder. She is the writer of the blog Let’s Be Preppy and is a contributing writer to HerCampus, University of South Carolina page. Her article was fun and focused especially on the girly aspects of this climb. That article can be found here.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the articles and doing the interviews because it’s fun to share the experience. And let’s be honest, what girl doesn’t love a little attention now and then? I hope you enjoy reading the articles too!

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~Lin Yutang

The plane ride home was the longest ride of my life. My journey home consisted of two separate flights. The first flight left Arusha at 9 PM. Kind of. It was supposed to leave at 9 PM and because of delays with luggage we actually left at 10:30 PM or so. 

After an hour we landed in Dar es Salaam to load more passengers onto the plane before departing Tanzania. They quickly cleaned the plane out and began boarding more passengers. There were of course more delays and we didn’t get into the air until 1 AM.

They immediately served us dinner which was much appreciated. All of the extra time from delays had left me starving. I must say Royal Dutch KLM airlines serves really good food on their flights.

Though I was satisfied by the meal, I also realized I was starting to get sick. I guess all of the climate changes from trekking down the mountain so quickly, the minimal sleep, the physical exertion, the stress of repacking and flight delays, and the dry plane air had finally gotten the best of me. My throat was killing me.

On top of that I was experiencing the worst cramps of my whole life. I had insanely painful knots of cramps in my legs and abdomen. After such a high intensity level of physical exertion for a week straight, sitting still on a plane for an extended period of time was really not working for me.

One major point of advice I would give to people hiking Kilimanjaro is to not fly out the same day or day after getting off the mountain. Give yourself at least two days to recover physically and relax your body before subjecting yourself to hours-long plane rides.

Fortunately for me, I won the plane seat lottery by sitting next to an older lady who was a nurse on a medical mission trip. She stocked me up with Vitamin C packets to mix into my drinks, throat lozenges, and Tylenol. I befriended the flight attendants as well so that I would have continual drinks to sooth my throat. In total I would estimate I drink at least a gallon and a half of water and a gallon of orange juice on my flights home. 

The flight from Tanzania arrived in Amsterdam the next morning very early around 8 AM. I had a two hour layover in the airport so I took advantage of the opportunity to stretch my legs and walked around. I also connected to the internet to e-mail my mom and let her know my flight schedule. Skype and e-mail are such a godsend when traveling. I used it to call and update home all throughout my trip to Tanzania and while I was in route.

Eagerly, I got onto the plane as soon as they began boarding because by this point I was so excited to get home. Fortunately on this leg of the flight I was seated in a bulkhead row and was able to stretch out my legs. First rule of picking flights: always try for a bulkhead row or exit row.

On this final flight I was far too anxious and excited to get home to sleep. I watched Dear John and Alice in Wonderland, chatted with the woman next to me, and ate the in flight meal to pass the time.

By the time we landed I was so happy to be on the ground and almost home. By this point I had been traveling for twenty-five hours and I was exhausted and still feeling sick. I gathered my luggage from baggage claim and waited in line at customs. After being cleared, I took the train in the Atlanta airport to meet my family.

Words can’t begin to describe how excited I was when I found my mom and dad. After giving them a big hug and having my mom cry she was so happy I was home safe, we drove home. 

After a month away, I was finally back. My mom made a big dinner to celebrate and invited over my grandparents. It was so nice to see everyone and share with them my adventure.

Shortly after seeing everyone and telling them about my trip, I crashed. The bed was beyond comfy after a week of sleeping on the ground. I slept through the night and until at least 2 PM the next day. It felt so good to be home.

The Kili Song

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.  ~St. Augustine

“Jambo! Jambo Bwana!

Habari gani?

Mzuri sana.

Wageni, mwakaribishwa

Kilimanjaro yetu.

Hakuna matata

Twende pole pole.

Hakuna matata!”

“Hello! Hello sir!

How are you?

Very fine.

Foreigners, you’re welcome

To Kilimanjaro.

There is no problem.

Go slowly, slowly.

There is no problem!”

Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 6

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. ~Dr. Seuss

Waking up at 6:30 was rough. I was groggy, exhausted, physically worn out, and the absolute last thing I wanted to do was get up and hike some more.

Despite not being hungry at all, I had a couple bites of eggs and toast to satisfy my appetite for the next few hours. While I was really apprehensive about the food going into the trip, I’m really going to miss the food we ate on Kilimanjaro because it was so good.

I’m even going to miss the trips Rakhi and I took to the wooded areas to go to the bathroom. Rakhi called some of them a “loo with a view” which I thought was hilarious.

We began the final leg of our hike at 7:20 AM. Aaron and Arnold hiked ahead to arrive at the gate first and organize our travel arrangements back to Arusha and the airport. Rakhi, Daniel, and I hiked at a slower pace because we were in physical pain from the downhill hiking.

As we hiked along through the rainforest it seemed as though we had come full circle back to the first day of our hike. We had beautiful scenery the whole way down but also had to deal with a muddy trail.

By the time we made it to the gate it was 11:20 AM. There aren’t enough words to begin to describe how happy and relieved I was when we got there. My motivation for getting down the mountain was receiving my summit certificate and a long, hot shower.

When Arnold gave me the certificate saying I had reached Uhuru Peak, I was elated. It’s definitely going to be framed as soon as possible so I can hang it somewhere I will see it every day. 

While I was super happy about receiving my certificate, sadness crept in when I had to say goodbye to three new friends: Rakhi, Arnold, and Aaron. Saying I’m going to miss Rakhi is a huge understatement. What a blessing it was to have her added to our group at the last minute. The companionship of having another girl on the hike was such a bonding experience. As for Arnold, I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again. I told him if I come to Tanzania in the future I am going to visit him.

When they left to head back to Arusha, I was alone in a day room at a hotel waiting for my 9 PM flight. It was the first time in almost a month being by myself. What a strange feeling. It was too quiet for my liking. I used the time to decompress, repack all of my belongings, and rest before my long plane ride.

Hiking through the rain forest with my attractive gaiters

Rain forest scenery

Our group with all of the crew at the gate!

Saying goodbye to Rakhi

Arnold giving me my certificate-I'm ecstatic in this picture but looking a little rough

My certificate!!!

Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 5: Summit Day! (part 3)

There, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro. And then he knew that there was where he was going ~Ernest Hemingway, The Snows Of Kilimanjaro

Pure joy. Happiness. Ecstasy. Pride. Bliss. Satisfaction. Elation. These are just a few words to try and describe reaching the summit. To a certain extent, I don’t know if it can be fully described. Maybe it’s best that way. There’s just an unspoken, indescribable magic about reaching the summit that can only be fully understood through experiencing it for yourself.

Immediately upon arriving I gave Rakhi and Aaron big hugs of congratulations and gave Arnold and Daniel hugs of gratitude. Shortly after that a photo shoot began so we could capture in picture our achievement. 

The best moment was taking a picture with the sign at the summit that says “Uhuru Peak, Tanzania, 5895 M. Africa’s Highest Point, World’s Highest Free-standing Mountain.” Every step that brought me to the summit, that sign was in the back of my mind. Every time the hike was difficult or I didn’t know if I would make it, I would think of that sign. It was my motivation and a right of passage for all those who trek Kilimanjaro.

I am so proud of myself for taking on this challenge and succeeding. I know that this experience is something I will forever be proud to tell people I accomplished. Standing on top of Kilimanjaro has made me feel so alive and purposeful. I feel ready and am excited to check more things off my “bucket list.”

Our time at the summit was short lived. We were only allowed to stay twenty minutes due to the altitude. After drinking my celebratory Coca-Cola I left the summit feeling content with life.

I thought that going down would be easy compared to hiking up Kili. I was proven wrong big time. As we were hiking down I was overwhelmed with exhaustion. Honestly, I could have rolled down the hill and been perfectly fine with it. Rakhi actually did fall a few times coming down the mountain. And Aaron had to be held up by Arnold and Daniel coming down the mountain because he was still sick from the altitude. 

It took us about three and a half hours to hike down from the summit back to Millennium Camp. As soon as we arrived at 1:30 PM, we were given an hour and a half to rest and nap if we wanted to. 

I used the first thirty minutes to decompress. I felt like I had just been through such an ordeal. My face felt burnt and chapped from the sun and high winds. My eyes would not stop watering because they were so irritated from the wind and all the dirt that had blown into them. My body and muscles ache to the extreme. My ankles and knees feel like someone has been kicking them continuously. I have never felt joint pain this bad in my whole life. 

More than all of the physical pain combined, I was mentally and emotionally drained. The mix of emotions and intensity of emotions I felt was ridiculous. I was beyond ecstatic to have made it to the summit, proud of myself, weary from the hike, stressed from the physical pain, and a little bit sad it was over.

Sleeping for an hour was the best thing I could have done for myself. I woke up still in pain and feeling emotional, but it was much less than before I had gone to sleep. At 4 PM we ate a quick lunch of soup and crackers. 

Quickly we packed up our camp in order to hike to the final camp in daylight. The porters aren’t supposed to be in transit at night because they don’t have headlamps which makes the hike very dangerous. Arnold had told us earlier that around ten people die on Kilimanjaro every year and mostly they are porters. 

As soon as the camp was packed up we left Millennium Camp. It took us longer than it should have to get there because the sun had set and we were forced to hike in the dark. Hiking this leg in the dark was pretty difficult because there were a lot of large, slick rocks than we had to climb down off of.

Fortunately after about three and a half hours of hiking, we made it to the next camp. We immediately sat down and had a dinner of rice, white beans, vegetables, and coconut sauce. Food has never tasted so good. 

After eating we had a celebratory champagne toast with our whole group including Arnold, Daniel, and the porters. It definitely made me sad to think that our adventure together had almost come to an end. Come tomorrow I’d be on my way home to the States. But before that I still had to finish getting down the mountain.

Glaciers

Hiking over the ice

Above the clouds, in front of the glaciers

Uhuru Peak, Tanzania sign!

Rakhi, Me, & Aaron in fron of the summit sign

Me in front of the summit sign

Representing USC-GO GAMECOCKS!!

Me doing the spur-GO GAMECOCKS- & Daniel doing the Kilimanjaro sign

Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 5: Summit Day! (part 2)

Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” ~Mark Jenkins

Our goal was to try and make it to the summit by sunrise. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The path to the summit was crowded with people trying to make it to the top and because it’s narrow you can only hike as fast as the person in front of you. People were definitely living the “pole pole” (“slowly, slowly”) Kilimanjaro phrase for this leg of the hike.

Along the way we encountered man people who were sick from the altitude. The severity of symptoms ranged from people with headaches to people with bloody noses to people curled over vomiting. Seeing people intensely sick from the altitude made me nervous and Arnold telling me it was incredibly common made me scared I would be next.

Two and a half hours from the summit was when the hike began to take its toll on me. The frigid cold made it difficult to keep moving continuously, even though that is the only way to stay even slightly warm. Every seven to ten minutes our group would stop for a quick break because we were exhausted. Less breathable oxygen in the air due to the extreme altitude was most certainly the cause of our exhaustion. 

When we stopped for breaks Arnold and Daniel would force us to drink water or hot chocolate that he brought in his pack. He would also take off our gloves and try to warm up our hands as well because they were practically numb. The last two hours of the hike Arnold gave me one of his jackets to wear because I was shivering uncontrollably. 

On top of feeling numb and freezing cold, my headlamp battery burned out. Arnold took my by the arm and guided me up the mountain because I couldn’t see for myself. I have never been more thankful for having Arnold as a guide. He was so dependable, caring, and determined to help us to the summit. Without him I don’t know if our group would have even made it this far.

By 5 o’clock in the morning I was consumed with the thought of the sun rising. I could not think of anything else. To me, the sun rising meant warmth and that was all I wanted in that moment. 

The sun rose between 6:15 and 6:30 and I have never seen such a stunning sunrise. There is nothing so beautiful as witnessing a sunrise at 18,000 feet from the side of a mountain where the clouds can’t even block your view. Unfortunately even when the sun did rise, the temperature was still incredibly low. 

I was so out of breath by this point I started to question if I was going to make it to the summit. Every two steps I took, I would be gasping for air. My chest was tight. It was scary how downhill my physical condition had gone. 

Arnold and Daniel supported Aaron, Rakhi and I. They traded turns allowing me to grasp their arm to stabilize myself. More importantly they gave us words of encouragement and continually reminded us how close we were. 

As soon as we came over the crest of Gilman’s point, I found the nearest rock and laid down on it. Although I was happy to have made it this far, I was shivered uncontrollably and couldn’t feel my toes or fingers. Arnold and Rakhi worried for me, and kept adding layers of clothing on me. Rakhi went so far as to force feed me five or six bites of an energy bar even though the last thing I wanted to do was eat anything.

It was then that Arnold told our group I was on-set hypothermic and I shouldn’t go to the summit and needed to go down immediately. Uhuru peak was another 1000 feet which would take us 45 minutes, and he wasn’t sure I should attempt the trek.

Being told I wasn’t going to be able to go to the summit and get a picture with the Uhuru peak sign was all the motivation I needed to get up and finish the hike.