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The Roof of Africa |
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Barranco Morning |
Six days - five days of climbing and acclimating and one day to get down. Kilimanjaro has no technical aspect to it and thus enters the debate of being labeled either a climb or a hike. If I had my way, it would just be called a hike, but "climbing Kilimanjaro" has a better ring to it than "hiking Kilimanjaro." Regardless, in the end you still end up at 5,985m (19,341ft) atop Uhuru Peak amongst the receding glaciers and upon the highest point in Africa, not to mention, the highest free standing volcano in the world.
Kilimanjaro is actually comprised of three volcanoes. Kibo, the primary and the highest, Mawensi, the second highest and Shira, which forms a high plateau of the same name between it and Kibo.
The hike was a steady plod and our guide, Nelson, did very well to set a slow and easy pace to ensure our entire group of four reached the summit.
Amy organized the whole trip and brought her father George, friend Eric and myself together for this amazing experience.
I'm still writing the captions for the still photos and they will be posted at the end of this week. But to get you there, I'm posting six videos, one for each day of the climb. They will be released one at a time over the course of this week.
There are a number of methods to subscribe to my videos as I publish them including iTunes, RSS and more. Check out the 'share' or 'subscribe' link below the video screen.
Also, anyone can leave comments and your feedback is more than welcome, it is sought after. I've already noticed many ways to improve these videos, but if you see something, say something. I want to know how to make this a better experience for you.
One Day Safari
Arusha National Park, TZ
09 September 2007
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Baboon on the go! |
I arrived in Tanzania a day before our Kilimanjaro ascent and joined with Eric, a member of our party to explore Arusha National Park. In Swahili 'safari' just means 'travel' but the word has evolved to mean a trip through the jungle to see animals. In this case, we departed on our one-day safari from Moshi at the base of Kilimanjaro and drove in an extended Toyota Land Cruiser to Arusha NP where our guide, Louis, opened the roof and drove us through the park where we saw all sorts of wildlife roaming free and doing what they do.
Narragansett Fog
Long Island Sound, NYC to Newport, RI, US
07 June 2007
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Long Island Sound Sunrise |
Shawn picked up a sweet job as the skipper for a schooner up in Narragansett Bay out of Newport, RI. So, naturally, he wanted to move Elizabeth, his Bristol 27 of which many of the sailing adventures recently posted here at Off Yonder have been about, up to Newport from New York City.
All was going well, until the fog rolled in and our lack of chart or compass made going tricky. VIDEO
Boat Jockey
Chesapeake to Jersey, US
14 May 2007
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Sailing Sunrise - Chesapeake Bay |
It started off as a one-day job helping move a sailboat down the Jersey Shore. It ended up being three sailboat delivery jobs over the span of a week.
Hudson Sailing
Hudson River, New York City, NY, US
30 January 2007
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Elizabeth - Bristol 27 |
Shawn and I departed New York City at 6.30am under light wispy clouds in an otherwise clear sky to drive about fifty miles north up the Hudson River. It took all day to get the boat in the water. We originally wanted to catch the early morning ebb. But that didn't work out. We had to make trips to West Marine to get parts and work on getting the boat ready. Then we targeted the mid day ebb... missed that, too. The boat yard wasn't very efficient about getting us into the water. I'm not really sure what was going on there, but finally around 6pm the guy came by and told us he couldn't put us in the water because he had to go to his kids wrestling match. Shawn and I must have looked so dumbfounded or pathetic or both. We had to get the boat in the water and get down the river so I had a place to live and so Shawn could make it to work on time - 10am the next morning.
Wedding Flight
Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, CA, US
14 January 2007
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Frankie & Maidens |
Frankie called me shortly after I got back from the Antarctic in March of 2006. "I'm engaged and the wedding is next January, will you be on the continent??"
I had such a good time in Antarctica, I was considering another season on the ice. But with this call, my plans were firmly set on being in North America come January 2007.
But I can't do anything simple like fly into LAX or BUR from out east and go straight to the wedding. Instead I flew into San Diego to visit with my dad and brother and they flew me up to the wedding.
Sunny Snowy Ridge Finale
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, NH, US
27 October 2006
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Winking Jack at Gray Knob. |
My two month assignment at Gray Knob Cabin has ended. The entire season was a glorious experience and this last nine-day stint was no exception.
After being bucked off the mountain from my little bout in the stormy whiteout described in the previous dispatch, I got back in the saddle, under sunny skies and easily made it to the summit of Mt. Adams, trekked down to Edmonds Col (with an interesting wildlife encounter), wallowed in the thigh deep snow back to the perch and home again.
Snow Storm
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, NH, US
18 October 2006
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Bending under the rime ice |
It's been a long gray stint at Gray Knob. The clouds moved in under a low pressure system and stuck around for over a week. Then the wind kicked up, snow started to fall and suddenly the upper summits were buried in sixteen inches of snow with deeper drifts.
I was getting tired of just sitting around in the cabin, though I've got good books to entertain me. So, I suited up grabbed my camera and made a dash for Mt. Adams. I never made it that far trekking through the howling wind and pelting snow, but I did make it to the little cave on Adams 4. Getting down was a different story.
Snow Country
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, NH, US
October 2006
The first snow of the season and the magic process of fall turning to winter.
Mt. Jefferson et All
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, NH, US
September 2006
Exploring on and around Mt. Jefferson: The Cornice, Castellated Ridge, Castle & Cascade Ravines.
Adams 4 Bivy, King Ravine & Rime Ice
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, NH, US
September 2006
An emergency bivouac in a small cave on Adams 4 and playing among the boulders of King Ravine.
Mt. Washington Traverse
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, NH, US
September 2006
A 12-mile visit over the ridge to the highest peak in the Northeast.
Mountain Life
Gray Knob Cabin, White Mountains, Randolph, NH, US
September 2006
The simple mountain life. Living in a small cabin in the White Mountains as the RMC Caretaker.
Sea Kayak Tour
Cypress Island, WA, US
June 2006
An adventure driven family of seven come to explore the Great Northwest!
Rafting The Grand
Colorado River, Grand Canyon, AZ, US
May 2006
The height of whitewater rafting in the greatest gorge - 225 miles of rafting over 18 days; 2000 foot vertical cliffs rising from the water; 100+ºF temps... The Grand Canyon.
Plumbago Outback Expedition
Plumbago Station, South Australia, AU
February 2006
A five-day walkabout in the Australian Outback with a bunch of 11th Graders? Really, how does it get better than that?
The Mighty Muddy Dusky
Dusky Track, Fiordlands NP, South Island, NZ
February 2006
Floatplane in, mud to my knees in the trenches and staggering views from the mountain tops and passes. One of the best hikes I've ever been on.
Routeburn Track
Routeburn Track, Mount Aspiring NP, South Island, NZ
January 2006
Great views at the cost of having to share them with the masses... oh and that pesky hut fee.
Castle Rock
Ross Island, Antarctica, AQ
January 2006
Exploring during an overnight layover flying from the South Pole to New Zealand.
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Snaps!
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© 1999-2007 Cameron L. Martindell § CV § Seattle - San Diego
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