I’m going to define the “bad” of travel as one of the following: those things that one does not think about before the trip, those things that are underestimated, or those things that make you grow to appreciate what was left behind. Don’t misinterpret this as complaining – my point here is to try and give a more complete picture of traveling.

The “good” of travel is just that. It’s everything you see on your friend’s facebook wall, the photos, the laughs, the experiences, and the sights and sounds of it all. I’m going to start off by listing some of the “good” because it’s easy and fun to think about:

“Good” of Travel:

• Meeting new people
• Seeing amazing sights and cities
• Not working at a job
• Trying new food and alcohol (massive amounts of both)
• Getting up whenever you want (for the most part, having no set routine)
• Having new experiences in other countries
• Trying to follow the warm weather
• Figuring out where your next destination is

Now let me list some of the “bad” of travel:

“Bad” of Travel:

• Information overload (you’re constantly processing new things, cities, situations, people, etc)
• Getting sick on the road (you think getting sick at home is bad, wait till you’re hacking a cough, dealing with a cold, and flu in a shared dorm room with 3-7 others)
• Missing friends and family (it’s ironic – it only took me 7 years of living in the same city and a trip around the world to realize what I have for friends and family  and how cool a city I actually live/will live in). I will also add here missing events like birthdays, random nights out, promotions, etc.
• Lack of privacy/space/living out of a backpack (I’m a “uniquely” organized person, not having a lot of personal space has been challenging at times)
• Having no set routine (what?? Yes, I listed this as a “good” part of travel as well and it is. What I’ve come to realize is the value in having a set routine of getting up, going to work (earning a living), coming home, working out, going to same local restaurants and bars, hanging out with friends, etc)
• Not sleeping in the same bed (I’d even settle for the same floor and/or couch)
• Constant planning – (Choosing your next destination is fun however planning how to get there and what to do is another story. Now some travelers claim that they don’t plan at all, but even then I firmly believe that there is some level of planning that goes on especially if one needs a visa to enter a country)
• Having the same conversations over and over again (Well, I’m guilty of this and I need to get better at it. You better be prepared to answer the following questions over and over again: 1) where are you going 2) where have you been 3) how long are you going to be traveling 4) how long have you been traveling 5) where are you from. All of that without asking for a name. I gotta get more creative here and ask what is your name before asking all those other questions. Honestly, I think this is a rut that most travelers fall into and have a hard time getting out of. I just hope when I return to the U.S.that’s not the first set of questions I ask of a girl on a date.)
• Lack of Reliable internet/unlimited data/electricity/hot water/flush toilets* (Only applies to some parts of the world, I’ve added it to the list only to point out the things which are available in the U.S.and not necessarily readily available elsewhere)

I addressed some of these “bad” in my pre-trip fear article. However, some of these things I didn’t realize and have come to appreciate much more. One of the things I am coming to realize about this trip is that while I appreciate the opportunities and the things I’ve done so far, it won’t probably be until some time after the trip where I can sit back and truly understand the impact of the trip.  I do hope this gives you a little bit more perspective on traveling and you come away realizing that traveling is much more than sight seeing.

Current Location: Picton, South Island, New Zealand

About this Photo: Machu Picchu is a place in Peru that was recently discovered in the early 1900s. According to my guide, it was a place for the “chosen” Incas. In other words, the best of the best (e.g. farmers, warriors, priests, etc) were selected to live in the city. The city was never finished due to the Spanish invasion. Sadly much of it was also pillaged. What does remain is a truly beautiful city built perfectly to blend in the mountains. There are multiple ways to get to Machu Picchu, but I choose to trek the Inca trail which is an amazing journey by itself and deserves its own post.

Check out more Machu Picchu photos here!

Current Location: Lake Taupo, North Island, New Zealand

About this Photo: The Salt Flats in Bolivia are a place I had heard and read about prior to starting the trip. Since I was the in the neighborhood (in Peru), I thought it’d be cool to shoot on down and see what it was all about. I really enjoyed my tour in the flats because it was the first time on the trip where I met a lot of interesting people and had a really fun guide. The included photo gives an example of the reflections that can occur after rainfall in the flats. I have other photos showing the classic “jumping on the flats” photos. Overall the flats and Bolivia offered amazing landscapes such as deserts, volcanoes, and lagoons even if getting there was a bit inconvenient.

Check out the related photos here!

My current location: Auckland, New Zealand / Hot Water Beach (North Island)

About this Photo: 

Huacachina is one of those places I added on to my time in Peru. Looking back, I wish I could have spent more time here because it’s a great place to sit back and chill for a couple of days to catch your breath from traveling. Featuring sand boarding and dune buggying with its desert background, there’s enough to keep you busy if you really want to do something. The main thing here though (especially for rest and relaxation) are the cheap resorts where you relax in front of the pool with a cheap drink. The above photo shows part of the tracks in the desert left by the dune buggies. It also gives you a feel for the amount and steepness of the sand dunes. Huacachina is a place I’d go back to without any thought.

I’m implementing a new, more realistic blogging plan. I simply can not write long articles about every destination or sight that I visit. There’s only one of me and I’d much rather spend my time exploring places, meeting people, and being a traveler than writing blog posts about the places and things I do. With that in mind, I have been pretty successful in posting photos to places like facebook or my photo site.

My new plan is to post a photo a day (on average) with a short paragraph describing the photo or my thoughts on a particular place. I do still intend on writing longer posts for major things like Machu Picchu and those types of places, but for most things it will be more of a photo with a short description. I will try to include photos from my current location as well as photos from prior countries.

I do also have a couple goals for 2012 and the rest of the trip including:

-        Continue learning and gaining new perspective from my travels

-        Running and/or staying physically fit while traveling

-        Getting content up to date on the site Implement new blogging plan

-        Writing shorter more focused posts with a maximum of 500-600 words

-        Finding a job before I officially return to the U.S.or at least have interviews lined up

-        Making website improvements

I wish you success for whatever your goals may be in 2012 and leave you with a picture from Sydney!

My current location: Auckland, New Zealand

About this photo:

This photo shows Sydney’s most iconic landmarks together – the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. When I spoke to Australians that I met in South America, I asked them about the Opera house specifically. One of the things they said was that it looks pretty from far away and ugly up close. I have to agree with their assessment. I skipped going into the Opera house because I refused to pay 35 AUD to go inside.

I also climbed the Harbor Bridge at night which I must say was worth doing once. It was expensive along with the photo package, but I justified it by asking myself “How many times will I be in Sydney?” Climbing the bridge offered excellent views of the city as well. If I go to Sydney again, I will probably skip the bridge climb.

These are two must see things in Sydney, can be seen for free, and are well lighted at night for excellent night time photos.

I think the word misunderstood would best describe the perspective that many Americans and Westerners have of Africa in general. In the U.S. (and the West), much of what is reported is about Africa’s wars, famines, and diseases. I think because bad news is often reported that many people have a misconception that the entire continent is unsafe. I would like to help clear up the misconception that my fellow Westerners may have that Africa is unsafe.  There are many regions of Africa which are safe and frequented by tourists and travelers.

I do think that it helped to have local friends who were able to take me around and avoid any questionable areas (especially inNairobi). Before I had left, I had heard and read many negative things aboutNairobi. My general perception of Nairobi is that it is like any other city with its safe and not recommended areas. In fact, I think Nairobi is pretty western minus what seemed to be frequent power outages. Also, I can’t think of a specific time where I felt in danger in any part of east Africa (even when I was by myself in Mombasa).

I have to say Kenyans are really really friendly people! They are just very easy to talk with and seem interested in learning what an American is doing visiting their country. I also think that they realize how important tourism is to the economy of their country. Speaking of tourism, there’s plenty of that in east Africa. From safaris to climbing Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) to visiting the coast of Kenya to the plethora of national parks, east Africa (Kenya/Tanzania) offers something for the traveler of every type. Travel can be as luxurious or as frugal as your budget allows. I think I’d have to give the nod to climbing Kilimanjaro as my favorite activity. It’s just too memorable in my mind to not forget for a long time.

 After traveling in east Africa, I’d recommend spending time in this part of the world. As long as you exercise common sense and have realistic expectations, it is safe and offers many activities. It is a place I would come back to – mainly because I have friends in the region and I could base myself from Nairobi to see other places like Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.

Some of the things my friends told me about were Mombasa’s vibrant night life and beaches. The other thing was that I had been on the go with a safari and climbing Kilimanjaro pretty much since I had arrived in east Africa– so a little relaxation and vacation from the trip seemed like a good idea. With these things in mind, I started looking for cheap flights and a cheap hostel near the beach.  After a little bit of searching, I was able to find a cheap flight and a great hostel within 5 minutes walking distance of one of the beaches. It’s only about an hour – an hour half flight to Mombasa from Nairobi.

After my flight, I arrived and was picked up by my hostel at the Mombasa airport. I settled into the hostel and found that a few people were planning on going out that evening. I decided that seemed like a good idea. We went to this place called Bob’s and had a really good evening – although drinks and food seemed a bit expensive. Another plus is that many of the bars/pubs in Mombasa have outdoor areas instead of indoor seating. This seems to make meeting people a little bit easier as well.

The next day I decided that I needed to hit the beach and the ocean. I went up to the White Sands Beach Hotel and rented a jet ski to take on theIndian Ocean. It was a bit pricey, but how many times are you going to be able to go jet skiing on the Indian Ocean – not many times, right? That’s what I thought too. The rules were a bit funky and they didn’t want you to go too far out (I’d say a total of 1.5-2km from shore), but it was really fun. I was also “redirected” to another area of the ocean after I interrupted some fishermen. So watch out for the fisherman. After getting back to my hostel, I decided to hit the beach for awhile to do get some R&R and hop in the ocean for a swim. One of the more memorable moments was having dinner with a group of travelers along the Indian Ocean at one of the beach resorts. Hearing the waves come crashing into the shore and feeling the wind from off the coast is something I won’t forget.

I’d recommend visiting Mombasa for 2-3 days of rest and relaxation. It is a great way to escape Nairobi without having to sacrifice many creature comforts. I did lose a bit of patience with all the touts in the city. If you can get past that, the beaches and night life can be enjoyed. If your budget allows, consider staying in one of the beach resorts which is what I will do if I choose to visit Mombasa again.

Pluses:

-        Really, really great beaches along theIndian Ocean.

-        Cheap flights – any where from $100-200(USD) roundtrip from Nairobi(Tip: Check the Kenyan Airways website directly for the cheapest flights)

-        Great Hostel near the beach

-        Lots of beach resorts to choose from

-        Vibrant nightlife choices

-        Good for a weekend escape from Nairobi

Minuses:

-        Too many touts

-        The city itself is dirty, trashy, and has a lot of garbage

-        Hotel restaurants are expensive

So you’ve decided to trek Kilimanjaro, but you’re not sure if you have the right gear for a successful trek. As you come up with your gear list, start thinking about layers and how each piece of equipment will work together to keep you comfortable, warm, and dry. Hopefully, you can get a good idea if you’re on the right track with my gear list.

1. Patagonia 2 layer GoreTex Jacket - I think GoreTex or some other water proof technology is important to use in a place like Kilimanjaro. Now you may look at the price of the jacket and think something else of lesser quality will do, but when you’re in an environment like Kilimanjaro you want to stay dry and protect yourself from the wind. The other benefit of a jacket like the Patagonia one is that combined with other base layers you end up staying warm even at altitudes of 4000-4600m. You will also find that when you’re in places like South America during the rainy season that this jacket comes extremely valuable. In the end, pay the $299 because the jacket will last for a long time and have many uses.

2.  Patagonia 2 layer GoreTex Pants – I didn’t need to use the pants below 4700m mainly because it didn’t rain when I was trekking those altitudes. Again, this about staying drying and staying warm. These pants can be found for $299 at many places online. I did have more trouble justifying having GoreTex pants than the jacket. Mainly, because I wear quick drying clothes when I am traveling. I will just end on the commentary about water proof pants by saying that I was really really glad to have them at 5895m – it’s windy up there!! Bottom line: Get the pants or else you won’t be going to the summit.

3.  Arcteryx Charlie Toque Hat - OK, OK – before we talk about paying $40 for a stocking cap…Arcteryx is the premium of the commercial gear makers like Marmot, North Face, Patagonia, and Mountain Hardware. The only reason I didn’t buy their comparable gore-tex jacket was because I could not try it on before I purchased them. I think this is an important point to bring up…if possible, you should really try on important pieces of gear like the jacket, pants, and down coat before buying them. The Arcteryx GoreTex Pants are a different story. There is a slight premium on these pants. Looking back, if I had been able to try them on, I probably would have paid the extra $50. And yes, the $40 stocking cap was worth every penny during every part of the trek.

4. Marmot Zeus Down Jacket – Absolutely necessary to have on summit night. I also found it useful to wear when I was sleeping at night in the tent.

5. Patagonia Capilene 2 LW Crew (Long sleeve) Shirt - This long sleeve base layer rocks. I was back in Minneapolis in early December this and wore this shirt over the top of a tshirt. It kept me fairly warm. It did an even more amazing job on Kilimanjaro. I bought one of these shirts and wish I would have gotten a second one as I find myself wearing this long sleeve base layer quite a bit in South America. Bottom line: I’d recommend bringing 2 long sleeve base layers.

6. Men’s Ice Breaker Crew (Long sleeve) Shirt - This was my second long sleeve base layer. It worked well – I just happen to like the Patagonia one better.

7. Patagonia Capilene 2 LW T-shirt - These t-shirts rock. They will work real well at the lower altitudes when you just want to wear a t-shirt and gore-tex jacket. Also, they fit easily over the long sleeve shirt at the mid-level altitude (3000-4600m) and do a great job at keeping you warm. Hopefully when I get to Australia and New Zealand, I’ll just be wearing these shirts a lot more with the warmer weather.

8. 2 pairs of Smart Wool Heavy Socks, 2 pairs Smart Wool Medium Socks, and 2 pairs of Smart Wool liner socks - socks, socks, socks. I can’t say enough about the importance of having comfortable, dry socks on the mountain. How would you like to try trekking with blisters or wet, cold socks??? That wouldn’t be very fun. I found for most of the trek that the medium socks worked extremely well. Due to the shoes I was using, I didn’t wear the liner socks until summit night. The only thing I would possibly change about summit night is wearing a pair of liner socks, medium socks, and heavy socks. I was only wearing liner socks and a pair of heavy socks. Although I had feet warmers as well, my feet were pretty cold above 5500m.

9. 3 pairs of North Face Convertible Pants - I found these pants to be extremely comfortable during the trek. I have used North Face convertible pants on all of my international travels since 2008. They hold up well and have the benefit of converting into shorts. I probably could have gotten away with only bringing two pairs as I only switched between two pairs.

10. 4 pairs of ExOfficio Boxers – This is the most comfortable underwear you will ever wear – seriously. It is light weight, keeps odors out, quick drying,  and protects from chaffing. Believe me the last thing you want is chaffing on the mountain. It’s worth paying 18-20$ per pair. Once you wear this stuff, you won’t go back to cotton stuff. If you have room, you may want to bring an extra pair, but you’re on a mountain where there aren’t showers or laundry facilities – 4 pairs should get you by.

11. Ecco GoreTex Shoes – I’ve had my ecco shoes since 2009. I have found ecco shoes in general to be the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn.  I can’t stress enough the importance of breaking in your shoes before you go to the mountain. You don’t want to be breaking in your shoes during the trek. It will make you miserable. Whatever you decide, I recommend some sort of gore-tex shoe and be sure to break them in before hand!

12. Mountain Hardware Power Stretch Gloves and Mountain Hardware Heavy Duty Gloves - You’ll be wearing the power stretch gloves or something similar during most of the trek. Possibly the first day, you won’t need to wear any gloves. The heavy duty gloves will be used on summit night. Bottom line is to have at least two pairs of gloves (one lighter and one heavier pair) because then you’ll be able to use hand warmers on your trek to the top. The mistake I think I made was not using the hand warmers when I first started towards the summit at 4640m. Instead, I started using a hand warmer at 5400+m when my hands were starting to get too cold to benefit from a hand warmer.

13. Mountain Hardware Power Stretch Balaclava - I wasn’t entirely sure I would use this, but I ended up using it on summit night along with my $40 stocking cap! All I can say is that it gets really cold and windy at 5500+m with no sun light.

14. Mountain Hardware Long Underwear tops (long sleeve shirt)  and bottoms (tights) - This only became useful on summit night as I used it as a base layer to stay warm. Some people may get colder at night and use it to sleep in during the evenings prior to the summit. Bottom line: Even if you’re only using it for summit night, you’ll want to have long underwear.

15. Patagonia Men’s R1 Pants – I originally picked these up with the intention of using them on summit night. I ended up not using them. My bottom layers consisted of the long underwear tights, liner socks, heavy socks, convertible pants, and the gore-tex pants. While I was moving, I stayed really warm. When I stopped moving, I became cold. I do wonder if wearing an additional bottom layer would have made more of a difference.

16.  Black Diamond Storm Head Lamp - You’re going to want to bring a head lamp. It gets dark inside your tent and on the mountain at night. Imagine having to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom but having no light to see where the bathrooms are located. Also on summit night, a head lamp is much better especially if you’re using trekking poles. You don’t want to be having to hold a flash light in your hands.

Items Not Included but important to think about:

• Sleeping bags / Sleeping pads – I ended up renting a sleeping bag and sleeping pad. It was shall I say “sufficient” but next time I will bring my own. I would recommend a 3-4 season down sleeping bag with a waterproof membrane. This may sound a bit like overkill, but the last thing you want is a wet sleeping bag.
• Tent – this was provided by the tour operator and was of overall good quality. I’d recommend relying on your operator for a tent.
• Snacks – you’re going to want to bring some energy gels, power bars, and / or gatorade/electrolyte packets
• Trekking poles – I rented mine. They worked out well. I would strongly recommend trekking poles. They help you set a steady pace.
• Back Pack – I used a Kelty 4750 cubic inch backpack that I’ve owned for a few years now. You can use a duffle bag. Your porters will pretty much put your stuff inside a water proof bag and carry it on the mountain.
• Water bottles – make sure you have enough bottles to hold at least 2 liters of water at a time. You’re going to be drinking a lot of water on the mountain.

This pretty much wraps up my gear list for Kilimanjaro. One thing to note is that I’m gear agnostic. I used gear from all the major companies – North Face, Arcteryx, Mountain Hardware, and Marmot. For the most part, they all make quality gear. I don’t think it’s necessary to use all North Face or all Marmot for this. I think it is important to have the right gear for a successful summit. Having the wrong gear or being under prepared will most likely get you injured or not allow you to reach the summit.

Note about my links: My links point to Amazon.com. As you can see, my site does not have any advertising or banners on it. I have received many offers to place ads on the site. I’d rather not do that. Even if you decide you don’t want to purchase any gear. If you click through the links and end up purchasing something different at Amazon, I will get a small referral fee. I’m not out to make money off this site, but I’d appreciate your support.

Originally, I selected 6 day trek on the mountain, however, at the last minute I made it a 7 day trek because I had never been at altitude before and wanted the extra day to adjust. This added another $200 to the cost of the trek, but at that point, I decided $200 was worth paying if it meant a successful summit. The costs of the tour included pick up and drop off in Nairobi, 2 nights in Moshi, Tanzania, all meals on the mountain, all necessary permits, a guide, porters, and a tent. Not included were select equipment like sleeping bag, sleeping pad, trekking poles, meals at the hotel in Moshi, or the visa into Tanzania ($100). I ended up renting them from the tour operator at a fairly reasonable cost.

I was picked up in Nairobi and because of traffic we had to race to meet the bus before it hit the border. My driver got a flat tire on the way and spent about 30 minutes changing the tire. It was another one of those classic, “This is Africa moments”. We eventually caught up to the bus about 30-40km from the border. Looking back, I think finding the bus was a lot easier than crossing the border. Crossing the border was an absolute exercise in controlled chaos and patience.

The exit out of Kenya was actually easy and straightforward. Simply go and get your exit stamp and walk to the Tanzanian side of  the border. It was getting the Tanzanian visa is where the chaos entered. Now, my driver attempted to explain to me what to do and of course I was confused, but acted like I understood. Basically, I needed to get in line to give my completed application form to the border officials. Upon entering the extremely long line, my driver pulled me aside and raced my form to the border guard. I only requested a single entry visa be issued as I had no intentions of returning to Tanzania anytime soon. The border guard insisted that they only issued year long multi-entry visas which forced me to pay $100 instead of $50. After cutting a bunch of people in line (due to my bus driver’s assistance), I then had to withdraw money from the ATM (at the currency exchange booth), pay for the visa, and get a receipt. What I didn’t realize was that the receipt was issued at the bank office located at the border. So when I withdrew the money, I thought I had to go back to where the border officials were. When the driver saw me, he asked where my receipt if I had a receipt. I was a bit dumbfounded and he (albeit a bit frustrated) re-directed me to the right spot.  Now that I had my receipt, I had to step in line to actually get a visa issued…a line that was moving extremely slowly. Once again, my driver stepped in and came to the rescue all while I pissed off 10 or 12 people who had been “waiting for hours”. I think this took a total of 1-1.5 hours. It helps when your driver is in a hurry. Looking back, I sorta wished I had taken care of the visa before arriving at the border.
I was taken to Arusha first and transferred to a bus to Moshi. After that I met the tour company owner and got more details about the trek. I went to sleep and got ready for the start of the climb up the mountain. The thing I remember most from the first day was driving through the entrance gate and thinking, “This is it…there’s no turning back now!” It was cool seeing all the signs with the rules of the park and tips for successful hike.

The first day was really hard even though I felt up to the challenge and had just run a marathon in the summer. I mean you literally start hiking up the mountain right from the entrance gate and it’s a six hour walk to Camp 1. Even though I was sweaty and pretty exhausted, I was just trying to get the body in a mode to where it would be used to all the trekking. Day 1 proved to be long but I still had a good time even took a minute to enjoy the sunset.

The next 2 days was mostly more of the same time of hiking as day 1. You were really trying to get above the clouds. For me, one of the highlights was on day 3, when we reached 4,000 meters. Of course, I had never been that high before and was pretty happy when the only affects that the altitude had on me were minor headaches. On the day 3, the top altitude reach was 4640m at a place called the lava tower. 4640m really wasn’t that big a deal. I felt no different than at 4000m yet it was still an amazing feeling to make it up to there and not have any adverse affects.

One of the neatest parts of the Machame route was on day 4 and climbing the “Breakfast” wall. Although Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb requiring ropes or ice picks, the “Breakfast” wall (also known as Barranco Wall) was 4 hours of straight up rock climbing. It was fun yet challenging. My photos don’t really do it justice.

Some of the most memorable moments came on day 5 and 6 because they sort of blurred into one giant day. Once you reached Barafu camp at the end of day 5, you weren’t there for very long. At midnight the start of day 6, you started towards the summit. Even though you wanted to sleep, there were just too much excitement and adrenaline to be near the summit to get any actual sleep. Day 5 started out with an awesome sunrise especially after enduring 4 days of the mountain. It was almost foretelling that the day would offer excellent views of the mountain on the way to the camp. I don’t have the exact words to describe it, but maybe my photos can help do it some justice.

After getting up, doing a quick status check on myself, the trek started Barafu camp started. The hike to the camp was relatively easy. On my way to the camp, there were clear views of the mountain as well which again showed the pure majesty of Kilimanjaro. The other thing I will not forget is the trek into camp itself. Below the camp is a valley. As you are hiking across this valley, you can see the camp sitting above you. Once you arrive in the camp, there are excellent views of valley.

Most of day 5 was spent resting in camp and preparing for the summit which translated into a lot of down time and photo shooting of the mountain. The sunset was one of the most gorgeous I had seen especially being able to see Mt. Meru. After eating dinner, a quick gear inspection was done by the guide to make sure everyone had the proper equipment for the summit attempt. We also discussed leaving a little bit early to avoid getting behind slow trekkers. The idea being that you actually use more energy trekking behind slower groups than if you’re leading the pack and setting a pace to your liking. My gear passed inspection and we had a 3-4 hours to sleep. None of which I actually slept – it was more of a rest. Finally, around 10:30pm, the guide woke me up to get ready for the summit.

The summit trek from 4640m to 5895m was supposed to take about 6 hours. From the camp to 5730m (Stella Point) was the hardest part of the climb. Even though I was wearing multiple layers of socks, gloves, and using both foot and hand warmers, my hands and feet were extremely cold. I actually thought I might be getting frost bite. When I stopped moving, the wind above 5000m was so intense that the rest of my body became cold. This is when my guide and I decided to take fewer breaks and keep moving. We weren’t walking any faster than other people, but we were taking fewer breaks just to stay warm. During the climb to Stella Point, it was one of the few times during the entire trek where I felt I needed to have additional calories. My body was burning calories not only to keep up with the constant movement but also to stay warm. Upon reaching Stella Point, I was relieved when my guide told me the hard part was now over.

We reached near the summit (around 5800m) at approximately 4:30am. I told my guide that I wanted to try and wait it out for 6am to see the sunrise. We huddled against a rock and try to stay out of the wind, but it was just too cold and windy up there. Both of us were having trouble staying warm and it would better if we just headed towards the summit. I will never forget the rush of emotions and adrenaline as I saw the sign marking the highest point in Africa and the highest free standing mountain in the world. I wanted to the hug that sign because I was so excited to reach the top. I think what made it even more awesome was that I was the first to summit on that day and no one else was around.

I literally owned the summit

I left the summit around 5:25am and we could start to see the sun rising. It was an amazing sight to see the color of the sky changing in slow motion. I wish I had taken photos of that but it was just too cold up at 5895m. We trekked down to 5730m again and clearly saw the sun rising. It was much warmer down there. A few celebratory photos were snapped as well. We were on our way back down! It seemed like it took longer to reach Barafu camp again, but that was mainly because both my guide and I were exhausted from the summit and hiking down. In reality, it only took 2-2.5 hours of hiking down to reach the camp. We were both exhausted and needed sleep.

Even though we had reached Barafu camp again and slept for about 4 hours, the day was not over. We still had to trek down to 3100m to the next camp. For 99% of the journey, I never complained with how tired I might be because I usually wasn’t that tired and I could push through just about anything, but on the trek down to 3100m I questioned if I was going to actually make it. I was tired, hungry (even though I had eaten), and just wanted to sleep. At one point I was asking my guide every 15-20 minutes if the camp at 3100m actually existed. I was having trouble keeping up with my guide. Making it to camp at 3100m, I collapsed into my tent and slept. I woke up for dinner and made a short phone call to the U.S. and went to sleep early that night. I don’t think I’ve ever slept more soundly than that night. The entire day felt like running multiple marathons with very few breaks in between. It was exhilarating and exhausting combined with lots of adrenaline, emotion, and will power. As we were walking out of the park to the exit gate, I caught one last glimpse of the mountain and it reminded me of what had been accomplished.

Climbing Kilimanjaro was worth it.

During the trek, the Machame route was described as the second hardest one. I can see why. Going 7 days without showering, shaving, sleeping on the side of a mountain for 6 nights was all worth the effort of the summit. I think I described it best to a friend when I said this trek required 110% effort everyday and 200% effort on summit day. It was physically draining and it was challenging at times, but the promise of the summit and seeing the summit made all of that go away.

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Last year when I turned 30, I promised myself to do two things. First, I was to have more fun than in my twenties and the second was to refocus on my personal life and less on my professional one. Important things like friends, goals, and having a social life were my main focuses for the past year. If you were to ask my friends, I think they’d say that I did a pretty good job with these two promises.

On the goals side, of course there was this world trip and getting ready for that, but I also wanted to prove that I could still run a marathon at age 30. With hard training, I completed my 5th half marathon and 2^nd marathon in March and June. I PR’d both races (1:57, 4:26). The completion of the marathon set the stage for an awesome summer.

I spent the rest of the summer getting ready for the trip (more like procrastinating), spending time with friends, lifting weights, and having more of a social life. There were a lot of lessons learned. In fact, this past week, I was reminded by a friend of one of the lessons from the summer as I was talking about my plans for when I am in Shanghai. He just reminded me to remember what happened this summer and try to keep that in mind for when I’m in Shanghai.  We were able to laugh at this a little bit and both agreed that was probably a good idea to keep that perspective from this summer. The summer ended by throwing a going away bar crawl in Minneapolis a few weeks before I left on this world trip. It was a good time from what I remember .

As I was getting ready for my trip, a few things struck in my mind. First, the exit plan was different than what I had previously thought about. I thought that my exit would be rather quiet, quick, and easy to do.  At the time when I dreamed of the trip, I had very few friends and lacked a core group of friends, however, that changed. I realized that I would genuinely miss being around my friends and being in Minneapolis. At the same time, they realized that I had to do this trip. (“And you’re still doing that trip” which was quoted to me ahem a number of times this summer)  Even though there was a lot going on this summer, the support of my friends was critical to pushing me forward with the trip. The other thing I learned was how good I have it in Minneapolis. I have great friends, access to a city with different activities and low cost of living, and a good selection of potential employers. Realizing these things made me want to come back.

31 promises to be an exciting year; after all, I’m spending it traveling the world. I am seeing new places, meeting new people from all over the world, and traveling with friends in other countries. It will be full of good and bad experiences – hopefully mostly good. I hope to return a little wiser from this experience as well.  I look forward to being able to appreciate friends and family, the city of Minneapolis, having the same comfortable bed and hot showers, and having a routine when I return.

Although 30 was pretty good, 31 will most definitely be better than 30!