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We are climbing Kilimanjaro for Eleanor. I ran an ultramarathon for her in 2011. Her race bib, her name on the finishers list a few months before she entered hospice. When I called her post race I said, "we crossed that dream off the list, what's next?". Without pause she said, "I want to climb Kilimanjaro."
Eleanor died a few months later. Kilimanjaro is the last adventure she told me she wanted to accomplish. We will make it happen.
Note: the photo above is from day one of our trek. The start. It's one of my most favorite photos.
This is for you E!
It's six months from our departure. We selected Thomson Safari's for our trek.
Visas: Passports will be sent in tomorrow, with a $100 check for each (plus expedite fees). The turn around is usually a month but we are trying to speed this up so Bill can get back to traveling.
Medical: With Bill's third world/ international travel he's current on vaccines. I need to set up my medical appointment to begin the vaccine process (and quarterly blood draw for Lymes status).
Shots and medication: One of these is a three part series so I will start the process this week.
Here's a list of the shots I need:
- Yellow Fever
- Tetanus
- Hepatitis A
- MMR and Polio update
- Typhoid Fever
- Hepatitis B
There are also a few prescription medications to travel with:
- Diamox (acute mountain sickness)
- Zpack (super strength antibiotic)
- Anti-malarial
Shopping: The hidden costs that accompany any adventure! With the World Traveler grounded... this is the perfect time to research, shop and buy. We are buying everything online but still have to try on apparel/shoes to make sure we have proper fit.
Items purchased this weekend:
- Bill's hiking boots
- Mari's hiking boots
- Six pair wool socks
- Two duffle bags (Porter's carry from camp to camp)
- Bill's solar day pack
- Bill's convertible zip offs
- Mari's Convertible zip offs
Retail value: $1,200, we spent $827
When we are in the three month window our focus will start to shift towards planning and preparing. I hope you will enjoy following these posts - I'm mostly posting my journey since I can't find any online journals and don't know anyone who has done this... I'm in uncharted territory and don't want anyone else to plan such a trip 'blindly'.
Time to lace up my shoes, enjoy a sunny Sunday, and get a run in!