Kili Day

Kili, here we come!

The Road to Kilimanjaro - The Day Before

Ok.  Amsterdam is done and over.  In retrospect, it might not have been the best preparation for Kilamanjaro, but it was good fun, despite the rotten weather.  The skies may have opened up and rained sheets upon sheets of rain on us every single day, but all we had to do was tuck into one of the little Brown Cafe's and everything was ok.  A couple of Heinekens later, we would be dry and warm, and ready to tackle more of the city.  I loved every part of Amsterdam: the cobblestone streets, the old-school architecture, the walk-ability of the entire city.  It was easily the best layover ever.

But now we're in Moshi, Tanzania, at the Springlands Hotel, packed and ready to start the big climb tomorrow.  I think I've freaked myself out over the past couple of weeks, reading way too many blogs of how tough the Kilimanjaro climb can be.  I've been doubting myself and my abilities.  I've scared myself into thinking I might not be able to do this.  I've been beyond nervous.  But I have to keep reminding myself that I'm fit and have been training for this.  We live at altitude, have been snowshoeing in the mountains, and even took that hut trip after Christmas.  If that didn't prepare me for Kili, then nothing will.

Our big hike begins tomorrow.  It's now or never, so I guess we better be ready.  I'll be off the grid for a whole, but a full trip report will certainly follow.  Wish us luck!


Click here to view our pics from Amsterdam.

A Big Sigh of Relief

Whew! We made it! All joking and dramatics aside, I was really, truly convinced we wouldn't make it to the airport in time.  The roads were horrible, as in highways closing, zero visability, and slicker than slick conditions.  Thank heavens for my parents and their determination to brave the deplorable road conditions and get us to our flight in time.  No sane person would have voluntarily gone out in those conditions, yet they did.  Amazing.  And, here we are, somewhere over the Atlantic, on our way to the first leg of this crazy adventure.

Amsterdam, here we come!!!

Road Blocks

My belly is somewhere in between a twisted knot of steel and a basket full of butterflies right now.  On one hand, I'm beyond excited and can barely believe today is finally the day we start our big trip.  On the other hand, thanks to the snow and ice covering the rural Michigan roads, we're making painfully slow progress to the airport right now.  So slow, in fact, I'm beginning to fear we might not make it in time.  I'm, actually, REALLY scared we're not going to make it in time.  But, it's all out of our hands at this point.  All we can do is keep plodding on, and hope the roads get better the further west we go.

Please, please, please get us there in time!!!!

Detour

Well, here we are, navigating the snow-covered, icy roads of the Midwest, en route to our next big adventure.  When we left Denver, it was sunny and nearly sixty degrees, so all of this cloud-covered winter chill is more than a little deflating as the backdrop for the first days of our vacation.  But this is only a pitstop on the way to bigger and better things; a mere blip on the map of our grand scheme.  In a few days, we will leave all of this Midwest droll behind and find ourselves soaring over the Atlantic, headed for parts unknown. (To us, anyway.).

But first, we're off to Michigan.  It's a strange and moderately inconvenient detour, considering our final destination, but we have a pup to consider, after all, and a little time with Nanna and Poppa will do him good.  So, this is how we have come to find ourselves trekking cross-country, in the middle of winter, slipping and sliding down rural highways, in near white-out conditions.  

No matter, today's drive is nearly over. Good friends, good wine, and amazing food are only an hour away.  And then, ultimately, Amsterdam, followed by Tanzania and the forboding Kilimanjaro.

You see, it's all worth it.

Didn't I tell you I had things worth writing about again?  Let this next adventure begin...

Our Backcountry Retreat - The Opus Hut

Crunch.  Crunch.  Crunch.  Crunch.  The sound of our snowshoes digging into the hard-packed snow was all we could hear in-between our heavy breathing.  At 10,000+ feet, the air was thin, making the incline up Ophir Pass seem even steeper, and our over-stuffed backpacks seem even heavier.  It was only a 3.5 mile trek to The Opus Hut, but our journey felt like it was taking an eternity.  It didn't help that the hut was nowhere in sight; all we could see was the trail going up, up, up.  We occasionally stopped to catch our collective breath, rest our burning quads, and take a swig of water.  The air temperature hovered around 10 degrees Fahrenheit, yet we were sweating as though we were in the middle of a heat wave.  All except puppy, of course.  He bounded up and down the trail with the exuberant energy of a child on Christmas morning.  I guess this was our Christmas gift to him.

Since we had two weeks off over the holidays, Mouse and I decided to take a little trip into the backcountry.  Considering it's the dead of winter here in Colorado, many people might deem this crazy.  Not for us.  Nope, in our minds, this was the perfect time to dust off our snowshoes, load up our backpacks, and head to the Southwest portion of the state for a hut trip, which is exactly what brought us to this sweaty, quad-burning, breathless point in time.  We were headed to The Opus Hut, near the top of the Ophir Pass.  During the summer months, the road we were slowly making our way up is open to traffic, taking one within 100 feet of the hut.  During the winter months, no such luck.  The road is nonexistent, nothing more than a cross-country ski and snowshoe path, meaning anyone wanting to stay at the hut must earn the right to do so.  And that was exactly what we were doing - earning our right to stay at this hidden gem of the San Juan Mountains.  So, we huffed and puffed, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other, until we finally caught a glimpse of the hut.  It was only a speck, and we had many switchbacks to navigate before we could finally rest, but it was the glimmer of hope we needed.

I'm not going lie, when we finally reached the hut, and were able to shed our cumbersome snowshoes, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  We were lucky, it only took us 3.5 hours to make the 3.5 mile trek up the pass, but my quads and back weren't feeling so fortunate.  We had opted to pack in our own food which, when combined with our winter clothes, basic supplies, and necessary box wine, had made for surprisingly heavy backpacks.  We were only staying two nights, but it felt like we had packed in enough weight to last us a week.  None of that mattered now, though.  Now it was time for us to reap the rewards of our hard work, pour a hearty glass of wine, and settle into our remote retreat.

For those unaccustomed to typical backcountry accommodations, The Opus Hut could seem a bit basic.  It's definitely not for anyone expecting Hilton-like luxury.  But, for those of us used to roughing it in less-than-ideal situations, this hut is a backcountry dream come true.  With running water, composting toilets, a working kitchen, solar power, and comfortable beds, it is downright palatial.  And, of course, the views are unparalleled; no one will ever wake up at a Hilton to see such pristine, untouched wilderness.

So, we spent the next two days relaxing, reading, and simply hanging out as a family.  Butters was overwhelmed with having so much wilderness and freedom at his doorstep that he ran and played non-stop, like the puppy he is.  Mouse and I opted to keep things a little more low-key.  We did our fair share of snowshoeing, but we also enjoyed the opportunity to take things down a notch.  After the whirlwind of the holidays, it was exactly what we needed.  And, luckily, with our bags at least 10 pounds lighter, the 3.5 mile trip back to the trailhead and our car was much less painful.

Click here to see the photo album from this trip.

Hello, again.

Why, hello, my old friend.  It's been a very long time since we've seen each other.  In all fairness, it's all my fault.  Once my summer road trip was over, I guess I didn't feel like I had much to write about.  I didn't even take a travel assignment this fall.  It just seemed like too much.  After being gone on two separate assignments last year, training for Ironman all summer, and then embarking on a month-long road trip, all I wanted to do was stay home and nest.  So, that is exactly what I did.  I found a local contract and stayed put.  So, please forgive me for not writing, but there really hasn't been much to write about.  The last few months have been incredibly, wonderfully mundane.  But, it's not going to stay that way much longer.  Our next adventure is about to begin...