Oh that is cool. I am going to climb Mount Meru at the end of October. I can't wait
Nice pictures - makes me all the more eager to go! Was going to climb Kilimanjaro but decided I wanted to see some wildlife too - hence Meru.
So big question: Would you do it again?
Also any tips you may have for me I'd be very grateful for.
Thanks
Daven
Edit: I also notice a Zara tours logo on your jacket - were they any good? I am planning to use them and have read positive reviews but would be good to hear first hand.
Aah nice
It's not quite as tall as kili, but our guide was saying that it's actually a tougher climb because of ice and slipperiness etc. But he was probably just trying to make us feel better
hehe
I probably would do it again at some point. Not anytime right now because it is by far the hardest physical thing i've done (i'm not exactly an exercise buff
) and need a break
But yes, has made me a bit more eager to go on other walking hikes and the like.
Tips wise - Eat food. It becomes harder and harder as you go up because you lose appetite but your guides will tell you as well, just force feed yourself. I got lucky enough to not have a big problem in this way except that I couldn't stand the thought of drinking soup or any liquid type food after the 3rd day but was fine with solid. But another guy in our group just had no appetite at all. Didn't eat except tiny tiny bits for almost 4 days. He did manage to summit (not all the way, but to another summit point called 'Stella Point', but was spitting blood by the time he did!.
Also, water. Drink plenty of water. This is stuff that they'l tell you as well. This was my first time camping/hiking so I kinda took everything in case it was needed. But the best thing I rented, by far, were those hiking poles. I had never used them before in my life but my god did they come in handy. And right from day 1. Apart from that, just remember, 'pole pole'. Which means 'slowly slowly'. Assuming meru is similar to kili in how you climb it, you just walk nice and slow. Don't try going too quickly. At higher altitudes you won't be able to anyway, lol. I was out of breath at 15,000 just from changing my clothes in the tent!
Yea, Zara were brilliant. I probably read the same things as you online but booked through a US company who turned out were using Zara in Tanzania. The hotel they put us in was great, though the food could've been better. During the trip, took care of us really well. Nice food, better than what we expected and hot tea/coffee/hot chocolate with every meal and at the end of each hike. The food was generally porridge in the morning with some eggs and sausages and every meal was usually soup and then a main dish. A toilet tent set up just for our group as well! hehe.
Oh and take diamox with you. Is useful. I've almost never had a headache in my life (yes i've been ill plenty of times. Just no headaches
) and I started having one on the first day on this trip cause of the altitude. Diamox took it away though and then pretty much no issues that way.
Feel free to catch me here or on msn if you have any more questions
Nice, but no shot from the top?
Didn't make it to the top. But was just rifling through my pics and found a few from my cousin who did manage. (we went together.) This is one of hers.
[FnG]magnolia;15006853 said:
Those pics are fantastic! It looks an intimidating climb - how did you find it?
Hard, but when you finish a hard day's climb, you forget about it soon enough and just remember the good bits
But keep in mind i'm not exactly the fittest person around. My cousin didn't find it quite as hard (except for summitting during which she was struggling) but she works out like 1.5 hrs a day.
Still fun though
Gorgeous pictures - thanks for posting. It must be quite surreal standing on the ground looking down at the clouds below you
Thanks
That was an awesome sight and feeling. But then you look up and see that you still have a long way to go and that just becomes worrying, lol. I always thought that something's wrong somewhere if you see a massive sea of clouds below you and are still climbing up ^_^
You own a 24" monitor don't you?
Because even on my 20" monitor they are too big.
I'm very jealous however, would love to do that.
Yea
Though they do completely fill up the screen here as well, hehe.
And thanks to everyone for the pics and personal compliments
It was definitely an experience of a lifetime and do recommend it! But given that two of the guys in our group were 57 and 59, you're never too old ^_^ Apparently the oldest guy ever to summit was 82?
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