a short practice hike in the hills of New Jersey.
The next few months were consumed with preparation. The team
consisted of 15 climbers, four of whom were active MM patients, a
physician who treated MM patients, administrators of MMRF,
Cure magazine, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a couple of talented people who were recording the expedition with videos, cameras and
even a drone. This was the first time many of the locals had seen a
drone. In support were many, many close friends and colleagues
of participants who donated to the MMRF. Initially, climbers were
asked to seek up to $10,000 donations, for a total goal of $150,000.
Enjoying fantastic support, the collection of donations has now
reached $250,000, all of which goes straight to research. The
MMRF is an exemplary foundation, with 90% of its total budget
going straight to cancer research, and Charity Navigator has
awarded the MMRF a four-star rating, its highest rating, for the
eleventh consecutive year. No donated revenue went to pay for the
trip, this was funded by the team and some generous sponsors,
mainly Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Cure magazine.
Most were taking Diamox, a diuretic that helps to prevent altitude
sickness – one can imagine how dehydration is a problem at high
altitude, as is loss of appetite, compounded with freezing temperatures that freeze Camelbak three-liter reservoirs. Seems like all
signs are telling you this isn’t a normal activity!
We started out on our route, a longer route from the West fewer
than ten percent of Kilimanjaro climbers take. It was the height of
summer in Africa and it was hot and humid in the dense jungle and
rainforest, however we were entertained constantly by many families of monkeys playing in the trees, baboons running all over,
incredible, beautiful birds – and were lucky at this point to not
The philosophy of hiking high
then sleeping low was carried
out with precision.
Conference calls with outfitters, many immunizations, insurance
to send your body home if a problem occurred, many trips to my
favorite store, REI, and lots of extra training were put in place for
the preparation phase. I climbed some 14’ers in Colorado with a
friend from my cycling club. Lots of hiking in my boots with backpack up the steepest hills I could find. Plane tickets, packing and
repacking to make sure the right weight was in the main duffel bag,
since porters would carry this. For the expedition, there were the
15 climbers, plus 82 additional Tanzanian porters, cooks, guides
and leaders – we were a self-contained moving city carrying everything we would need for the 11-day expedition! Mount Kilimanjaro
is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and the highest
point on the African continent at 19,341 feet.
Next, we all met up during our trips from all over the U.S. through
Amsterdam, then a 10-hour flight to Arusha Airport, Kilimanjaro,
Tanzania. Jet lag. We had one day of rest, which included briefings
and an inspection of our gear to check weight and contents. The
next day was the start of months of preparation and some anxiety
The MMRF is an exemplary foundation,
with 90% of its total budget going
straight to cancer research.
of the unknown, including weather, the very real possibility of altitude sickness, HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) and HAPE
(very serious High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) – a climber’s basic
fitness doesn’t prevent these problems, no one knows until you get
to higher altitude without oxygen. Acclimatization is very important, and our route was from the West of the mountain, a 7½-day
climb, allowing several days above 15,000 feet for acclimatization
in preparation for the final ascent to 19,341 feet at the summit.
encounter some of the scarier animals. We were gaining altitude
rapidly, and progressed into forest for our first night camp at 9,000
feet. This was the only part that had a real trail to walk on. Later
on, the “trail” is just rock, and a guide is a requirement, as this is a
national park and there are some rules. As we walked into camp,
we were surprised by all the porters (who walked ahead, set up our
tents, and started preparing meals!) who were singing really cool
songs in Swahili. We realized that this was the welcome to camp –
this was repeated at the end of every day on the trip, unless weather
didn’t allow. By the second night, all climbers were involved in the
singing and dancing.
The Tanzanians called me “babu”, Swahili for Grandpa, as I had
Beanie Babies hanging off my backpack – my grandkids had me
take these mementos to the summit for them. The first night was
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