Mt Kilimanjaro Climb

After months of training the time finally arrived to climb Mt Kilimanjaro.  We chose to do the Rongai Trail which departs from the north side of the mountain.  This is the only trail to depart from the northern flank of the mountain, it is a little more difficult to get to but is much less travelled.  We wanted to avoid the crowds and were very happy we used Rongai. 

The Rongai trek involves four days from the Mt Kilimanjaro National Park gate at Rongai to base camp at Kibo Hut.  The 5th day is summit day and begins at midnight and most of the ascent is done in darkness to the summit of Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the African continent at 19,343 feet.  Day six descends to Marangu gate at the national park.

The climb starts at 6000 feet in the rainforest and ascends continually through heather, alpine scrub and finally to high altitude rocky terrain. The trek is 54 miles round trip and in terms of weather and terrain has been described as "hiking from the equator to the North Pole in five days".



Day One: Our porters and guides loading up for the climb



Took a lot of gear to get us up the mountain--and a lot of people. 
We had two guides, one cook and ten porters!



The first day is agricultural area which quickly turns to rainforest.  Beautiful.
We saw Colobus monkeys, blue monkeys and birds everywhere.



First night camp at Simba campsite. We shared this camp with other groups but after this night we did not see any other climbers in camp until we reached base camp on night four at Kibo Huts.



My friend Ed Erway and our lead Guide James Ligelele.
Kilimanjaro in the background, always looming in the distance for the entire trek.



Rainforest turned to heather moorland and clouds closed in on the second day.



Mawenzi peak, one of three peaks on Kilimanjaro and  much smaller that Kilimanjaro's Uhuru Peak.



A short break with Said Mwanzi, our second guide.
 All day long hiking while our guides reminded us in Swahili "pole, pole" (slowly, slowly)



Our porters carrying gear.  Amazing crew.



That's Kili in the background. Me in the foreground becoming apprehensive.



It looks close, still three days away.



And then the weather closed in.



Another break at a small cave. Starting to feel the altitude at this point
We both took Diamox pills which help with altitude.



As we went higher the vegetation became sparser and the terrain rockier and steeper.



Upward, always upward.  Our guide, Said, kept saying "piece of cake."



We're going to climb that mountain???



Said Mwanza, excellent guide



The clouds swirled around Mawenzi Peak, revealing then hiding the top.



James Ligelele, our head guide giving us a pep talk. Great guide, instant friend.



Just as quickly, the weather closed in again.




Point at it while you can see it.



Day four, Mawenzi Tarn camp dawned clear and cold.



This is Mawenzi Tarn, high alpine lake and the last water available on the mountain.
 All water is carried up from this point.



Mawenzi Tarn again, pretty little lake. This was my favorite camp.



Kili in the background, still a day away.



Hiking across "The Saddle" between Mawenzi and Base Camp. A long day of hiking.



This plane crashed in 2008 killing all five aboard.  Too high to remove so the wreckage sits there still.



Kibo Hut, base camp.
 Reached this late afternoon, ate and rested a little before gearing up at midnight for summit attempt.



We left base camp at midnight, climbed for six hours thru the darkness by headlamp.  The most grueling
thing I've ever done.  Oxygen is thin and climbing is incredibly steep and difficult on loose scree.  I took no pictures during the summit climb because everything is an effort, even unzipping my coat for my camera. Plus all is darkness except the area illuminated at your feet by your headlamp. A dozen times I thought "No way can I take another step, I need to turn around."
It is just one slow step after another, up, up, up with minimal rest stops.  We passed other groups also making the attempt and saw at least one climber who had to be helped down the mountain.
 Only 41% of climbers who attempt the climb make the summit so we were determined to succeed.
We made the summit at 0610, just in time to see this sunrise.

Ed Erway, our guides James Ligelele and Said Manza, and yours truly at the summit.



My friend Ed Erway and myself at the summit, Uhuru Peak, 19,343 feet, the highest point on the African continent.
We only spent 20 minutes or so at the summit due to lack of oxygen.
 Everything was a little fuzzy, including my vision, but it was an incredibly beautiful sight and a very moving experience and a satisfying feeling of accomplishment.



Stella Point, waypoint on the descent.



Despite what Said kept repeating, the climb was no piece of cake--and neither was the descent.
This is what thin air, total exhaustion, and lack of sleep looks like.
The descent was a tiring hike down thru the previous night's vertical rocks followed by "skiing" down the scree, loose rocks.
Leg and knee killer



At Horombo Huts, Day five, last stop before continuing down the mountain the next day.



Our summit team.
A great crew, dedicated, friendly and professional.
Another grand Ed & Tom adventure!

Ed and I at Mt Kilimanjaro National Park exit gate after the descent. 

Post trek refreshment.

Best soft drink ever.



Me with James Ligelele, head guide

 

Mt LeConte, Three Summits in Three Days

We were set to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in July so we started training in January.  Hiking, running, gym time 3-6 days per week.  I hiked with full pack anywhere from 8 to 12 miles every week plus ran a couple of 5Ks and a half marathon in early 2014. Put in 8-12 mile hikes at local hiking venues including a nearby Rails to Trails and the Walls of Jericho, a steep (for Alabama) canyon area in northern Alabama.

We culminated training three weeks before the Kilimanjaro trek by hiking Mt LeConte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Only 6500 feet at the summit but the closest thing we could come to altitude in the eastern US.  We were to start our Kilimanjaro climb at 6000 feet so the acclimation was minimal.  But we did try out Diamox, an altitude pill, to make sure we had no reactions and to see if we could tell any difference.  Maybe the placebo effect but it seemed to help.


Day 1 Summit via Alum Cave Bluffs Trail



Didn't take this trail



All supplies and food come into Mt LeConte lodge via llama



Day 2 summit via Rainbow Falls trail



Day 3 summit via Trillium Gap Trail. Three days, 54 miles, 18000 vertical feet up and down.

Ultimate Porsche Driving Experience

A fast, fun day driving the world's premier performance cars at one of America's premier road courses.  The Ultimate Porsche Driving Experience, a one day, high speed driving exercise in the seats of Porsche's newest models, takes place at various race courses around the country.  I drove at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, in my opinion the best and most attractive road course in the United States.

First up for the day were the new Cayenne and Macan Turbo SUVs through the off road outback of the Barber property. Fun, but not what I came for.  I was ready for speed.

I soon got my wish.  We climbed into a bright yellow Cayman S for triple-digit-speed laps around Barber's 2.38 mile road course.  A sweet little 325 horsepower, mid-engine sports car that will amaze you with its cornering and balance.  You can lap Barber as fast as your ability will allow--and in a Cayman that is FAST.  After the Cayman S I stepped up to the 911 Carrera S, a 380 horsepower rear-engined beast.  Definitely a superior level in terms of raw speed and acceleration but in my mind not as balanced or easy to drive.

Next up; the Panamera, a 4-door sports car that is nice but sedate after the Cayman and 911--not my cup of tea.  I then strapped in for a ride-along with a professional race driver.  I thought I had put down some hot lap times but two turns into the ride-along lap and I knew this lap was going to be a lot faster than I had driven.  I was whipped through corners at speed at least 30 MPH faster than I had accomplished and I quickly realized that I would need LOTS more seat time to be competitive with a pro.
Multiple laps got the adrenaline going and we moved to a paved lot for the lane change drill, a (relatively) low speed exercise between lines of traffic cones to test suspension transition abilities. Fun, but a letdown after the race course hot laps.

Next up:  the wet skid pad, a parking-lot-sized plat of tarmac wetted down by sprinklers where we practice driving in wet conditions and recovering from spins. Where else can you deliberately spin $90,000 worth of German metal?  WooHoo!

Finally, the autocross course.  A traffic-coned, twisty layout that provides short straights interlaced with snaking curves and 90-degree turns, the autocross is more fun than I expect, mainly because I am driving a $98,000 Cayman S with carbon ceramic brakes that drag the car down with incomprehensible quickness.  If I weren't securely held in by a shoulder harness I would plant my skull in the windshield every time I hit the brake pedal.   There's only one way to put it--the Cayman S is FAST.







$844,000 Porsche 918 Spyder.  No, I didn't get to drive it.



$83,000 paint job.



Richard Martin Rails to Trails, Elkmont, Alabama

I’m watching a red tailed hawk soar over an open valley and imagining what this field of green was like in 1864.  In September of that year, Alabama’s bloodiest Civil War battle was raging at this exact spot and over two hundred men breathed their last in these fields.

 

The battle between Union and Confederate troops over control of the wooden trestle railroad bridge that spanned the valley came to be known as the Battle of Sulphur Trestle and although the trestle is long gone—burned to the ground shortly after the battle by the victorious Confederate troops of General Nathan Bedford Forrest—the remnants of the railroad bed that approached the bridge from north and south are still there.

That old railroad bed has not changed much in the past 145 years.  The steel rails have been removed and the trestle of course is gone, replaced by an earthen berm that spans Sulphur Creek, but the green valley still gently slopes up to meet the low hill where Union forces constructed a fort to defend the railroad line. Sulphur Creek still runs free and clear. 

But everything else has changed.  The railroad line hosts an entirely different crowd today—hikers, bikers, birdwatchers and horseback riders.  Today the Richard Martin Trail, part of the national Rails-to-Trails network, cuts through the middle of this historic battlefield. 

The former Decatur and Nashville Railroad line remained in continuous service until 1986 when it was abandoned.  Shortly thereafter, local resident Richard Martin spearheaded efforts to convert the abandoned route into a recreational trail.  His efforts were successful and the completed trail is now managed by the Limestone County Parks and Recreation Department and attracts hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts.  Martin remains a driving force behind the trial and continues to advocate for trail improvements.

Along the twelve mile length of the Trail, hikers can retrace the steps of Civil War soldiers, visit the quaint Veto Methodist Church constructed in the 1800s, walk past wetlands and across clear sparkling creeks, and stop for a lunch break in the tiny town of Elkmont.  The historic railroad depot still stands alongside the trail in Elkmont, along with a restored railroad car.

The trail is a peaceful natural retreat that is enjoyed by thousands of local residents and out of towners.  On a warm April morning we run into a dozen hikers, a group of birdwatchers, two bikers and a couple of horsemen.  Wildflower walks and other seasonal events are scheduled frequently by the Parks and Recreation Department.

The trail’s genesis as a railroad means that the path is level and flat—those old railroads avoided sharp curves and undulating hills to provide speedier transit for the locomotives and miles of freight cars.  As a result you can leisurely enjoy the wildflowers, birds and wildlife at an easy pace.  The trail is well maintained and the terrain makes for easy pedaling for bikers, although the packed gravel bed requires a mountain bike.  With few exceptions the trail is shaded beneath arching hardwood trees so even on a hot summer day you’re sheltered from the sun.

There is an area of low wetlands south of Elkmont that is prime birdwatching territory.  Wood ducks and warblers frequent the bog and an occasional heron can be spotted.  North of Elkmont the terrain becomes hilly and creeks meander through open woodlands.  Deer, squirrels and rabbits can be spotted along the trail as well as hawks and woodpeckers.  

Along the way, the trail passes over two creeks that are now spanned by picturesque covered bridges.  At the Sulphur Trestle battle site, a local Boy Scout troop has constructed an informational plaque and a wooden bench. 

The trail runs from Piney Chapel Road just north of Athens to the Tennessee state line at Veto.  The Piney Chapel trailhead offers a pavilion, restrooms and a parking lot. The Veto trailhead has restrooms and the restored Veto Church.  The trail is horse-friendly with watering facilities along its length.

Details: From I-65, take Exit 361 west about four miles on Sandlin Road/Route 100 into Elkmont. The Elkmont trailhead, which is about the halfway point on the trail, is on the left, nest to the restored depot and railcar.  The trail hours are daylight to sunset.  No motorized vehicles are allowed.

 

Wheeling Through Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

It’s flat, but it’s fun.  That about sums up mountain biking in Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. You don’t have the challenging and exhilarating ups and downs of Monte Sano.  On the other hand, chances are you won’t have to pass on the right—the roads are not overrun with bikers.  Which is pretty remarkable considering all that the refuge has to offer the two-wheeled set.  There are no single-track trails in the 34,000-acre refuge but there is a surprisingly large network of roads.  The lack of elevation changes, the quality of the trail surfaces, and the natural beauty of the refuge offer easy and appealing pedaling less than ten minutes from downtown Huntsville. 

 According to Kathy Whaley, Refuge ranger, Wheeler has “probably about 200 miles of roads”, almost all of which are open to bicycles.  Many of these roads meander along the banks of the Tennessee River, providing cool and scenic biking on relatively level and well-maintained trails.  And if you absolutely must have some hills to meet your criteria for “real” mountain biking, well you can find that, too.

You need to bike in Wheeler with a different attitude.  Biking here is not for the “I can get there before you can” crowd.  The bikers you meet in the refuge tend to be more laid-back.  Gene Edwards from Huntsville is a good example.  We ran into him on a recent trek through the refuge, leisurely cruising along Rockhouse Road, soaking up the sun and scenery.  Not in a hurry to get anywhere.

Whaley emphasizes that the attraction of biking in the refuge is the very real possibility of viewing wildlife.  Not only does the refuge host thousands of ducks and geese in the spring and fall, but it is also home to white-tailed deer, beaver, hawks and the occasional bald eagle.  Your odds of seeing animals are much greater from the seat of a bike.  Take your camera along and you’re practically guaranteed some great shots.  So we decided to see if she was giving us some PR propaganda.

We started from the Blackwell Swamp area at the end of County Line Road.  If you head south from the parking area at the swamp’s edge and keep bearing left when the road splits, you’ll follow an easy 8-mile loop around the swamp with nice views of vast fields of lily pads, cypress trees, and beaver lodges in the swamp.  We saw great blue herons, hawks, and snapping turtles crossing the trail in front of us.  Deer scampered across the trail within yards of our bikes.  We didn’t see any on this trip, but—if you’re very lucky—you may spy one of the swamp’s resident alligators.  Wildflowers were in bloom, with butter-colored black-eyed Susans lining the trail and the brilliant white flowers of the lily pads floating on the tea-colored swamp waters.

There are a lot of options for bikers. Here are some of the better trails:

Rockhouse Road.  Instead of bearing left and following the loop around the swamp, bear right onto a gravel road, which hugs the banks of the Tennessee River.  This is Rockhouse Road, which heads due west for about 4.5 miles.  Like many of the trails in the refuge, this road is open to vehicular traffic so you may have to share the road with cars and trucks.  But it is lightly traveled and you don’t have to worry about being run down—this is, after all, a dirt road so speeds are slow and drivers watch out for bikers.  When you reach the paved portion of Rockhouse Road, bear right and follow another road back east to the swamp, about 6 miles.   This road is heavily wooded, trees offering shaded respite from the summer sun.

Arrowhead Landing.  Follow old Highway 20 west out of Mooresville and turn left onto the gravel road at the boat ramp sign.  This road follows the western edge of Limestone Bay past Arrowhead Landing for about 3.5 miles.  It dead-ends but you can take a gated road south under I-65 and ride through the backwaters of the Tennessee River.  You can add a leisurely pedal through historic Mooresville at the end of your trip.

Truck Trail.  Starts at the Flint Creek ramp, north of Upper River Road near Highway 67 in Priceville.  This trail goes on seemingly forever, following the south shore of the river on a narrow dirt road, which goes under I-65.  Many variations on this trip will continues through Garth Slough, through Cave Springs, Bluff City, Cotaco Creek, and finally to Slaughter Landing.  Twenty miles of swamps and woods, with a winding and hilly middle run in the Bluff City area.  Because of the length and hills, this is probably the toughest ride in the refuge.

All roads in the refuge are open to bikes.  However, some of the gated roads may be off limits at certain times of the year.  Pick up a map from the visitor’s center in Decatur, 350-6639, to check out these and other riding options in the refuge.