kilimanjaro

Goal setting in your training preparation for Kilimanjaro

Clare Kilimanjaro Tips adventure, bucket list, fitness, fun, Goal setting, hiking, kilimanjaro, trekking, walking

So you want to get fitter to climb Mount Kilimanjaro? What are you going to achieve this? How are you going to train?

It’s a common fact that those who set themselves goals are much more successful in life. Why?

Setting targets gives you something to aim for. It’s motivational and provides focus.

When setting yourself goals, you need to set them at the right level to be effective. Too challenging and you won’t complete them so they will have the reverse effect and be demotivational. Research indicates that when setting goals they should be moderately difficult to achieve, thus providing a challenge, but not too easy that you achieve your target quickly without any effort at all.

Goals should focus on the positive such as what you are aiming to achieve rather than focusing on the negative that is what behaviour you want to give up.

If you are unfamiliar and have never set yourselves any training goals previously, you need to ensure that they are SMART.

Specific – your goal shouldn’t be vague. It should target what you want to achieve.
Measureable – the goal should have some measureability in it so you know when you have achieved it.
Achievable – your goal should be challenging but not beyond the realms of reality.
Realistic -it should be real and meaningful. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
Timebound – your goal should indicate when you want to achieve it by.

If you are unfamiliar with trekking and want to set yourself targets to getting fitter, set yourself some SMART goals. These should be progressive and linked to each other. Examples are given below:

1) to walk three days a week for 30 minutes for the first 4 weeks;
2) to walk three days a week for 1 hour and climb a mountain every Saturday for the following month;
3) to walk four days a week for 1.15 hours and to climb two mountains at the weekend for the next month.

This provides you with an action plan and a progressive set of SMART goals to help you achieve your objective of getting fitter to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. These are an example. You can adjust your goals accordingly to increase your own personal levels of fitness.

Five climatic zones – facts about Kilimanjaro flora

Darren BLOG, Kilimanjaro Tips adventure, africa, flora, hiking, kilimanjaro, trekking

As you climb up Mount Kilimanjaro you will pass through five distinct and different climatic and vegetation zones, which provide a diverse array of wild flowers, shrubs and trees. On the ascent, you will notice the flora changing. This is not only influenced by the altitude but also the geographical location of Kilimanjaro within close proximity to the equator and the maritime influence from the Indian Ocean.

Cultivation Zone

Coffee production is Tanzanian’s largest export crop and has a significant impact on the country’s economy. The vegetation of the lowlands around Mount Kilimanjaro are dominated by coffee plantations or banana crops. The Kilimanjaro area is one of the largest coffee producing areas within Tanzania and the town of Moshi in Kilimanjaro is the main hub for the coffee trade.

The Rainforest Zone

The zone is situated between 1800m and 2800m in altitude. It provides the widest variety of flowering plants in this zone. Be sure to look out for the mountain gladiolus, violets, begonias and especially the Kilimanjaro Impatiens, a delightful orchid-like flower in a pink-ish red colour with flecks of yellow and an unusual yellow tail (below). This is said to be the semi-official emblem of Kilimanjaro.

Heathland Zone

This zone has heathers and short grasses growing in this area and is reminiscent of being back home.

A British garden favourite, the Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia thomsonii), is a native plant from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and swathes of the plant can be seen in the heathland zone between 2800m and 4000m.

Alpine Desert

The southern and western slopes of Kilimanjaro have more rainfall than the northern and eastern sides. The only route to the summit on the northern slopes is the Rongai route. This has a more sparce, desert-like landscape and lower growing species due to less rainfall.

Kilimanjaro is renowned for rare and unusual species often found almost nowhere else. One of the most unusual and striking of plants that you will spot when ascending Kilimanjaro is the Giant Groundsel. This species Dendrosenecio kilimanjari is only found on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro at around 4000 metres and is quiet a common feature around the Barranco Camp.

Arctic Zone

The arctic zone is from 5000m upwards to the summit. There is no vegetation and the path is made up of scree. The is a large glacier near to the summit. The ground is mostly frozen and can sometimes be covered in snow and ice.

What training do I need to climb Kilimanjaro?

Darren Kilimanjaro Tips adventure, africa, bucket list, kilimanjaro, mount kilimanjaro, Mountains in mind, trek kilimanjaro, trekking

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is classified as strenuous trek so you will need a good base level of fitness if you want to be successful in gaining the summit.

Terrain

The terrain on the ascent of Kilimanjaro is varied. On the lower slopes it’s easier trail, good underfoot and reasonably wide paths. It’s all too easy to set off too fast as you have the momentum and are raring to go. However, it’s crucial in order to acclimatise that you don’t over do it and take it very slowly. The guides have a number of tactics to inadvertently make you slow down! A favourite phrase you’ll hear alot is Pole Pole, which means slowly in Swahili.

It’s important that if you’re not familiar with walking on steep, rocky ground that you take a few walks in the UK mountains to familiarise yourself and to feel more confident. The higher you get, the paths become more rugged and technical. Mountains in Mind offers a Kilimanjaro training weekend where you can experience the delight of walking in the mountains and experience the kind of terrain that you can expect on an ascent of Kilimanjaro.

Back-to-back days

The ascent of Kilimanjaro is strenuous, there’s no getting away from that! Our standard trek takes 6 days to reach the summit and a further day for your descent. It is important that you are fit enough to be able walk over consecutive days for up to 5 or 6 hours each day. Although, you will be going slow on the climb, you will need to have built up your stamina to be able to keep going. The summit push day is particularly strenuous and combined with the altitude, lack of sleep and cold weather, you will need to dig deep with sheer grit and determination to get to the summit. You will be rewarded with magnificent views and the exertion will all be worth the effort when the endorphins kick in. You’ve earned bragging rights too!!

Weekends or even better, the longer bank holidays, you should aim to walk for two or three consecutive days on the trot. This will build up your strength and endurance. Your calf muscles will probably be screaming at you on the ascents if you’re unfamiliar with walking up hill. Conversely, on the descents your quads may quiver and your knees may ache. The more training you do, the more conditioned you’ll become and therefore you are increasing your chance of success. Although, you may wake up with stiff legs after undertaking a big walk, getting up and walking for a second day will often help to ease the stiffness and build up your stamina.

Ascent

We’ve mentioned training in the hills above. It is important that you can walk up hill relatively easily without becoming too breathless. As mentioned, you will be going very slowly and there will be plenty of opportunity to stop, take in the views and chatting to your fellow trekkers but as you climb higher it will become increasingly difficult with the lack of oxygen. You will need a certain level of fitness gained from walking up hills that will make it easier for you on the trek. You will also be carrying a day pack on your ascent, with your requirements for the day, such as, extra layers of clothing, food and drink so it’s important that you also familiarise yourself with carrying a small rucksack so that it feels comfortable.

Descent

Once you’ve reached the summit you’ll be so invigorated and elated that you’ll probably forget about the descent. Although, you’ll probably not be out of breath as much as on the ascent, it’s more heavier on your legs. There is also more of a tendency to slip on descents. Therefore, as well as training for your ascent it also important that you train and familiarise yourself with walking downhill so that you feel confident when descending. After all, what goes up…must come down!

Camping

The route that we take to the summit of Kilimanjaro does not have huts so you can expect to camp. If you have not slept under canvas before, please contact us and we can discuss the sleeping arrangements with you. It is important that you have a warm sleeping bag as it can be very cold at night and combined with the altitude this can leave you not able to sleep well. Being able to get a good nights rest is an important part of the recovery process to enable you to keep going the following day.

Eating

That’s right, you need to train to eat so you can familiarise yourself with what your body likes or dislikes whilst on the go! If you live in the UK you won’t have much opportunity to practice eating at altitude when your appetite becomes suppressed, however, on your day walks it’s worthwhile getting to know what you find digestible when moving as you’ll need to eat little and often on the climb. What one person finds good to eat is different for somebody else. I personally like to eat dried fruit, nuts and a little chocolate but nothing overly sweet.

What to eat when your appetite is low on Kilimanjaro?

Darren Kilimanjaro Tips africa, kilimanjaro, mount kilimanjaro, Mountains in mind

One of the symptoms of being at a higher altitude is the loss of appetite and sometimes accompanying nausea.

When climbing Kilimanjaro it’s important to ensure that you are hydrated and keep eating at regular intervals even when you don’t feel like it to maintain your energy levels. Dehydration can make altitude sickness worse and can also reduce your appetite further so it’s essential that you keep your fluid intake high and keep taking regular sips of your drink when trekking.

Much research has been undertaken on weight loss from being at altitude and it has been identified that with the increase in altitude and the decrease in oxygen, the appetite is surpressed as the ‘satiety hormone’ leptin rises so this is why you feel less hungry. The research also indicates that your metabolic rate also increases so you burn more calories when at altitude than at sea level.

The best things to eat at altitude are high energy comfort foods. The variety of food is surprisingly varied on the Kilimanjaro trek but it is reliant on the porters carrying the supplies along the trail. You’ll be provided with meals that are of high carbohydrate content such as rice dishes or potatoes. There is always soup available, which is easy to digest. Mashed potatoes and vegetables are a particular favourite higher up. Meat can be limited. Porridge and omelette are usually provided for breakfast. Fruit is also available. It may be useful to supplement your diet with a multivitamin.

It is recommended that you limit your intake of coffee as this can add to dehydration. Tea, coffee and milo (a malty hot chocolate drink) are available but if you usually prefer fruit or herb teas, you are advised to take some of your own with you. Alcohol is not available on the mountain and should be saved for your celebratory drinks when you have summited and are back in the hotel. The Kilimanjaro beer is a favourite!

As you get closer to the summit of Kilimanjaro, the temperature will become increasingly lower. On our last trip, we had particularly cold temperatures where it was identified that on the summit the temperature was -31 degrees with the windchill! Your body requires calories to keep itself warm so it’s essential that you eat little and often. It’s worth taking some of your favourite calorie dense snacks as a real treat for the summit push. You may not fancy them but you never know! Haribos also provide a quick sugar boost.

Ginger will also help if you feel nauseous and we have found ginger biscuits, chocolate coated crystallised ginger or drinking ginger tea to help reduce symptoms.

6 Mount Kilimanjaro facts

Darren BLOG, Kilimanjaro Tips 7 summits, adventure, africa, bucket list, everest, hiking, kilimanjaro, mount kilimanjaro, travel, trek, trekking

Kilimanjaro or Mount Kilimanjaro as it is sometimes called is one of the most popular trekking peaks in the world. A Kilimanjaro Trek requires no technical skills and any fit person can reach the summit. You can reach Kilimanjaro from the UK on flights direct into Kilimanjaro Airport, Africa.

Where is Kilimanjaro?

Kilimanjaro is situated on the Tanzanian/Kenyan border and the Mountain can clearly be seen rising above the African plains whilst on Tanzania safari. Kilimanjaro’s Weather is very different in each of the climate zones, ranging from tropical heat through the rain forest to sub-zero temperatures on the summit.

We’ve compiled six interesting facts, which will help you undertake a trekking adventure to the Kilimanjaro.

1. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent and is the tallest free-standing volcano in the world. Kilimanjaro’s height in meters is 5,985 or 19,340 feet and the summit is clearly visible from Kenya. The classic images of Giraffe are taken from within the Amboseli national park, just over the border into Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro is at the southern edge of the Great African Rift, a section of East Africa which is slow moving into the Indian Ocean. This creates an immense amount of volcanic activity and if you like rocks, you’ll be amazed at the size of some of the rocks which started inside the mountain and now lie strewn across the Mars-like landscape.

2. From the 5,895metre (19, 341 feet) summit of Kilimanjaro, you’ll be able to stand in awe at witnessing something amazing, the curvature of the earth. This very unique and privileged experience is often reserved for passenger airlines or Everest summiteers, this makes reaching the summit Kilimanjaro even more precious. Not only this, depending on which time of year Kilimanjaro is climbed, you could be the highest person in the world… How cool is that?

3. Kilimanjaro is known as a dormant strata volcano! The last major eruption was 360,000 years ago, the last activity was only 200 years ago, this which resulted in the creation of the ash pit, which trekkers can see today from the summit. It is said that the lava or magma is only 1 kilometre below our feet, which is pretty amazing. Due to the hight of Kilimanjaro, glaciers have been on the summit since before records began when they used to cover the entire summit, making reaching the top impossible. Unfortunately, the glaciers are now in retreat and some estimate they will completely disappear in the next 20-years.

4. Kilimanjaro has 3 volcanic cones, Kibo, Mwenzi, Shira. The Shira cone has now been eroded by the weather and the passage of time, which has left amazing plateaux, over which the views to Kibo are unbroken. Mwenzi is clearly visible from Barrafu (Base) camp and it keeps a watchful eye on us as we ascend towards Stella point on summit night. During the cold dark summit night, I keep a watch on Mwenzi waiting for the dawn glow on the horizon, when this appears I know we are nearly at Stella point and only 50-minutes away from fulling many dreams.

5. Did you know? Kilimanjaro is the only place on Earth where you can walk from the equator to the Arctic in 7-days, pretty special ah? This is only possible due to Kilimanjaro’s unique ecological system starting on the plains of Africa, starting you pass through dense rain Forrest, Heathland, Moorland, Alpine Desert until you reach the Arctic zone. Each day is different and the higher we climb the more unique the landscape becomes. If you’ve ever thought about walking on Mars, then this is the closet landscape to that experience.

6. Over 25,000 people attempt to summit Kilimanjaro each year, with approximately 2/3 being successful (we have a 100% success rate). To have a greater chance of summiting the mountain, choose treks which are 7-day’s (or longer), this will increase your chances by 21% over a 6-day trek. Check with your tour operator to make sure the working conditions, pay and welfare of your porters are well documented and they have a proven record. Also, your life will be in the hands of the guide and support team, choose wisely! and remember you get what you pay for…

Be sure to Live your dream and do something amazing today.

Remember! One day is not a day!

Have a super day,

Darren – founder Mountains in Mind.

Kilimanjaro Tips – power!!

Darren Kilimanjaro Tips adventure, africa, bucket list, hiking, kilimanjaro, mount kilimanjaro, travel, trekking

Trekking to the summit of Kilimanjaro is on many peoples bucket list. The popularity of reaching the roof of Africa is due to Mount Kilimanjaros realitvily easy terrain, which involves no technical climbing!

That being said is not an easy trek due to the high altitude and should be taken lightly.

But in a technological energy dependent world this can be difficult!!

So how to charge those smartphones, garmin watch, the electric toothbrush and the GPS tracker, especially when there is direct access to the national grid?
There a number of options available from solar panel chargers and USB power pack.

USB power packs.

There is a vast number of products on the market from the single charge to a multiple charge units. Power ratings are graded in mAh (don’t ask!), the higher the number capacity the more charges we have. For example the unit we use (purchased off eBay) has a 50,000 mAh rating which gives around 5-6 full iPhone 6 charges.

As with all battery driven products the cold will effect the battery life and its capacity to retain the charge!

Search on eBay for ‘usb power hub 50000 mah’.

Solar Panels –

The number and style of products on the market is again vast. Options available are single panel to multi panel. The more panels the faster the charge.

If you’d like to join one of our select trips to Kilimanjaro jump across to download your brochure.

Be sure to Live your dream and do something amazing today.

Remember! One day will never come!
Darren – founder Mountains in Mind.
Darren@mountainsinmind.com

Www.mountainsinmind.com

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A damn hard run

Darren What do we get up to! darren hunt, everest, kilimanjaro, marathon, Running

Sunday 6th January 2103 saw 8 Mow Cop runners line up on the start line of the Trigs race. An 16 mile race across the expanses of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. Now I’ve spent many an hour over here on my mountain bike and as a young army cadet sergeant but never ran it, but knew it was going to be tough.

The race got under way just after 11am, with around 130 runners from different clubs scrambling for a good running line. As we ran further runners went there own way as this was a navigation course, and you’re under you own devices, map and compass at the ready. The aim is to get to 4 Trig points in the quickest time possible! Our navigation choice was to stay low level along sherwood valley until the climb towards the first trig point, which is close the old rifle range. The day started to warm up ( or was it me) as we moved quickly up the first climb, aptly named bugger hill ( for obvious reasons) by my brother who bikes over here a lot than I do. It was warming so much that I removed my Rab long sleeved top and just wore my vest. My legs and lungs were on fire at the top and a run turned into slow jog. We hit the first Trig point .

With great encouragement from the marshal’s from Mercia Fell running club and my brother, Paul, who was following us on his mountain bike we headed of towards on the next very long leg to the railway crossing and the climb to Trig No2. We started running with a group of around 5-6 other runners, including a Mercia runner who we followed ( easier than Navigating yourself ) . We were all pretty evenly matched and kept changing position, then a great down hill section approached and love these, so off I shot. We had 2 mins to take on some water and cross the railway line and busy main road.

We then set off along a forest fire track which was ok until an incline were I just lose my legs. We lost the other group, crossed the road and headed up towards Trig No2 ( i said it was a long way )… We passed other runners on the return leg from the Trig point heading in the opposite direction, we saw 2 of our club mates Damo and Andrew, they said only 10 mins to go, but it was up hill and that was it. Now I’m OK walking up the hills and mountains as a Mountain Guide and instructor, but running is an art I’m destined to crack in 2013. We felt we were moving more and more down the field with less and less runners behind us – Damn. Well this was only ever was going to be a Training run..wasn’t it?

We hit Trig No2 and headed to Trig No3. Down a muddy path until we hit the main forest trail, then up again – yes you got it I walked, albeit quickly (ish). Now we are at mile 11 and we run along a main road to the next trig, dibbed in and took a marked short cut. During the next 20 mins or so was a bit of a blur ( well that was my excuse anyway ). We took , sorry I took a wrong turn and ended up 25 mins behind and for good measure added an extra 2 mile. Still – a great navigator can and has the ability to relocate 🙂 – this area of the chase is a little like the Bermuda triangle as another runner from Macclesfield harriers had the same thing happen to him too…

Still onward and upwards! and it should have been downwards if we’d taken the right path, still never mind these things are a test.. We hit the right track and headed down very quickly, feeling the odd twinge on my right calf. Passing mountain bikers and families we hit the Railway crossing and took on more water.

Then we headed on towards No4 Trig, our final one at Glacier Stone, which i think is that highest place on the chase. But before long we hit the nice down hill from earlier, but this time it was up! Now at this stage I’d had an energy gel and healthy cereal bar and was starting to flag – mile 14. The track leveled out and we ran with 2 guys from Nottingham. My brother was with us too, as he’d met us coming down the previous track, it was a slow run as this was the furthest I’d run since July when we completed a 33mile ultra. Having to dig deep and keep focused, even though you could hear the clock ticking and the sound just gets louder.

We soon passed day trippers and families out for a leisurely afternoon and headed back to the shrub land. Crossing the valley we climbed up aiming towards Trig N04. We ran up a path , then across to what I thought was contouring – Wrong. Now at this time we were about 4-5 mins in front of the guys from Nottingham having taken them on the down hill and not stopping on the up’s. This little oversight meant they were now 5 mins in front – Damn. Still we scrambled our way across the heath and shrub, dropping my left foot into a hole and hitting the floor trying not to twist it we arrived on the correct path.

10 mins or was it 30 mins passed ( well it felt like 30 ) we made it to the final Trig point. Yipee. We then carried on towards Milford and Home. The downhill towards the old railway sidings were full of families, dogs and push chairs, but we ran down as fast as we could only to see the 2 guys from Nottingham about 2- mins in front. Paul who met us again at the top by trig No4 said you can get them…

Now I have No idea where it came from, but I gathered speed, then more speed, my legs were moving fast, running straight through the mud and puddles – now when running it hurts, and when it does you often put your mind some place else! Sometimes to hide the pain, sometimes to find the motivation – now don’t laugh – I imagined I was in the 10k Tri-athleon race with the Brownlee brothers ( a far cry I know, but it worked for me 🙂 ). I took the guys just as we started to climb 300 meters from home, all i could hear was my long suffering girlfriend Clare saying ‘ why did’n’t he run this fast way back there?’ I noticed somebody else running behind me, I turned hoping to see Clare as I would let her finish first, but it wasn’t, it was one of the guys from Nottingham – so in Mow Farrah style I kicked in to a sprint finish .

It was damn hard we did 18.5 mile in little less that 3:29 – and we were 4th from last! Not the best time in the world ( winner did 1:43) but a damn good training run over 1800 feet of ascent.

Hers to the next one.

Have fun and go try something different

Darren

Monday – Packing for Everest

Darren What do we get up to! Ben Nevis, darren hunt, everest, everest base camp, kilimanjaro, Mountains in mind, Namchee Bazaar

Be sure to know where you are.

Everest in less than a week. Next Monday we’ll be trekking to Namche Bazaar en route to Everest base camp. I’ve started to pack my kit in my bag ready for the off and it’s all a bit exciting. The all important list as been written so I can be sure everything is packed, and of course I don’t not to much stuff. When we plan things I find it helps, all a bit of a nightmare though as we often put this simple task to one side and we just go do it, so it can be a bit overwhelming.

I thought it might be an idea to plan the trip with the summit (end) in mind, normally it would be a summit or a climbing route. On this trip it will Everest Base Camp, so I’ve worked back from there. Firstly it will be cold and I’ll be camping! So I started with packing cold weather gear, Duvet jacket, Smart wool base layer, ‘long johns’, gloves, Hat, primaloft jacket and nice thick socks. Also I’ve packed a nice warm 3 season sleeping bag, with insulated inner I used on Kilimanjaro and various cold wild camps in the UK.

It’s only when you start to plan we realise how much more there is to do. However we get added motivation when we start ticking off the tasks.

Next on my list……

One week to go

Darren What do we get up to! darren hunt, everest, everest base camp, kilimanjaro, Money exchange kathmandu

Only one week until to go, until we head out to Nepal for a trip of a lifetime. Can’t wait! to see the Himalaya and all the mountains in the greater ranges. One of the little things we need to do is sort out the spending money. We can use USD or Sterling to exchange in Kathmandu, normally at the hotel, airport or in Bureau de exchange in the city. On the trek though we can only exchange USD.

I’ll transfer some USD onto a pre-paid card so i can withdraw at the ATM in Kathmandu and take some Stirling. I’ll Budget 7$ a day for tips, 15£ a day for sundries, presents , water etc.

Other considerations are for drinking water. The higher we travel to base camp, the more the price increases, I’m told around 2.50£ per litre. We can boil the water at tea houses and drop a sterilisation tablet in to kill any bugs .