Ug...I am lying here in physical pain. Ran the Kili half Marathon yesterday...a glorious not to be missed experience....but today my 42 year old body is reminding me that I just climbed Kili and that she is having NON of this crap. She has advised me to take to my bed....ug.
More later on the amazing experience it was to run 6and a half miles up Kili and 6and a half miles down...all the while being trailed by kids with no shoes but huge grins. I wondered what their impressions of this old white lady running on their streets was??? The course allowed us half runners to view the leaders at several times. They literally flew by going up hill...drawing gasps from teh crowds and other runners. Amazing. The race ended with nell and pearl running with me into the stadium and across the finish line. let me just give you a quick visual....they were the only white kids...barring about 3 others....out of thousands of people...Nell had a Masaai cloth on and Pearl had a sparkly tutu....quite the sight. Love them so much. Ug...gotta go...feel like crap.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
PHEW....retirement is good.
I am happy for the concept of retirement...first of all because my Mom is retired and has been able to spend the last 3 weeks with us. She was a wonderful stand in as mom while I adventured with our group. My kids have had an experience with her that will last a lifetime. She was a little shaky about the idea at first but quickly and deftly rose to the occasion and became a Tanzanian bibi (grandma). She has been so focused and present with my kids, I feel so happy for them to have this time with her.
I am secondly happy for retirement because I can use that word to get me out of future Kili climbs. Just for the record...it's hard....really hard. I know by doing it three times it may seem that it isn't but...after watching the faces and hearing the reactions of my fellow climbers this time...I know. This time had a lot of pressure for me...when Shawna got sick, I had a pit in my stomach. How could I go up without my girl...she's the physically tough one...I look to her in triathlons etc. I needed her. When she went down....I had to remind myself that we had recruited these poor souls to get to the top and now it was my job. We did it....but when we got to the summit I had to turn around and go down...didn't feel right to be up there without my partner in crime. So now...I have retired...the only way I'll pull a baseball Micheal Jordan is if Nell or Pearl want to see the amazing glaciers that always bring tears to my eyes. I cried hard while I walked down alone....it is glorious up there...a sight that one can never express in words. I feel lucky for the images that are in my head of this trip....Yong and Jimmy with tears in their eyes...Jamie beaming from ear to ear.....Joanne making it to Gillman's long after all had quit....Leslie and her amazing optimism that just barely flickered out, only to come back in full force bonfire style...
This group was amazing.....a group of brains doing something physical...an interesting combination. Jim M. summitting without his two sick daughters...making them proud, Tara proving that she is powerful in many ways...Julie being inspired and inspiring others....Melissa being growled at every step of the summitt....Anna so amazingly self deprecating while summitting Kili (the two don't seem to go together)....Amy Kaplan...irrespressible and so funny!!! Kay...looking good every step while being quietly sooo strong....a force.
I feel so lucky to have spent this time with these people....life is a bit of a let down right now...but there will be new summitts to conquer. I am ready.
thanks...
Sarah
I am secondly happy for retirement because I can use that word to get me out of future Kili climbs. Just for the record...it's hard....really hard. I know by doing it three times it may seem that it isn't but...after watching the faces and hearing the reactions of my fellow climbers this time...I know. This time had a lot of pressure for me...when Shawna got sick, I had a pit in my stomach. How could I go up without my girl...she's the physically tough one...I look to her in triathlons etc. I needed her. When she went down....I had to remind myself that we had recruited these poor souls to get to the top and now it was my job. We did it....but when we got to the summit I had to turn around and go down...didn't feel right to be up there without my partner in crime. So now...I have retired...the only way I'll pull a baseball Micheal Jordan is if Nell or Pearl want to see the amazing glaciers that always bring tears to my eyes. I cried hard while I walked down alone....it is glorious up there...a sight that one can never express in words. I feel lucky for the images that are in my head of this trip....Yong and Jimmy with tears in their eyes...Jamie beaming from ear to ear.....Joanne making it to Gillman's long after all had quit....Leslie and her amazing optimism that just barely flickered out, only to come back in full force bonfire style...
This group was amazing.....a group of brains doing something physical...an interesting combination. Jim M. summitting without his two sick daughters...making them proud, Tara proving that she is powerful in many ways...Julie being inspired and inspiring others....Melissa being growled at every step of the summitt....Anna so amazingly self deprecating while summitting Kili (the two don't seem to go together)....Amy Kaplan...irrespressible and so funny!!! Kay...looking good every step while being quietly sooo strong....a force.
I feel so lucky to have spent this time with these people....life is a bit of a let down right now...but there will be new summitts to conquer. I am ready.
thanks...
Sarah
Friday, February 22, 2008
Elephants can be aggressive
Details are still coming in but it seemed that a large male elephant was either very attracted to or intensly annoyed with Anna and Joanne. Not sure which is more likely. The other travelers were alerted by screams from their Land Rover and turned to see the truck speeding away from a chasing bull elephant. Fortunately for our adventurers, Land Rover's are faster than elephants.
Despite the excitement, the safari was amazing and enjoyed by all. Another highlight was coming upon a pride of lions finishing off a wildabeast kill. While the vegetarians in the group were rather mortified, everyone was amazed when the lions decided to rest in the shade of their trucks, close enough that they could see the blood on their fur. A cheetah and her cubs also made an appearance. Not a bad way to end a trip in Africa.
The team is now heading back to the airport for their return home. Fortunately, KLM is a bit more reliable in terms of the timing of their flights than some of the other African aviation companies. Hope to see them back this weekend.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Traveling-African Style
After two days catching their breath at the beach, our team headed inland. Unfortunately, despite extensive planning, travel in Africa is not as reliable as one might hope. What should have been a short flight to share lunch with the porters and graduates from Global Alliance's job training program turned into an all day ordeal. Drivers arrived late, flights mysteriously left early so ticket takers could attempt to renogiate a fare, direct flights became multi-stop flights and the team arrived in Arusha late in the day. All part of the experience I guess.
These last few days in Africa will be spent in the Serengetti and game park. Its simply astonishing to travel through the park where you see elephants, giraffes, zebras and wildbeast wandering about as casually as we might see people standing at a bus stop.
Home this weekend.
It seems our good friend Josh Sedaris has gone ghost on us. Hopefully, he is not too busy googling to share more of his unique perspectives before the trip ends.
Oh and one more thing. Ms. Wood Prince has denied the report published in yesterday's post that there was any concern about overserving and demanded a retraction of the "smear campaign." The blog has issued a statement standing by its story, stating that "the story speaks for itself."
Kwaheri
Sunday, February 17, 2008
R&R in Zanzibar
The hard part is done and our team is safely settled into the beach lodge in Zanzibar. The hardest task now is avoiding sunburn and keeping Sarah from getting overserved.
Report from the Summit
They made it. Our team has returned from their jaunt up the mountain and what a trip it was.
It seems that this trip had some rather poor climbing conditions. Clouds, rain, sleet and snow left everyone and every bit of their gear soggy and chilled. With the departure of the team's motivational speaker, Shawna, paparazzi Sarah had to step up to the plate. It seems Sarah had a newfound fascination with photography combined with motivation techniques usually reserved for those chasing Brittany Spears. Negative comments were met with a bop in the head from one of Sarah's trekking poles. A climber that needed just that right comment to help push a little farther would hear "hippos are inspirational" or "can you move? can you eat? you've got nothing to complain about." It seems the combination of challenging weather and a sensitive leader created the perfect environment for the remaining team members on the mountain as they all summitted.
The entire team reported a positive, life changing and highly emotional experience. They came from very different places, bonded and accomplished a feat that was both harder and more rewarding than any of them expected. We will have to get most of the details from the climbers themselves but can share two interesting facts. First, Jim has become the first person to summit eating nothing but raw food. Yes nuts and fruit can provide the energy needed to make it to the top. For a meat eater like me, it seems a feat worthy of guinness record book. Second, it wasn't until she was standing at 19,300 feet that Anna shared with anyone her severe fear of heights. Apparently standing on the edge of a volcano rim in a snow storm was enough to remind her. The scree slope was unusually treacherous, but the guides and porters were amazing and made sure everyone made it safely down to camp. The next day left only a short 8 hour hike to the mountain gate and the waiting transportation.
That night the team shared a late dinner and appreciated sleeping in a bed for the first time in nearly a week. After a late morning of sleeping in and massaging sore and bruised muscles, the team is heading to Zanzibar for a few days of well deserved rest by the beach.
Well see if they have time to report from Zanzibar. I hear the power is much more reliable there.
It seems that this trip had some rather poor climbing conditions. Clouds, rain, sleet and snow left everyone and every bit of their gear soggy and chilled. With the departure of the team's motivational speaker, Shawna, paparazzi Sarah had to step up to the plate. It seems Sarah had a newfound fascination with photography combined with motivation techniques usually reserved for those chasing Brittany Spears. Negative comments were met with a bop in the head from one of Sarah's trekking poles. A climber that needed just that right comment to help push a little farther would hear "hippos are inspirational" or "can you move? can you eat? you've got nothing to complain about." It seems the combination of challenging weather and a sensitive leader created the perfect environment for the remaining team members on the mountain as they all summitted.
The entire team reported a positive, life changing and highly emotional experience. They came from very different places, bonded and accomplished a feat that was both harder and more rewarding than any of them expected. We will have to get most of the details from the climbers themselves but can share two interesting facts. First, Jim has become the first person to summit eating nothing but raw food. Yes nuts and fruit can provide the energy needed to make it to the top. For a meat eater like me, it seems a feat worthy of guinness record book. Second, it wasn't until she was standing at 19,300 feet that Anna shared with anyone her severe fear of heights. Apparently standing on the edge of a volcano rim in a snow storm was enough to remind her. The scree slope was unusually treacherous, but the guides and porters were amazing and made sure everyone made it safely down to camp. The next day left only a short 8 hour hike to the mountain gate and the waiting transportation.
That night the team shared a late dinner and appreciated sleeping in a bed for the first time in nearly a week. After a late morning of sleeping in and massaging sore and bruised muscles, the team is heading to Zanzibar for a few days of well deserved rest by the beach.
Well see if they have time to report from Zanzibar. I hear the power is much more reliable there.
Crickets to the bloggers
It seems our fearless reporters have been a bit too busy to report or maybe their power went out again. Hopefully more details shortly.
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