Tanzania: The Things I Learned (What To Do If You Want To Partake in This Insanity)

One last post on Kilimanjaro.  I'll call this my lessons learned.  Or maybe things I wish I had known before hand.  Or maybe things I would have done differently.  Good things to know.  All the information!

Things That Worked Out Well

• Everything related to using Peak Planet as our guide company went well.  The people were great.  The rented gear was great.  The food was great.  Seriously...if you go, look to them first!
• Preparation:
• If you can't go hiking on a regular basis due to location, stairs are good.  And I mean stairs, not a StairMaster.  When you do stairs you have to go both up and down which works all the muscles in the legs, not just the ones for going up, because remember...you have to come down too.
• I was glad I hadn't just worked my legs, but also my core and arms.  Remember, you will be carrying a 10-15 lb pack on your back, so be prepared for it.  Also, on the way down, I was putting a lot of weight on my trekking poles to keep the weight off my knees.  In doing so, I was using my tricep muscles a lot.
• Compeed.  These were a lifesaver for me.  My feet tend to blister easily, even if my shoes are broken in and I'm wearing a good pair of socks.  Ask my family, they can tell you.  My friend Amy told me about Compeed and I put some on my most blister-prone areas the morning we left and they worked like a charm.  I never had an issue.  The Compeed patches stayed on 3-4 days.  I used one on each heel, for a total of 4 on the trip.  I would never go on a trip without Compeed again.

Things That Could Have Gone Better

• Weather...but we don't have control over that.  We booked for the dry season, but it still rained.  They said it was unusual this time of year.
• Battery Pack - I had bought a battery pack/solar charger to use.  It worked great until one day I went to turn it on and it was completely dead.  I'm not sure what happened.  I don't know if the flashlight on it had gotten turned on in my duffel, draining it or what.  After it was drained, it wouldn't charge by solar panel.  I don't know if it is an issue with the pack, or that's how it was.  I haven't tried charging it up that way since.  But if you plan to use your phone as a camera, make sure to have a battery source to charge it.

Packing:

      Things I Would Have Left Behind:

• Snacks - I brought way too many.  I would say bring one snack per day and maybe two for summit day, and you'll be fine. 
• Toilet Paper - They said to bring a whole roll of toilet paper to keep in your daypack.  I never used it.  If you're the sort of person who is fine with not wiping, they maybe bring a partial roll in case you need it for cases of pooping on the side of the trail.  A full roll just took up space in my pack.
• Pee Bottle - If you're the sort of person who would rather not get up in the middle of the night and go out to the toilet tent then maybe you want a pee bottle.  I found it another item that was a waste of space.
• She-wee - I used it the first time, but just decided that it was easier to squat to pee.  
• Camp Shoes - I'm still on the fence with this one.  I probably would have worn them more if they hadn't gotten wet on Day 2.  But at the same time, I ended up wearing my hiking boots in camp and that was fine.  Maybe things wound have been different if it wasn't wet at the time.  We might have spent more time outside wandering a little, in which case, maybe they would have been nice.

      Things I'm Glad I Had:

• Propel Packets - I had 2 Nalgene bottles with me to go along with my 3L hydration pack.  I kept one Nalgene bottle filled with water and the other had Propel mixed in.  Any time we stopped for a break I drank from the Propel bottle.  Any walking and drinking, I used the hydration pack or other Nalgene bottle.
• Compeed - See above
• Sun Hat - I had a sun hat with a wide brim the entire way around.  When we did have sun, it was great for keeping the sun out of my face.  But more often it was used to keep the rain out of my face.  I never once had an issue with my glasses getting wet thanks to the solidness of the brim of my hat.
• Extra Shoelaces - I didn't use them for my shoes, but instead strung one up in our tent to let items dry out.  Socks, shirts, pants.  These items were soaked when I hung them, but damp and by morning they were dry.
• Packing Cubes -  They kept things organized.  I reorganized a couple times on the trip as items got worn.  For me they just made life easier.
• Rain Coat - It rained a lot, so I was happy I had a good rain coat.
• Rain Cover - Along with the rain coat, I was glad to have a rain cover for my daypack, which kept it dry when it rained.
• Journal - I glad I brought a journal so I could write everything down...which I then shared with you. :)

If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer.  I feel like there are things on here I forgot, but oh well.