So once I had a plan, the next step is getting ready. I've done a fair amount of hiking, and the daily plan wasn't excessive- except of course summit night. The big problem was that I only had one shot so I didn't want to fail due to a lack of preparation. Also living at sea level meant I had no way to prepare for altitude. So I worked out most days with a combination of treadmill, stairclimber, and a little bit of weights. I also tried to hike most weekends. Wisconsin doesn't have a lot of ways to hike altitudes, but I got creative. The bluffs of La Crosse and Devils Lake allowed almost step like climbing, but Rib Mountain was my main training. On the backside I could get 600 feet of elevation in about a mile. I did this over and over again. My record was up to 9 times over 9 hours. That was over 5000 feet- exceeding the 4000 feet of summit night- albeit at 1000 feet above sea level instead of 15,000. It helped make me think I could do it.
We had a visit with a travel doctor for diamox to help with altitude. We got malaria preventive meds. We got the yellow fever vaccine because our layover was in Ethiopia. It our 2nd flight were delayed- it might be required by Tanzania.
I had most of the stuff needed for the trip, but I did need to make sure I had all the recommend gear and some snacks for along the way. Our company had a nice list, plus I did research on what others used. One area I wish I did better was the hands. Our company recommended mittens, others recommended gloves. So I bought one pair of each. I need hand protection every year. My son preferred the mittens and it worked great. I had an older set of mittens I brought. The company suggested the older down mittens over the gloves. They worked ok, but I wish I just got two sets of the better mittens.
Otherwise the stuff I bought worked well. I tend to sweat more than I like. So I packed more than I needed. Only the first day was heat the issue. I used wet wipes to clean up. It was not a shower, but it was reasonable. I could have packed one less outfit.
Our flight from Chicago was through Addis Ababa. The flight was about 14 hours, and it was an older plane. My seat was broken, so I was moved away from Will into an aisle. This was not a great start. We were flying in the am so by the time we landed it would feel like bedtime. We then would have a 7 hour layover before the second flight. I really wanted to sleep on the first plane, but knowing my tendencies I wasn't optimistic especially with the new seat. I almost fell asleep, but I did it too early. For some reason Ethiopian Airlines promotes its duty free shop during the flight. They also announce it at a volume I would have thought only appropriate for an emergency. Nearly had a heart attack, but whatever. I was up all 14 hours. I watched the third season of Industry. Not bad. Due to change in flight schedule, our 2 hour layover became 7. The plus side was that Addis Ababa sat at 8000 feet of elevation, so we were able to spend the day getting our bodies used to the high altitude. Also got to try Ethiopian food which was good. I was left with the impression it was a relaxed place for a layover. The return flight would dispel that myth. The second flight was a newer plane and much better. After collecting our stuff we met our driver and headed to the hotel for some pre- climb sleep.
So it tasted better than it looks. The towel looking things are bread to eat the meat mixture
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