Climb Kilimanjaro For OIF

Anna called this morning to report that she is alive and well at Sheffield Camp. I asked her how the weather was and she said it was 32 degrees last night inside her tent. While she was on the phone with me, she was wearing gloves, thermal underwear, pants, fleece, a down jacket, and a rain jacket. The wind was pretty strong, too.

Anna says her legs feel strong and her body is not slowing her down. The main challenge has been adjusting to the altitude. She and her dad both have colds now, and everybody in her group is struggling with headache and stomach issues. Anna has been eating and drinking OK, although she is not wild about the food quality. Even the mac and cheese is upsetting everybody's stomach. The good news is that she was able to catch up on some sleep last night, and she was able to take a nap today.

Her blister is still giving her fits, but she is dealing with it. She is nervous about tomorrow's climb, but she is determined to take it one step at a time. I mentioned to her that a comment was made on her blog that the Western Breach (a steep section that she will be doing soon) was not as difficult as expected, and she was encouraged by that. Also, her personal porter tells her that he thinks she can make it all the way.

Anna climbed a portion of Lava Tower today, and her Dad climbed the whole thing. She says she has some cool photos of him at the top of the tower.

Today's lesson for the school kids: Anna wants to let you know that she has gone through several different climate zones. First, they drove through the "Cultivation" Zone. Then, they hiked through the "Rain Forest" Zone, the "Heather" Zone, and the "Moorland" or "Upper Heather" Zone. Currently, she is in the "Alpine Desert" Zone. At the top of the mountain is the "Glacier" Zone. Let's hope she makes it! She can't quite see the summit because of the cloud cover, but she is able to see "Kibo", the highest volcanic peak on the mountain. Anna wants to let all the school kids know that she has been enjoying your comments, so keep them coming! Also, she told me to tell you that she hasn't been able to wash her hair since Sunday. Yuck! Ha ha!

It's been fun getting these updates from Anna lately. However, she says she may not be able to get a signal as she moves further up the mountain. She'll call when she can, but she also says that if we don't hear from her, no news is good news!

Mark