7-Summits Update #8, February 15th, 2005 from Foresthill, CA.

As many of you know in the process of completing the 7-Summits, I climbed Kilimanjaro (19,340’) in November 2003. It was a truly unique and fantastic experience, so when Doris, my wife, said she wanted to climb it I jumped at the chance to return. This time I lead a diverse team of 17-people from all over the USA with an age range of 11to 63 years old. This included Randy (Expedition Leader) & Doris Peeters (Foresthill, CA), Al (Assistant Expedition Leader), Julie Albright and Linda Sheehan (WA), Felicitas Izar , Foy Cooley, Shawn Bradstreet, John, Jim & Jenna Nerger (NJ), Lilla Costello and Ginger Watkins (GA), Joe & Becky Mettee (S. CA), VO Robinson (NC), and Stacy Shaw (ME).

Leaving Foresthill January 8th, we began the incredibly long series of flights to Tanzania, Africa. Arriving at the airport near Moshi at 9PM the next day, we transferred to our hotel and settled in after midnight. Early the next day we departed for Machame Gate (5800’) and the start of the climb. We selected the Machame Route, which is about 60-miles in length round trip, because it is exceptionally beautiful with several steep sections and superb views of Kilimanjaro and its southern icefields. It also provides an excellent opportunity to properly acclimatize as it traverses approximately half of the mountain. Kilimanjaro is a huge mountain with a very diverse ecosystem including a total of 5-climitalogical zones. On the mountain we slept in tents and the support team included 38-Porters, 2-Cooks, 8-Assistant Guides and 2-Chief Guides. The first day we hiked through a rain forest for 6-hours arriving at our camp near the Machame Hut (10,000’) around 6 PM. Day 2 involved 5-hours of travel along steep forest and rock ridges and through giant heather arriving at Shira Camp (12,350’) about 2:15 in the afternoon. We had some rain and drizzle during this portion of our climb and but none of our gear got wet. On day 3 we began to traverse around Kilimanjaro climbing below Lava Tower and then arriving at Barranco Camp (12,500’) about 4:30 in the afternoon after a heavy rain – it was a cold dinner and wet tents made for a rather miserable night. In this next section we scrambled up the Great Barranco Wall and then traversed over scree and ridges to the Karanga Valley. Climbing out of the valley, we camped on the ridge at ~13,500’. This was a short 5½ -hour day and was added to our itinerary to allow for better acclimatization. Leaving camp at 8:15 AM, we ascended a ridge arriving at the Barafu Camp (15,000’) around noon on the 5th day. This final camp is located on a bleak and exposed ridge with virtually no vegetation. We had a fantastic group prayer after lunch and then settled in for a nap. The final ascent began at 11:15 PM from the Barafu Camp first ascending to the rim of the Kibo Crater at Stella Point (18,807’) between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers. Doris, Ginger and Lilla reached this point and began their descent with several of the assistant guides. From the creator rim we continued on another 30-minutes to the actual summit known as Uhuru Peak (19,340’). While on top I took a 20-minute nap and waited for everyone to reach the summit. Al, Julie, Linda, Joe, Becky, Foy, Feli, Stacy, John, VO and I all soaked in the spectacular views (including Mount Meru to the west and the jagged peak of Mawenzi to the east) for another 10-minutes before descending to the Barafu Hut. After a short rest and lunch we continued on down to camp near the Mweka Hut (10,000’) located in a giant heather zone. The next morning we descended through the rain forest to the Mweka Village arriving around noon. The total descent from the summit took 1½-days. After checking out with the local authorities, we returned to Moshi and our hotel for a much welcomed shower. It was an incredible experience and we were all very pleased to have accomplished such a tremendous feat. Anyone that says it is “piece of cake” is either Superman or just plain crazy. While technically it is not a difficult climb, it is indeed very demanding physically and everyone was pretty spent following the climb.

The following day, January17th, we began a 5-day Safari and tour of Northern Tanzania which included Lake Manyara National Park, Serengethi National Park, Olduvai Gorge and Ngorongo Crater Conservation Area. The wildlife and scenery were beyond belief. I felt this was the finest blend of landscapes, wildlife, people and archaeological sites that I have seen anywhere in the world. Our accommodations were excellent, the food was exceptional and our Driver-Guides were very knowledgeable. We saw elephants, rhino, hippos, cape buffalo, giraffes, lions, tree leopard, cheetahs, sand fox, wildebeest, zebras, impalas, dik-dik, gazelle, waterbuck, reedbuck, topi, hartebeest, wort hogs, jackals, hyena, baboons, monkeys, mongoose, crocodile, and a gazillion birds including ostrich, flamingos, eagles, hornbills, heron, etc. Also of great interest were the Masai Tribes which live in small rural villages practicing centuries old customs and the area known as the “cradle of life” discovered by the Leakey’s.

After the safari Doris and I continued on to Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar using local surface transportation (quite an experience – the bus actually ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere – amazing). We stayed in Stone Town and enjoyed the island sight seeing and went scuba diving. We returned to Sacramento after another marathon flight arriving home January 27th, 2005.

I will still complete the “Adventure Grand Slam” if all goes well in April by reaching the North Pole on skis. So as of this date, here is the Grand Slam tally: Denali (20,320’, North America), Aconcagua (23,000’, South America), Mt Blanc (15,772’, Europe), Elbrus (18,510’, Europe), Everest (29,035’, Asia), Kilimanjaro (19,340’, Africa), Mt. Vinson (16,067’, Antarctica) and the South Pole (9,514’), Kosciuszko (7,310’, Australia). Based on available statistics I would be the 2nd American, the oldest person, and the 5th ever to complete the “Adventure Grand Slam.” I have actually scheduled Carstenz Pyramid (16,023’, Australasia) for June – but I am not holding my breath!

I’ll keep you posted from time to time. Also, once again a big thanks to my sponsors. Without them I could not have done these expeditions. Please give them your support. They include: Abram Interstate, Donner Ski Ranch, Epiphany Sales Inc, Foresthill Beacon, Foresthill Messenger, Foresthill Telephone, Grant Hardware and Plumbing, Guard Transmission, Klinger Construction, Monte Verde Inn, Power Play Energy, Ragen MacKenzie Investment Services, Pasco Scientific, Power Play Energy, SciTech Astronomical, Townsend Design, VG Donuts and Bakery and numerous individual contributors. Keep in mind that the Foresthill Divide Web page has copies of all of my 7-Summits updates at http://www.foresthilldivide.com/7summits.htm.

Kilimanjaro 2005 (L-R Standing: Al, Julie, Shawn, Dismus, Becky, Joe, Doris, Randy, Chombo and Ginger, L-R Crouched: VO, Foy, Feli, and Lilla, L-R Kneeling: Stacy, John, Jenna, Linda and Jim

Randy Peeters
4404 Morning Star Place
Foresthill, CA 95631 USA
(530) 367-5561 Home
(916) 390-4464 Cell
rlpeeters@msn.com

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