Dog Lake

We finally made it to the upper trails in Millcreek Canyon.  We needed a leisurely hike this afternoon after a busy weekend and Dog Lake is just the ticket.  This hike is about 6 miles roundtrip and provides some great scenary through the aspen and pine trees.  This trail used to be my favorite after-work mountain bike ride.  It stays cool up the canyon even on hot summer days.  The elevation gain is only about 1,200' in 3 miles so the hike feels more like a walk.



Trailhead Elevation:  7,545 ft
Dog Lake Elevation:  8,745 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  1,200 ft
Total Distance:  6 miles
Total Time:  3.25 hours

Grays Peak, Colorado

For our second hike of the Colorado 14er weekend, we climbed Grays Peak.  This was a beautiful hike through alpine valleys and then up an interminable mountain of gray shale switchbacks.  After our epic day yesterday, I wasn't sure I was going to make it all the way to the top, but the adrenaline kicked in at the end, and before we knew it, we were at the top.  The views from the top looking out over the sea of mountains and peaks was awesome.  It was another amazing day on the trail.  Our spirits run high.


Trailhead Elevation:  11,280 feet
Grays Peak:  14,270 feet
Total Elevation Gain:  3,000 feet
Total Distance:  8 miles
Total Time:  6.5 hours

Mt. Lincoln, Colorado

We went to Colorado this weekend to try to climb some 14,000' peaks.  We camped at about 9,000' at the Prospector Campground near Dillon, Colorado.  The weekend was a great success and great practice for Kilimanjaro.  I started out too fast for the first climb and got a little winded and a bit nauseous, but as soon as I slowed down, things went pretty smoothly.  We actually did three 14,000' peaks in one day, doing the Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Bross loop from the Kite Lake Trailhead.  It was a beautiful day and a great epic hike.  "Holy Capuchin!"

Trailhead Elevation:  12,000'
Mt. Cameron:  14,239'
Mt. Lincoln:  14,286'
Mt. Bross:  14,172'
Total Elevation Gain:  2,736'
Total Distance:  6 miles
Total Time:  5hrs 50min

Injury Time-Out

Well, I haven't hike for two weeks now.  I think my training schedule was a bit too much and I have succumbed to a bad case of tendonitis in my achilles heel and plantar faciitis on the bottom of my foot.  I have been stretching and icing and trying to let them heal, but no real progress has occurred.  The best treatment for the plantar faciitis seems to be some shoe inserts that redistribute my weight to the balls of my feet rather than the heels.  Ibuprofen works pretty well too.  In the interim, I am training on my road bike.  Let's just hope I can do the training hikes in Colorado next weekend.

Moivaro Lodge, Arusha

We decided to splurge a little for our post-climb accommodations.  I figure we are going to be tired, so a nice place to relax will be worth the money.  We picked the Moivaro Lodge which is located about 7 km outside of Arusha and surrounded by shamba farms and coffee plantations.  There are about 30 individual cottages for guests and beautiful gardens with a view of Mt. Meru.  

http://www.moivaro.com/


Moivaro Lodge
P.O. Box 11297, Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 27 250 6315/86 or Mobile +255 75 432 4193 (24 hours inc.Sat & Sun)
Fax: +255 27 250 6378

Kibo Palace Hotel, Arusha

We finally got our hotels booked through Team Kilimanjaro.  Our preferred choices for something more local and rustic were already booked up, so we ended up at the Kibo Palace Hotel for our pre-climb lodging.  This looks like a pretty nice hotel with some decadent amenities, including wi-fi and coffee in the room.  Kibo Palace is located about five minutes from Arusha town center on the Old Moshi Road, and 45 minutes from the Kilimanjaro Airport.

http://www.kibopalacehotel.com/


Kibo Palace Hotel
P.O. Box 2523, Arusha, Tanzania
Tel:  +255 27 254 4472 / 254 8887
Fax:  +255 27 254 8832

Go Local

Well, they always say "go local" and in this case it means "get a tour operator working out of your own country."  The time difference between the US to the UK has been frustrating in trying to get in touch with Team Kilimanjaro when we need to.  It also turns out that we are losing hundreds of dollars on the exchange rate for the trip once all the wire transfers go through and the fees are paid.  In hindsight, I would consider going with a US company next time.

Bowman Fork

Mary was off to Tennessee for the holiday weekend, so Riley and I were on our own for the hike.  We decided to do the Bowman Fork Trail up Millcreek Canyon.  It was a pretty good choice as there was still a lot of water from the runoff.  We hit snow patches around 8,000'.  We didn't make it to the saddle between Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob, but we got up pretty high after a couple hours of hiking.






Trailhead Elevation:  6,260 ft
Highest Point:  8,488 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  2,228 ft
Total Distance:  8 miles
Total Time:  4.25 hrs