A trip to Great Falls

My parents, Marta and Mark, in front of the potomac river
on the billy goat trail.

Today our family and our grandma went on a short day trip to Great falls, Maryland. We had a very nice picnic and a great hike. Our family hike the billy goat trail, while grandma hiked along the C&O canal (Chesapeake and Ohio). Its called the billy goat trail because you hike over a ton of rocks, and you are supposed to feel like a billy goat. Us kids had fun by playing games on the trail. It was good exercise and it had great views from the view points.

Our family at great falls. 

A group of kayakers learning safety lessons.

Day Trip To Gettysburg, PA

On Thursday, my Grandma took Eli, Micah, and me to Gettysburg for a day of even more history of Abe Lincoln and the Civil War.

Us three boys at the visitors center

 In the visitors center, we saw a short film about the civil war, saw a huge cyclorama painting that showed the view of the battlefields while the battle was in full force, and saw a walk-through museum that had every bit of information that a tourist would need to know about the battle of Gettysburg. After the visitors center was a "self-guided auto tour", which led us through the battlefields. The first place we stopped at was the Gettysburg Cemetery, which had hundreds of graves of soldiers in wars, from the civil war to the Vietnam war. The cemetery was also the site of President Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address, and many monuments to soldiers who died in the war. Our next stop was the top of Little Round Top, a small hill with great views views of the battlefields. Eli and I made it to the top of the first tower in searing heat, but enjoyed the views. After the tower, we all enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade. The climb up the Pennsylvania memorial was also a highlight. Last was the second observation tower, on Culp hill. All four of us climbed this tower, and enjoyed the view. It was a great outing.

The PA
memorial

                                            

The view from the first
observation tower

The view of the town
from the top of the
second tower

On the top of the second
tower, with little round
top to the left

The graves of many
soldiers who died 
fighting to end slavery

A day in D.C.

Us boys at the Ford museum

Today my grandma took us boys to downtown D.C. to see a few museums and visit her friend Mrs. Connie Buford. We took the metro there this morning and visited the Ford's museum, where we learned about Abraham Lincoln's assassination and visited the theatre where he was shot. The museum had much information on the life of Lincoln in the form of both writing and videos. Across the street was the house where Lincoln died, and it had information about the manhunt for Lincoln's assassin. We had time to stop at the Freer art gallery. After lunch at the Foggy Bottom Circa Restaurant with Mrs. Buford, we headed for the National postal museum. The highlight for all was making our own stamps. The end of the day was topped of by dinner at Jimmy Johns with Uncle Mike and Aunt Caroline. Tomorrow we plan to visit Gettysburg, which will help us become experts on Lincoln and the civil war.

Making stamps

In front of the art
gallery

The room where Lincoln
died

The Adventure- Final Ascent Part 1, Kibo Hut to Williams Point

The lights of Kibo Hut with the
moonlight

The guides wake us up at 11:00 PM, and we dress in our warmest clothes. After a quick snack of hot tea and biscuits, we're off. The cold at 15500 feet during the night is unbelievable, although we warm up quickly. Looking up, we can see the stars. Looking forward, we can see the dark outline of the mountain and the tiny white lights marking the positions of the other climber's headlights, zigzagging their way towards Gilman's Point. Looking behind us, we can see the lights of Kibo Hut getting further and further away as we go up, and the dark outline of Mawenzi. We all seem to be feeling fine, but I am developing a headache. We are hiking as slowly as we can, because of restricted oxygen at this altitude. John Skoda, Yohannes Skoda, and Troy are a bit behind us with two other guides. The scree slope is supposed to frozen, but this is not true. The trail doesn't have switchbacks, but it does snake its way up. My headache is constantly getting worse. I take a headache pill, but it doesn't help. I am also feeling nauseous. Finally, I have to stop and heave a few times before we can keep marching. We stop at the bottom of a huge overhang rock, and the guide tells us that it is the 5000 meter mark. He also tells us to keep going, but I feel so exhausted. We go around the rock and get to the top. I feel as if I can collapse and go to sleep. The guide tells me that the Hans Meyer Caves aren't far away, but I can't take it. I step to the side and heave several times, throwing up all the water I had drank. Everyone agrees that it is time for me to turn around. David, one of the guides, is the one to accompany me back. Just as we are about to leave, John and his crew catch up. I am called a "soldier" by Yohannes, and am told that I did better than any other kid my age would have done. Then, we set off back down the scree, almost running, to Kibo Hut. 

The Adventure- Day 3, Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

Horombo Hut is above the clouds at
sunrise

Today we awake to a beautiful sunrise at Horombo Hut, which is already above the clouds. It is very cold in the morning, although breakfast is what gets us warmed up. We pack up, and then we're off. We hike up quite steeply at first, constantly removing layers, before we're stopped dead in our tracks. Three stretchers quickly dash by, meaning that the casualties of high altitude have begun. We hike up until we get to a restroom stop beside a helipad.

The third stretcher flies by

 It is known as the "Last Water Point." We hike over what seems to be a huge hill, and at the top, we're looking down on the saddle. Distances on the saddle are very confusing. What seem to be a ten minute walk ends up being a forty-five minute hike. We eat our lunches at a rocky outcrop, and behind a huge boulder is a huge pile of toilet paper. It is amazing how much trash we've seen on the trek. We walk upwards, with Mawenzi to the right and Kibo to the left. We can see Kibo Hut even though it will be at least an hour before we get to it. The hut is at the top of a rocky outcrop, and it is a steep climb to get to it from the saddle. The last bit is exhausting, but we all get to Kibo Hut (15520 ft.). We are all in a large room in the large structure, but the toilets are a bit of a walk away. Luckily, the dining room is right in the building itself. We eat a warming dinner, and we get to bed at around seven. It can be very difficult to sleep at over 15000 feet, and the cold seems like MD in the winter. Tonight we will arise at 11 PM to make the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, followed by descending back to Kibo Hut and then on to Horombo.

The "license plate" of
Kibo Hut

Mawenzi and the saddle

The Adventure- Day 2, Mandara Hut to Horombo hut

Mandara Hut the next morning

Today we wake up to sunshine at Mandara Hut. Breakfast is just as nice as dinner, and it is just as cold in the morning as it was last night. After breakfast we get everything sorted out, and we're off. We take a short detour to see the Maundi Crater, which presents lovely views of both Kibo and Mawenzi (the mountain's two peaks). We leave the rainforest and enter the moorland, which is filled with tall grasses and flowers.

Mawenzi (the closer one) and Kibo

We hike up, up, up, and at one point we hike straight up for over an hour. At the top it is the halfway point, where we eat our lunches. The clouds catch up with us, though, and we're hiking under the clouds. At a place named "Masheu Point," we get great views of a small volcano that the chagga used to climb and pray at the top. We head on, and the vegetation gets shorter as we go up. When we round a corner, we see Horombo Hut (12204 ft.). It takes ten minutes to get there, but we get there.

Horombo Hut with Kibo

 We sleep in one of the small brown huts, and eat dinner in the large dining hall. Horombo hut is higher than I have ever been in my life, excluding airplanes. It feels even colder than it was at Mandara when the sun goes down, and once again we have to use our headlights to guide us back to our room. We then try and get some rest. Tomorrow we go to Kibo Hut.

The "Chagga Volcano" in the moorland

The adventure- Day 1, Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut

The three of us at the gate

This is the first day of our Kilimanjaro climb. It takes thirty five minutes to get things sorted out at the gate (elevation: 6164 ft.), and then we're off. At first it is drizzling, but it quickly stops. After all, we are in the rainforest. Today's hike is not supposed to be that steep, and it should only take us four hours to get to the hut. It is very foggy in the forest. Lunch is eaten at a relatively flat point in the trail, and then we head on. I make the mistake of not finishing my lunch, and as a result, I start to feel very nauseous. The rest of our group seems to be doing just fine. As we get higher, the forest changes.  We see many beautiful waterfalls and streams, such as this one below. It gets steeper towards the end, and I don't know why I'm suffering so much. In the end, of course, we get to Mandara Hut (8923 ft.). We sleep in the original hut, called the "White House." Dinner is very nice, and is served in many courses. It is so cold at dinner that we all have our winter coats and hats on. We use our headlamps to get back to the white house, and then we try and get some rest inside our pitch-black room. Tomorrow we hike five miles to get to Horombo Hut, and we'll need all the rest we can get.

The Mandara Hut sign

Up we go

The sights of the rainforest