Back in the USA: Misfortune strikes

Made it back safely to Newark, collected my duffle bags and headed out to be picked up by my wife.
While waiting I reached into one of the duffles for a new Blackberry battery and discovered:
Both my cameras, all my bateries, extra memory chips were gone. That's all they took, but all my 500 pictures from Africa are gone!

I will now have to rely on the kindness of my traveling companions for pictures to go with my memories.
Lesson learned: never put your camera in your luggage!

Mt. Kilimanjaro: a few pictures

I finally have good enough connectivity to upload a few pics from my BB.
1) The Mt.
2) Me at the start of the climb
3) Lunch the first day, we were shocked to have a table!
4) Me and the Mt.
5) The Mt.

Mt. Kilimanjaro postscript

Well the climb was completed successfully, I'll always remember that feeling of accomplishment and sheer wonder that I climbed over 19000 feet to the summit of Africa's tallest peak.
But one more goal remains to be reached. Please join me in supporting the American Lung Association. I have made it my goal to raise $5000 in memory of my Dad, a life long sufferer from severe asthma that contributed to his early death.
Many of you have already made a donation and we are over 80% of the way to my goal. Thank-you, your support is appreciated and was a motivation for me to train seriously and work through various bouts of knee pain, but please consider donating a second time.
If you have not made a donation, please do so today.
Just go to:
http://action.lungusa.org/site/TR/ClimbForCleanAir/CALANY_New_York?px=4267567&pg=personal&fr_id=2730

Thanks again for your support!

Mt. Kilimanjaro: the last hike

For the first time, I was warm enough during the night to loosen the zipper on my sleeping bag. It is a new down bag rated to 0•F and I've been very happy that it kept me warm and comfortable despite the sub freezing to near zero temperatures each night. Our last day in Mt. Kilimanjaro National park began with a pancake, porridge, omelet breakfast at Mweke Camp. Although I had two chewable Bepto Bismol tablets last night, and my nausea had receded a bit, I still had no appetite. So I struggled to eat a few bites of the omelet and drank some cocoa.
After we broke camp the whole support team: 3 guides, a cook, and 16 porters all got together and sang a traditional Swahili song of thanks and good fortune to celebrate our success. But considering all the work they did, we should have been singing them the song! We did provide a long round of applause. Its also traditional on the last day to leave any gear no longer needed for the chief guide to give to the porters. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to leave behind, but I gave the chief guide $20 as an extra tip for the porters (more on tipping below).
With the morning festivities done we set off down our last trail for the exit at Mweke Gate. Although only 6 miles the trail was fairly steep as it descended about 4400 feet. This last section was once again through rain forest, initially the canopy was about 50 feet, but by the end over 100 feet. Typical of rain forest, the trees were covered in vines and the trunks in moss. The trail was muddy and slippery, and because of the steepness, a series of mud steps held in place by logs. This was tough on my left knee, and I quickly got into a rhythm of using the two poles to support my weight when ever I stepped forward onto my left leg.
After about a half hour we were passed by a medical evacuation team taking a young woman down in the stretcher. She didn't seem to be conscious, which may have been fortunate. The stretcher had a single tire and was rolling down the log steps fast causing very strong jarring. I hope she is alright. Despite the success of our group, this was a vivid reminder of the dangers on the mountain. Indeed our guide told us an American climber was killed just last month when he was hit by a falling rock.
We reached the gate at about noon and had to go through sign out formalities. It was also a chance for local artist/vendors to sell carvings, bracelets, knives(?), flags, T-shirts, cokes, and beers. Typical of such tourist locals, if you bought anything you were mobbed.
After our guide had certified our reaching the summit, we headed down into Moshe.
The transition from park to local farms was dramatic. Most of the rain forest trees had been cut and small mixed banana, corn, and cow farms started right at the boundry. The condition of the land was better here than in the Serengeti, Lake Baringo, or other dry scrub or grasslands. Almost everywhere in drier parts of East Africa the land has been over grazed, leading to severe erosion and loss of viable grass. I hope there are efforts ongoing to improve land conservation or things could get desperate for the small herders.
Soon we reached Bristol Cottages, and although it was passed 1:00 PM, we all voted to shower before lunch, long, hot, heavy scrubbing showers.
Before our chief guide left we all felt the support team deserved a significant tip, each of us put in $200 and gave the total to Freddy. As chief guide it was his responsibility to divide the $1200 among his 20 person team according to their experience and work effort. Our tour operator had told us it was "traditional" to give a tip in the range of $130 to $220. But we learned from Freddy that only the cook and 3 guides are paid by the tour group! The rest of the team gets paid only from tips, hence we felt the team deserved the higher end of the range. The did a lot of work for so little!
At dinner Freddy returned to give each of us our personal Certificate for climbing to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
As we chatted during dinner it was apparent Freddy had leadership skills that would make him a star on the motivational circuit in the US. Maybe I'll become his agent! Freddy seeks out men as porters who will be responsible with their tips, if they blow it on alcohol, they are off his team. He asks each one "what is your ambition in life? Do you want to be more than a porter?". If yes, he helps them develop the skills to advance with on the job training: porter to assistant cook or tent specialist, to waiter (who must learn english), to assistant guide (who must also study the mountain, its geology, biology, and history), then prepare assistant guides for the Tanzanian National Park Guide test and certification. This kind of a career path can take 5 to 10 yrs. Freddy hopes to move up to business manager, the person who arranges local transportation, accommodations, and provides introductions to all new climbers. I hope he succeeds.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Summit Attempt!

Day 5 (which actually starts at then end of Day 4) is the longest, hardest, brutally challenging day of the climb. After 2 hrs sleep we were awakened at 11:00 PM and told to put on our gear. At 15,500 feet it was already well below freezing and with beautiful clear skies, it would get much colder. So I hoped I was ready. I had medium weight long underwear, then rain/wind proof ski pants, then my safari pants, I also had thick cotton hiking socks and wool socks, with wind/rain proof gaiters covering my socks, boot tops and the bottom of my pants. Upper wear started with a medium weight long john, a long sleeve shirt, a heavy duty cotton shirt, a fleece, a down vest, and a knee length rain/wind shell. For head covering I had a bacalava and the hood from my rain shell. We gathered for tea and biscuits, but no one was hungry we just wanted to go! Although I had headaches the previous nights from the high altitude, tonight I was headache free and felt good.
At 12:00 midnight we set out, it was "only" 2.5 miles to the summit and of course 4,000 feet up, how long could it take? Did we really need to leave so early?
We set out led for the first time by the chief guide, Freddy. Up to now he had been managing the porters, cooks, and making sure camp was set up and torn down properly, camp items were distributed to the porters evenly for transport, water was obtained, so he often joined us while hiking where he would walk in the back observing us carefully for endurance or altitude adjustment issues. Freddy decided to lightened the packs of some of the group by having a assistant guide in training come to carry the weight, I took the opportunity to have him take 1 of my 3 bottles of water, saving me from carrying an extra 2 lbs.
As we left camp Freddy seemed to setting a maddingly slow pace: step 20 inches, pause, step again. We all were wearing headlamps, so we could see in front of us clearly. Since the night was absolutely clear but with a recently risen half moon, when we looked up we could see the brighter stars, while the rest of the mountain was mostly grey. Since the trail was steep, the air thin, and it was bone chillingly cold with a modest head wind to boot, we all accepted that Freddy, who climbs to the summit 50 times a year!, we felt confident had the experience to set a pace that would give us a good chance to summit.
After an hour, I was feeling pretty good, at our slow pace I was breathing full breaths through my nose, but only when we did abrupt steps up large rocks did I feel the need to take extra breaths. It seemed my summer of training by biking over 1500 miles, and weekend hikes of over 125 had given me the capacity to "comfortably" keep pace. At this time my feet and legs were warm and comfortable, but my chest was too warm so I took off the down vest. Only my fingers were cold, my two layers of mittens were not enough. So occasionally I'd let go of my hiking poles and bring my fingers to my palm in the mitten to warm them. One of the other hikers worried about frostbite, but my fingers were not the cold.
Looking up we could see the largest glacier on Mt. Kilimanjaro shining white in the moonlight, we would pass a little to its left in our climb and after 3 hours of climbing, it seemed no closer! By now the air was even colder, around 15, and the wind had increased. Now my cheeks and nose were also cold but my core body remained warm. At this point I noticed an aching pain in my lower chest, I described the pain to Freddy and he said "don't worry", it was caused by the extremely cold dry air reaching my lower lungs. But I was fearful it might be sign of pulmonary edema, one of the effects of serious altitude sickness. However, since it did not hurt more when I took a deep breath, nor did the pain get worse as we climbed higher, I started to think Freddy was right.
After 4 hours we passed a hiker in distress bent over and puking, she was being helped by her guide, later we would see another hiker who seemed disoriented from the altitude. But happily, and amazingly, no one in our group of 6 had any significant altitude sickness effects.
After 5.5 hours I reached my lowest point, I was so tired every time we even paused I leaned on my trekking poles and closed my eyes, my fingers were very cold, and it took determination to take each step. Just at this time Freddy handed out small sweet tart like candies, and the sugar gave me energy boost. So on we went.
At 6:00 we watched the sun rise over the low clouds in the east, a quick sharp red line on the horizon. Since other climbing parties were above us, we were tracking their progress by following the glow of their headlamps. As sunrise started, we could see that some parties had reached the rim of crater at the top of the mountain. But we still had more to go.
By 6:30 the sun was shining on us, but it seemed to have little warmth.
Finally at about 7:00 we reached the end of the trail, we had reached Stella Peak and the edge of the crater left by Mt. Kilimanjaro's last eruption. It is considered dormant, not an extinct volcano. Indeed, it spewed some ash and steam about 100 yrs ago.
At Stella point we gave high 5's all around, thanked our guide, had a short break, and took pictures, of each other and the various views from the point. The crater was spectacular, bound on one side by a glacier, just to north we could now see the extent of the glacier we saw while climbing. It was massive, easily 50 feet thick, its layers of ice separated by variously thick lines of dust. According to Freddy, the glacier thickness has been increasing over the past 5 years, its thickness is closely monitored by climate scientists.
By reaching Stella Point the Tanzanian Park Service would award us Official Green Certificates for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is where about 40% of climbers turn back. But we voted unanimously to hike another mile along the rim to the true peak, Uhuru Peak. So off we went strangely energetic at a much faster pace climbing the final 500 feet, by 7:40 we were there! At the summit of the tallest peak in Africa, on the tallest freestanding mountain on the planet, Uhuru Peak, 19,340 feet above sea level!
We took more pictures, including 2 with my blackberry. But soon we were leaving trying to avoid any cellular damage where the oxygen pressure is only 49% as great as NJ. Indeed, although I felt fine, even exhilarated, I did notice two odd effects. 1) my brain was apparently not processing as fast: when I watched a person walk, their boot was just a blur, no longer a distinct object. 2) for a while when I looked at the face of a hiker in the sun, his face color shifted over a few seconds from white to red to flesh color, as if by brain couldn't figure it out.
By 9:00 AM it was time to leave the high altitude, and the quicker we returned to base camp the less chance we would have of any altitude induced injuries. So although it to 7+ hrs to climb, Freddy assured us we would be down in less than 2. He led us down scree, gravel and dust (lots of dust), showing us how to boot ski and use our poles for turns. It was quick, but still tiring and we (and every layer of clothing) ended up covered in volcanic dust.
By the time we reached base camp, I was a bit nauseous and had lost my appetite so I ate very little at lunch. We had about two hours of sleep then off we set for Mweka camp, another 5 miles down the mountain and 5000 feet lower in elevation. By the time we got to the camp I had been up 19 hrs, hiking for 14 hrs, I still was not hungry or thirsty, but we had dinner and I went to sleep, the longest sleep I've I had on the Mt.!

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Day 4

Today we hiked from Camp 3 (Barranco Camp) at 12000 feet to Camp 4 (Barafu Camp), the base camp at 15,500 feet for most attempts to climb Kilimanjaro. The days hike was quite strenous. First left the Barranco camp vie the Barranco Wall, a steep valcanic side to the valley. Several sections must be navigated using hand and foot holds so we did not use our Treking poles. Climbing out this trail was challenging in it self, but it was made more so because porters moving camp supplies had the right of way, so we had to find someplace to squeeze into as dozens and dozens of porters went by.
After reaching the valley rim we then descended about 1000 feet to 2 dry valleys. Thus by the time we reached Barafu, we had climbed about 4500 feet, almost exactly what we would need to do to reach the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro later that night.
The 7 mile hike between camps was mainly through high mt. desert. In some places only lichens, and grass in the wind shadow or rocks grew.
Barafu Camp, was the highest, coldest, and least attractive camp. Set on a narrow ridge of shocked volcanic rock ledges, there were few flat spots for tents and long trecks to the outhouses. There was also no water, so the porters had to hike about 8 miles round trip to get water for cooking.
As the 6 members of my hiking group ate dinner, we were not in the best of spirits. It was the coldest night so far with frost forming by 7:00 PM, several of us, including me, had altitude related headaches, all of us had lost our appetites and we were forcing food down. To top it off, our guide explained that we will be awakened at 11:00 PM for dinner, then we should gear up for the climb which would start at midnight and was expected to take 6-7 hrs! That meant at best we get 3,5 hrs of sleep (actually because of noise in the camp I only got 1.5 hrs of sleep). For the first time we were asking each other at dinner: can we really make it to the top?

I MADE IT!!

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Day 3

I felt really good when I got up today, I had two long stretches of sleep and had a good appetite for breakfast. One of the signs of altitude sickness is loss of appetite along with headache and nausea. Our chief guide Freddy, told us we were in very good shape to make the summit, and he had no concerns. He said Day 2 often identifies people with problems of endurance, breathing issues or severe altitude sickness. That is way the Day 2 camp (Shira Camp) has a helipad to evacuate such folks, (I didn't hear any choppers so I guess there were no severe problems).
Last night's sky was spectacular, it was clear, moon less for the first couple hours and of course no light pollution. The Milky Way was directly overhead and stretched from horizon to horizon. Thousands of stars were blazing, it was the sky our ancestors saw every clear night, but now rarely seen.
We've seen very little wildlife, a few Blue Monkeys at the very start, and three different mice like creatures. Supposedly Eland occasionally visit the site of last nights camp.
Today we climbed to 15,000, this is thought to help with altitude acclimatization. It was also 2000 feet higher than I have ever been. On the way up I started to get a headache. But at lunch I still had a good appetite, so our chief guide did not think it a problem. My birding and wildlife guide from earlier safari had told me most people have signs of altitude sickness by 14500 feet, so I guess I fall into that group.
On both the ascent up to 15000 feet and descent today to our Day 3 camp (Barranco Camp) at 12,000 feet I kept pace well, happily no knee pain. But I do have some blisters on both big toes, hopefully band aids will minimize the discomfort.
The descent was in light rain and fog and no fun at all. We came down a valley of interesting plants, but I could not study or enjoy them due to the rain. Sure hope we don't have any more rain!
For the day we did about 7 miles. Tomorrow we do another 8 miles, the first 4 miles will go up 2000 feet then down 2000 feet, then we start a steady climb to our summit camp at about 15,000 feet.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Day 2

Clouds cleared last night and I had a great view of the stars. In the middle of the night, on a trip to the outhouse, Orion was straight up and the moon shown brightly on the Mt. I could see the glaciers and snow quite clearly.
Perhaps not surprisingly, I had trouble sleeping, maybe the altitude, maybe it was because I haven't slept in a tent on the ground in 20 years. But at least I was warm all night wearing one layer of long john type underwear (I have two layers). In the morning we had frost so it did get cold. But once the sun's rays reached our camp it warmed quickly and by the time we set out no jackets were needed. In fact today's hike was a steep ascent right from the start as we left the rain forest and moved into scrub. All day we ascended a along a ridge top in very dusty conditions. After 5 hrs we reached Shira camp, only 3.5 miles and about 2700 feet higher. Again today our guide set a slow pace so we would have the maximum chance to acclimate. We are now at 12,000 feet. I and others in my group now feel the altitude, if one moves too quickly you become short of breath.
The days hike afforded wonderful views of the peak, off an on, clouds would obscure part of the peak, but mostly it was sunny and visible. We can now differentiate glaciers and snow fields on the top.
Birding has been pretty slow. For new birds, I saw an Abyssinian Crimsonwing in the rain forest yesterday, and Alpine Chats today above 11,000 feet. Of course I've seen some birds I can identify, like large falcon that flew over my tent this afternoon.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Day 1

Today started off slowly. We had to wait almost an hour to get the group registered at the Machame Gate, divide up our gear and the camp gear among the porters. There was quite a crowd, maybe 50 hikers in many groups, all trying to start the climb. When I registered I noticed among the 40 climbers who registered I was the third oldest and as the start got closer, for the first time I felt nervous about the climb.
Finally about 11:00 we set off, our guide set a very slow pace. We hiked through a dense rain forest of trees over 100 feet high and covered in moss and lichens. Although it was cloudy all day, we only had a bit of mist and no rain.
At first it seemed frustrating slow. But 5 hrs, 7 miles and 4000 feet higher when we pulled into our camp site, I was surprised how good I felt and never felt I had to breath hard. So far so good!
One surprise to me and my 5 hiking companions, was our lunch. We ate on a portable picnic table and enjoyed hot soup and chicken, as well a fruit salad. Quite a step above the usual granola bar and peanut butter lunch I usually have while hiking.
I tried to do a little birding along the way, but the overcast sky and thick rain forest made it very difficult to see or identify birds.
Our camp accommodations include a individual two man tent for each hiker, so we have plenty of room to spread out our gear.
Its about 9:00 PM and its become quite cool outside, which makes going to the outhouse a chilly experience.

Africa: Impressions after 3 weeks

I've now had a chance to see a fair amount of East Africa: bustling cities like Nairobi and Arusha, fast growing small cities like Moshe and Nakura, dozens of towns and villages, and all the space in between from near desert at Baringo, dry grasslands in Kenya and Tanzania, scrub and scrub forests, highly developed tea, coffee, and pineapple mega farms, small farmer plots in the Kenyan highlands, Masai herders in the Sarengeti, and wood gathers in the forests.
What I see is a region where most people are poor, but no evidence of anyone going hungry. Everywhere there are small private and government schools apparently competeing to educate kids, and nearly all kids I saw were in school or going to or from school, since tbey were in school uniforms (every school had different color combinations). But I also saw quite a few orphanages. Of all these kids I only saw 2 in torn clothes. One of the great challenges facing East Africa is not educating its population, but creating enough jobs for them. Our guide indicated unemployment is above 40%, so in every town you see people in front of small 4 by 4 foot stick/wood stands or just sitting by a blanket selling things: fresh vegetables, clothes, shoes, plasticware, tarps, roasted corn, bananas, sugar cane stalks, drinks (Coke seems to have provided Coke Kiosks by the 10's of thousands). In some areas there were 100's of the single person selling plots lining the road up to 8 deep.
Another affect of high unemployment is a differential impact on men and women. At every village and town groups of young men seem to be sitting around talking. But never did I see women in these idle groups. Women were in the woods getting wood, around homes tending gardens, and presumably taking car of kids and preparing meals.
Everywhere people walk, the paths near roads cities and villages (sidewalks are rare outside of citty centers), are jammed with people going in all directions, they cross trafic with little regard for traffic and even cross 4-lane major highways all over.
The poverty level of folks seeems highly correlated withrainfall. In the dry grasslands, houses are small cow dung and stick shelters. In scrub forest the houses are bigger, many have mud brick or even cement block walls with stick or reed roofs. In the moist highland areas, every one can grow crops and the houses now are mostly cement block with metal roofs. But it seems within any given area most people are very nearly equal in wealth. Only in the a city or large village will you see large homes inevitably behind a sturty wall or fence while others live in small shacks.
Africa is no longer disconnected from the modern world (if it ever was), cell phones are wide spread, even cattle herders in traditional blankets were seen on cell phones. Numerous charging stations were seen in towns so folks without electricity can charge their phone batteries and load prepaid minutes (no monthly billing). As an area's wealth increases first the number of bicycles goes up, then motorcycles, and especially near and in cities, cars are causing massive traffic jams. And its very common to see both bikes and mortor cycles used as trucks: I've seen bikes with wood, corn, or reds 12 feet high behind the rider, and motorcycles often carry 3 or 4 people. But the most prevelant form of transportation (after walking) are 14 passenger vans called matutus, that drive up and down roads picking up and discharing folks. A massive private bus system, where drivers dart in and out of traffic to get customers.
Kids, like kids everywhere, seem playful and quick to smile. In many places we were the only non-Africans around: kids smiled and waved at us, many followed us to see what we were up to. Older folks tended to look as skeptically, though when we passed folks on foot birding, most were quick to say 'Jambo' or hello.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Day -1

Flew into Kilimanjaro International Airport this morning and have been preparing for the start of the climb tomorrow. The skies were clear and the Mt. looks very high! Our flight from Nairobi only went to 17000 ft, 2500 feet lower than the peak.
I am staying in the town of Moshe, Tanzania, which is the stepping off place for climbs. Mt. Kilimanjaro and surrounding foot hills are protected as Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park.
I haven't met the climbing guide yet or the other 4 climbers in my group. But the plane seemed about half full of folks with hiking boots and backpacks, so it's likely multiple groups are going up.
I am going to try to bird watch along the way, everyone says the key to success is to go slow, and of course birding forces me to stop which will slow my pace.
I can see lots of snow/ice on the Northeast side of the Mt. The two pictures were taken between 10:00 amd 11:00, when the Mt. was clear but hazy. By 1:00 clouds had obscured the peak.

Africa: Mt. Kenya

From lake Baringo, we headed south and east, crossing the equator four times. The last night of the birding and wildlife safari, brought me to the Mt. Kenya Lodge, located at 7200 feet on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa with a summit at 17,300 feet. I learned on the trip that at one time both Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya were in Kenya, but in the 1880's, Queen Victoria "gave" Mt. Kilimanjaro to her cousin, the German Kaiser, as a birthday present! Then Tanzania was called German East Africa.
The Mt. Kenya Lodge is built around a water hole and salt lick (actually its clay with minerals so it looks like the animals come to eat dirt), that forrest wildlife have used for 100's of years. Every room in the lodge looks down on the water hole so you can watch wildlife from every room. It is sort of like a slow parade: first a half dozen Bush Buck came into the clearing, then 4 African Buffalo, after they left 8 elephants came and went, then more bush buck, etc. All the animals move pretty slowly and cautiously, I imagine they are a bit exposed. Predators such as hyena and leopard occasionally show up, but I didn't see them. At dark the lodge turns on several large lights so one can stay up all night watching if you want (I put in a request to be awakened if a leopard showed up). After dark mash and striped mongppse as well as a Genet (a cat like mongoose) showed up, as well as to hawk-owls.
In the morning we looked for canopy birds from the roof observation deck. I saw a number of new birds and had great looks at an African Emerald Cuckoo, which as it name implies is a spectacular, almost metallic emerald green above with a brilliant yellow underneath. It was one of the most enjoyable lodges.

Africa: termites?

As I traveled around Kenya and Tanzania I have seen a wide variety of termite nests. In the tropics, termites are the largest animal biomass and it shows. In some locations termite mounds (nests) are spaced about every 20 feet and are 3-5 feet high and 10 feet in diameter. Sometimes they are just mounds, some times they have multiple towers giving them the appearance of a castle, and here near Lake Baringo, they produce chimneys over 10 feet tall (see photos).
The termite mounds vary in color depending on the local soil. I've see light brown, dark brown, grey, red, and tan mounds.
Although most termite mounds have been on the ground, some termites carry mud up trees and build their mounds around branches, or around tree trunks. These are not as large as the ground mounds, often only a bit bigger than a basketball. Some termites in Kagamega Forest build nests that were attached to the side of a tree trunk, and just looked lie the weight would have pulled the colony down.
Also attached is a photo of Jackson's Hornbill that flew into the vines next to our table during lunch. And a dramatic view of cliffs formed as the Great Rift Valley floor sunk. Near Baringo the rift cliffs form three massive steps from the rim down to the valley floor.

Africa: Hornbills!

As anyone knows who has seen the Lion King, Hornbills are large black and white birds with very big bills. So I was looking forward to seeing one in its natural habitat. There are actually 20 species of hornbills in East Africa, differing in bill color and overall coloration. However, only 10 are found in the parts of Kenya and Tanzania that I have visited.
Amazingly, as of today, I've seen 9 different Hornbills! Including 4 different species this morning.
In the dry scrub lands I've seen Yellow-billed and Red-billed Hornbills; in the more woodland areas I've seen Grey Hornbills. A particular weird one, the Ground Hornbill, which has a massive black bill and red face, feeds on the ground and is huge: over 3 feet high. It acts more like a turkey than a hornbill.
But one of the highlights of Africa was seeing the Black-and-white casqued Hornbills. This moist forest bird has a huge extension or casque on its bill. Its large 3 foot wings are half black and half white, which when it flies makes a whirring sound like a jet engine. Finally it has a very loud and raucous call. Overall it is unmistakable. They seem to be doing well, after dawn while waiting for breakfast at the Rondo Retreat in Kagamega forest, I counted 132 fly over the lodge, each one calling and sounding like a plane!

Africa: Day 15

At Kakamega Forest, we had a good chance to watch 3 species of monkeys travel through the canopy. The Blue Monkeys seem the most energetic moving rapidly from tree to tree. The Copper Tailed monkeys moved more slowly, making shorter jumps. The most beautiful of the monkeys were the Black and White Colobus monkeys. They were the largest and made some of the longest leaps.
The most interesting Black and White Colobus I saw was sitting at the very top of a tall tree, one leg crossed over the other at the knee, motionless and apparently very pensive. He seemed to be contemplating the biggest questions of monkey life.
Today we left the wet, cool Western Kenyan forests (elevation 6200 feet) and drove down into the Great Rift valley to Lake Baringo. Since the lake elevation is only 3000 ft, it is hot, dry scrub country. This will be our hottest location with afternoon temperatures well into the 90's.
We made a few short birding stops, and reached the Lake Baringo Club in the afternoon, where we had time to check out the bird life around the lodge. The 20 new species seen today pushed the trip total to an amazing 412 and our mammal total has reached 44!

Pictures from Nakura NP

I have a good connection today so here are photos of Flamingos, a Waterbuck, 2 white rhinos, baboons, and some impala.

Africa: Day 13: The Forest

Yesterday was mostly spent traveling, first to the northeast corner of Lake Victoria, which is the second largest fresh water lake in the world and the source of the Nile. It is also the western border of Kenya and Uganda. The lake shore is mostly lined with towns and villages, but we reached the lake shore at a small conservation area. However, our stay was short as a strong thunderstorm boiled in off the lake.
Late in the day we reached Kakamega Forest Reserve. A relatively small remnant of the forest that once filled the Western Highlands. All the rest has been cut down for small farms or vast tea estates.

Tea is still Kenya's largest export, and individual estates (or farms) can extend for 10's of miles and employ over 10,000 workers on a single estate. Each section of tea is picked every 14 days, only the last 2 leaves of each stem are picked, all by hand. We stopped at an estate for a picnic lunch, the tea bushes were about 3.5 feet high, to minimize bending over when the leaves are picked.

There are no large predators in the forest preserve so unlike our visits to the national parks, we don't have to stay in our van. So today we walked along the forest dirt roads and trails looking for birds, It was the best day for new birds in a week and I saw 38 new birds, even though we cut the afternoon short because of rain. Most days, even in the dry Serengeti we've had short afternoon rains (15 min to an 1 hour), but today the rain came at 4 and continued until dark (about 6:30). So we returned to our lodge.

The lodge is an interesting place, its actually a retreat for Baptist ministers who get stressed out working in Africa. But the take tourists to pay for the cost of the retreat. It has a beautiful gardens and grounds, a lovely trail along a small
creek, and is the only lodging in the forest.

Although there are no predators or grazing wildlife around, we did see 3 species of monkeys, including a really pretty black and white monkey called the Black and White Colobus.

There were several pretty amazing birding highlights today. I will describe just three. First I saw an African Emerald Cuckoo. This bird is a brilliant emerald green back, head, and neck, then a stunning yellow breast, truly beautiful. Second while walking on the road, two African Grey Parrot flew over, since only 9 are known to be left in Kenya, this was a very lucky rare sighting. The third sighting was of an African Crowned Hawk-Eagle. This is the second largest eagle in East Africa, and the most powerful. It has been observed killing a 300 lb Eland, and seen carrying a 40 lb dog. In Kakamega Forest, the Hawk-Eagle hunts monkeys, so when we heard loud screeching from nearby monkeys we looked up and were fortunate to see an African Crowned Hawk-Eagle flying just below the canopy and then land in a tree close to us. Allowing us close views through the spotting scope at this large (3-foot long), uncommon and rarely seen beyond a glimpse, raptor.

Africa Days 10 and 11

Sep. 15 was a long travel day from Tarangarie NP to Nairobi, the road was under construction so we were frequently traveling on dusty dirt detours. Since we had already birded on the way west we made very few stops. This is a very dry area of Tanzania and Kenya, and over grazing by the local tribes people is very evident. This is an area where many people still live the Masai herding culture. But occasionally I saw a traditionally blanket-dressed Masai teenager talking to another teen in jeans and T-shirt. Another time I saw a young Masai herder, tending cattle as has been done for 100's of years, but also talking on his cell phone. So times are changing.
Most of the people here are, of course poor, but there was not any sense of people going hungry or any evidence of intense begging.
We also traveled through Arusha, a bustling city of about 1 million. Here well dressed middle class men and women intermix with traditional tribes people and the young in their jeans and T-shirt/sweatshirt. Huge numbers of 14 passenger vans dart in and out of traffic to pick folks and take them a few miles or to outlying villages.
Although it was a hazy day and somewhat cloudy. North of Arusha we saw my first glimpse of Kilimanjaro! All I could see was the west flank, which had substantial snow visible. The rest of the mountain was lost in the clouds.
With the long drive Sep 15, I only saw 1 new trip bird among the 63 different species we saw. Today I saw 21 new species among the 94 specie seen.
We limited our stops so we would reach Nairobi before rush hour. Nairobi is a hub for manufacturing and assembly of things for Africa, it has the feel of a city growing very fast. Nairobi numbers over 7 million people, and although many live in small shanty homes, huge numbers of folks are well to do middle class, as evidenced by all the locals driving their own cars. This is somewhat surprising because the Kenya government imposes an import duty of 100% (for the smallest cars) to 250% for all wheel drive/jeep like cars. Thus a car like a small Toyota will cost $30K, and a new 4 wheel jeep, which is essential in the more remote areas, can cost $150K. Traffic jams lock up the streets for hours, new buildings are being built all over the city and major new highways are being constructed to ease the flow of cars and those ubiquitous 14 seat vans.
Pedestrians are everywhere, filling the sidewalks, walking down the median of highways, and crossing roads randomly and not at crosswalks. People will suddenly cross anywhere not just city streets but even 4 lane highways, with apparent reckless abandon.
Thursday we left Nairobi and headed north and west to Lake Nakuru, a vast alkaline lake in the great Rift Valley. As we left Nairobi, climbing from 5000 to 8000 feet the land got wetter and cooler. For the first time we saw green crops of corn, sugar cane, and other vegetables. Every bit of level ground seemed to be used for crops or grazing.
After a few hours of driving, with a few stops for birding, we reached the edge ofd the Rift Valley and looked down 2000 feet to rift valley floo,r or across 12 to 20 miles to the other side. This rift is continuing to grow wider and deeper as East Africa, from Djibuti to Tanzania, moves east while the rest of Africa remains stationery.

Photos from Africa

Near Arusha with good connection so here are a few photos

Africa Day 9: Lion kill

After the day's wildlife viewing I went to the end of the tents at a river overlook. I went to get a clear view of the western horizon because I thought there would be good sunset. As I stood at the point I noticed a herd of wildebeest stampeding up river, as I looked down I saw that a lion had pulled down a young wildebeest and the lion had it by the neck. The wildebeest thrashed for a few minutes then died from the lion's crushing its throat. After awhile the lion dragged the kill to the side of the river, presumably to eat.

Africa Day 10

Started the day watching 2 lions walk upstream. After breakfast I spotted a skunk-like animal down in the valley, it turned out to be a Honey Badger, apparently one of the toughest and fierest animals in Africa. Nocturnal, it is unussual to see one in the daytime.
During the morning wildlife drive we came upon several groups of elephants, because this is towards the end of the dry season they have come here because of the permanant river. It is estmated there are over 500 in the park now. We also saw our first Elan, the largest antelope.
After lunch I sat on the cliff outside our lodge, above the river valley. About 250 wildebeest, 100 zebra, and a smattering of Eland, Impala, warthogs, ostrich came to the river to drink. After getting a drink, they started to slowly move away from the river to graze on the dry grasses. Suddenly a baboon issued a loud alarm call and all the animals began running from the river. But soon they calmed down, apparently no predator was sighted, and they continued grazing.

Africa Day 8

Today was mostly a long drive from the Serengeti National Park, back past Ngorongoro Crater National Park, then south to Tarangire National Park. The drive was mainly over dirt roads and took about 8 hrs. Because Tarangire has a year round river, it attracts wildlife during the dry season, which is now.
As always when driving we make few stops to check for birds, so even though most of the day was spent driving we still saw 105 species of birds including 17 ones not yet seen. We also saw our first Common Waterbuck and large numbers of Baobab trees. The trees are thousands of years old, despite the elephants which rip up the tree trunks to get the moist inner wood. Many Baobab trees show heavy scaring from elephants.
To enhance our safari experience tonight we are staying at Tarangire Safari Lodge, a tented camp. The camp is located on the edge of cliffs that overlook the river. Staying in the cam allows the sounds of the scrub forest to be clearly heard (just heard a monkey give an alarm call.). Before dinner I was relaxing over looking the river and saw a lion walking along the sand at the water's edge.

Africa, last day on the Serengeti

Today we drove to a visitor center and a few campgrounds where we could leave our van and look carefully for birds.

After lunch I went up on the observation deck and did a 360 scan. Looking with binoculars into the acacia scrub forest From this one spot I saw giraffe, buffalo, zebra, gazelle, baboon, hyrax, and mongoose. Such variety is typical of the Serengeti.
In the afternoon we saw the big three of cats: leopard (in a tree pretty far off), lion (two prides resting close, over 20 lions, including our first adult male), and the luckiest, a cheetah on a ridge about 300 yrds away finishing a kill.
My bird list continues to grow, another 11 new species were seen today.

Africa Day 6: L and L

The birding and wildlife tour has been focused on looking for birds, but we stop to view other wildlife we happen upon. But today we set out in the morning with a goal to find big cats. We drove through an acacia scrub forest along a stream valley, the stream still had significant water even at the end of the dry season. The stream was flanked by bright green palms and fig trees, quite a contrast to the predominantly brown, treeless grasslands of the Serengeti. In this area the grasses were 3 to 4 feet high, perfect cover for lions and leopards. Of course that makes seeing them difficult! After about 30 minutes we came to a large fig tree from which a vervet monkey was giving an alarm call. However, despite intense searching we failed to find the cause of the monkey's interest. So we continued on.
Later we passed another safari van and the driver said a leopard had been seen back up the stream. By the time we reached the very same fig tree, about 20 safari vans were lined up watching, clearly the monkey was right to give an alarm. Soon we had very nice views of a leopard coming down the tree until he disappeared into the grass. But careful searching revealed a second leopard still in the tree, lying on a limb! It is quite unusual to see two leopards together since they are solitary hunters. Turns out the first leopard was a +1 year nearly full grown cub, and the leopard in the tree was the mother, both looked healthy and well fed.
After watching for a half hour or so we again headed up the stream valley, then crossed to the other side, just as a pride of lions crossed the dirt track! At least 10 lions: 4 lionesses and 6 cubs crossed slowly and unconcerned, while the cubs pounced, jumped on the moms, and generally acted as if they were in a Nat Geo documentary. Our driver then took us up a small rise and turned right onto another track hoping we'd get another view. This time we saw the whole pride walk towards us, some coming within 3 feet of our van! We got a full count: 6 lionesses, 2 yearlings, and 8 cubs!
After the lions had disappeared into the grass we continued birding, until we returned to the lodge for lunch. Afternoon rains kept as at the lodge until about 4:00, but we went out wildlife viewing and birding until dusk. Because of the wild predators, you can not leave a vehicle, and you are not allowed out in car after dark. Although much of the day was spent looking for L and L, we still saw 79 species of birds, including 11 new ones for the trip.
As I was finishing writing this post sitting at a picnic table outside the lodge, one of the staff came over. He asked if I had seen the lions as I went back to my room last night. Apparently 2 lions were only 10 feet off the path that went from the lodge to my room, and I had passed them unaware. A fitting end to a day of leopards and lions in the Serengeti!

Africa Day 5, part 2

Although most of the day we were driving, we still had a successful day seeing wildlife and birding. We made stops at serveral dry river beds to search for birds. In addition we made a wildlife drive around our lodge. The lodge, 4eronera, is an architectural mmarvel. It is constructed on a granite outcropping. The lodge spaces include various granit rocks as walls and other features. The lodge sits in an acacia forredt through which flow sevearl streams that stau wet year round. Hence the is a good variety of wildlifeof which we saw Topi (a large antelope) hyraxes, monkeys, mongoose, giraffe, Thompson gazelle, Impala, and Ostrich, African Buffalo.
Birding was also good, despite all the driving we saw over 100 species, 42 of which were seen for the first time on the trip.
Because the animals are wild and unafraid of people, visitors can not leave their vehicle. Since our van's top can be lifted up, we can stand in the vehicle, see 360 degrees, and get good views of wildlife, which often is quite close to the road.

Africa Day 5, part 1

Today we spent most of the day driving from Ngorongoro Crater to Serengeti National park, a long dusty drive over dirt roads. The drive helps bring home the vastness of East Africa. The landscape changed from dry forest to scrub forest to the vast grasslands of the serengeti, which means endless grass. To break up the drive we made several stops, and not just for birds. We stopped at a Masai village and were hosted by one of the chief's son on a tour, the chief has 42 children by is 10 wives. All the houses in a village are made by the women, a 2 day project in which sticks 1 to 3 inches in dimeter arewoven into a wall with flexible small braances. The 20 foot diameter house walls and roof are covered with cow dung to seal them. Inside is a central cooking area surrounded by 4 sleeping chambers: one for the mother, one for the father if he visits, on for the children, and one for any small goats or calfs.
The Masai have well defined roles, women make houses, cook, and tend to young children. Young boys tend livestock, and young men become warriors to defend the village and lifestock. Previously, young boys became warriors by killing a lion, earning them the right to wear red blankets. Because the population of lions has declined and the population of Masai has increased, now they become warriers by chasing off a lion. Their culture revolves around livestock, a bride's family must be compensated with cows, a man's riches are defined by the number of cattle, goats, or donkeys he owns. Except for some millet, they eat meat, milk, and blood.
We also made a stop at Oldupia Gorge, (it was miss translated as Olduvia Gorge by a german researcher) a 25 mile grorge where the Leaky's did research and helped define the hominid evolutionary tree from .5 to 4.0 million years ago. Although now a dry scrub river valley, the area was once wet and lush. 10,000's of stone tools and fossil remains have been found, including two stunning fossil tracks showing that early hominids walked upright over 1.5 million years ago.

Africa Day 4, part 2

Today we had close looks at African Buffalo, Hippoptamus, Thopson's Gazelle, Grant's Gazelle, Black-faced Vervet Monkey, Olive Baboon, Warthog, Common Eland, and Hartebeest. In addition I had moderate to distant views of African Elephant, Lion, Black Rhinoceros, Spotted Hyaena, Black-backed Jackel and Common Jackel.
Here are today's pictures of hyaena, buffalo, hippo, and a large bird called a Kori Bustard.
Today was the best day of birding I saw more than 100 species, including 51 new ones. Highlights included a Saddle-billed Stork, Gray Crowned-Crane, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Bateleur (a colorful hawk). You can check these out in Wikipedia.
Of course I hope the time I am spending at 4000 to 5000 feet will help acclimate me for the Kilimanjaro attempt now only 14 days ahead. On the other hand the wildlife viewing has required almost no exercise, so I worry I will lose some of my training capacity for long hikes and climbs.

Africa Day 4, part 1

We spent the day in Ngorongoro crater, a 12 mile crater with 1000+ high walls that is the result of a massive explosive volcanic eruption 1.7 million years ago. The high walls form a relatively closed ecosystem with a large alkaline lake, freshwater marshes, mostly grasslands, and some acacia forest. To protect visitors, one must stay in vehicles (except at rest room stops). But since safari vehicles have popup tops, one can stand in the van and see in all directions very well.
The most numerous big animals in the crater are Blue Wildebeests and Burchell's Zebra. Today I saw about 150 zebra and 10 times as many wildebeests. Included are some photos I took today of zebra and wildebeests. With so many prey around it is not surprising that there are predators. We did see one pride of lions just finishing a zebra. They were pretty far off in tall dry grass, if you look carefully you may see 2 or 3 lions in the last photo.