Trip Preparation

This week I have made major progress in preparing for the trip to Africa. Since I will first be joining a birding/wildlife tour for 3 weeks before the Kilimanjaro climb, I need to plan for the three week tour as well as the climb. I secured trip cancelation/travel insurance, if anything goes drastically wrong, I can be evacuated from East Africa to the US or Europe for treatment (I try not to think about what could go so wrong that I'd ever need to use that insurance). I received my visa from the Kenya Consulate in NYC, which was surprisingly fast, it only took a week, and have sent out my Passport and another visa application to the Tanzania Embassy in DC.

I got my eighth vacination this week (a Meningitis vaccine) and will get the yellow fever vaccine next week, leaving only my final HepA and HepB boosters for later in August. (I also still need to get malaria meds and Diamox (a diuretic) to prevent altitude sickness

I ordered quite a bit of gear for the climb from REI and LLBean this week: hat, new -10F rated sleeping bag, insulated water bottles (I will face sub-zero temperatures at night on days 3, 4, and 5, as well as most of day 5 on the mountain), headlamps (the summit attempt starts on day 5 at midnight!). I need clothes that I'll be comfortable in for days with highs in the upper 80's and evening lows below zero. So I will need a multi-layer strategy: thermal underwear, underarmor moisture wicking layer, shirt, fleece, down vest, and wind/rain resistant jacket. Plus 2 layers of mittens, balaclava, wind chaps, and gaiters. For several items I ordered 2 sizes or styles to see what I like best. I'll sort everything out this week, save what I want, and ship the rest back. I am limited to about 40 lbs for the climb (a porter will carry 30 lbs), I will carry the rest.

I have also started a search for a new camera. Everyone wants to see pictures! I am looking for a good digital camera that is easy to use, light weight, and has a zoom lens for getting great shots of, well, a gazelle out on the Serengeti plains or a SunBird on a flower. I have a Cannon 35 mm SLR, but that is both too heavy and not digital. I also have a Cannon sure shot, fine for snapshots, but lacks a significant zoom. Howard Chen has suggested I consider a point and shoot Megazoom camera, if anyone has a recommendations, please post them.