The Stuff

If the first hallmark of humanity is our intelligence, then the need and want for stuff is definitely a close runner up. Much of the preparation that has gone into this trip has revolved around stuff. We need stuff to sleep in, stuff to wear, stuff to ingest, stuff to protect us from what we ingest, stuff to help us find where we're going and stuff to help us remember where we've been. And of course, we need stuff to put stuff in.

I joke about stuff, but we really are incredibly fragile beings without our stuff. We will be gone for a month. The weather conditions will range from the upper 90s to many degrees below freezing. Among the concerning things are the bugs, viruses and bacteria O MY!

Here's a list of the stuff we are bringing:

• Clothing: Includes 3 trekking pants, 2 tanks, 2 sports bras, 4 underwear, 2 shirts, 1 base layer, 2 pair of thick socks, 3 pair of thin socks, 1 hat, 1 balaclava, 2 pair of gloves (one thick on thin), a fleece (maybe 2), a rain jacket, a down jacket and a partridge in a pair tree. We plan on getting woolly hats while we are there. Najam's clothing is basically the same without the bras. We also each have a pair of pre-broke in hiking boots.
• hand sanitizer
• sleeping bags
• head lamps
• duct tape
• extra ziplocks
• trowel
• 1 mobile phone
• walking poles
• limited toiletries including lip balm and moisturizer
• 1 platypus, 1 water bottle and water insulators each
• water pump purifier (big stuff), ultraviolet water purifier (viruses), and water tablets
• sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses
• camera, lots of SD cards, lots of batteries, outlet converters, SD card backup
• pocket all in one including knife and can opener
• compass, whistle, maps and travel books
• energy bars and chocolate
• utensils, we will get aluminum dishes when we get there
• friend if they fit
  

Our HMO's travel clinic was incredibly helpful on the internal protection front. We got:

• Yellow fever vaccination (with yellow card documentation for the borders)
  
• Polio booster
  
• Hep A vaccination
• Typhoid vacination
• anti-malarial medicine
  
• imodium, hydration salts and antibiotics for when it gets really bad

The post trip list would probably look quite different. I will be sure to make a posting about what stuff was missed and what stuff could have been left behind when we get back. One thing is for sure, we need to be very selective about what to bring since all of it will be on our back. Although porters are going to lug most of this stuff up the mountain, we will have to lug this stuff for 3 weeks across Africa.

The travel book we have said that we would need both a backpack and a day pack. The porters carry the backpack up and the trekkers carry their day pack with a few essentials. Najam and I don't really want the weight of an extra back pack during our entire trip. Instead, we are going to put all of our stuff into large nylon sacks and use our back packs. The nylon sacks we have are the same ones that we are stuffing our backpacks into in order to check them onto the flights. Hopefully they will be durable enough for the trek up the mountain.

It's funny that one would climb a mountain and hire other people to carry their stuff for them while they do so. At first look, it seems like the wimpy way to go. However, climbing to that altitude is difficult enough without the extra weight and porters are likely more acclimatized. I still can't help but feel a twinge of guilt even though I know that it would probably be impossible for me to make this trip without porters. Porters have a rough job and from what I have read, they are not always treated fairly and working conditions aren't as good as they could be (i.e., better equipment, better nutrition). We are going to attempt to choose a trekking company that is known for treating it's workers well and will also donate some of our equipment to the porters when we leave.