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Kilimanjaro Notes

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Kilimanjaro, from a sunflower field outside JRO, 01 MAR 01 MAR Arr JRO. Little sleep. All gear arrives. Hello Africa eSIM not loaded properly. I'll ride wifi until out of country. Mbahe Farm. Hillary, driver Leonard, chef Lillian, maid 02 MAR Adjoining cabins at the Mbahe Farm. Utterly delightful. Mbahe Farm 6000' Hike around Mtuy farm. Met other group- Doug Marsh, Megan Woods.   Scarecrow at Mbahe Farm field Scarecrow. Wild ganja plant from random field workers. Jet lag kicking my ass. Final gear weigh-in: 12kg Gear layout inspection. Add extra pad. Diamox discussed and not used. Doug opted for it, and was pissing like a fire hose the entire trip. I relied on my ultra experience: pounding Gatorade, and pissing clear.  2hr sleep at best Begin 2x daily stat checks with Oxymeter measuring oxygen intake and pulse STATS: AM 6,100  Mbahe Farm 96 56 PM 6,100  Mbahe Farm 96 53 03 MAR DAY 1: Lemosho Gate to Mti Mkubwa
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Kilimanjaro Card Oracle and Smokes

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One of an occasional series on Random Card Oracles. I found this lonely card somewhere below Barafo Camp in the clinker. One source suggests that Ten of Diamonds is "a responsibility or alliance." Maybe. Another source suggests  Diamonds are all about money and finance s, and that 10 of Diamonds:  Financial prosperity, good fortune. Well, I was there heading down from Barafo Camp, where I found this little nugget. Smokes Elsewhere on the 10-day trek, I noticed occasional cigarette butts. In my hypoxia state, I wondered about it for maybe a split-second, then went back to the business of breathing and not breaking myself tripping over something.   One day, our group was taking a break, resting on some fine-ass comfy rocks. I smelled a cigarette, and went to look. On the other side of the low rock wall, were a group of other porters taking their break. Being all sociable and curious, I walked around and introduced myself, at the exact moment one of them was rolling a joint
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I Didn't Conquer Kilimanjaro

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  THE SUMMIT I didn't conquer Kilimanjaro. I paid attention, cooperated with the mountain in optimal conditions. Made the summit on Mar 10 2024; and more importantly, made it back down safely on my own steam. This was a pilgrimage for my late wife Leslie Sowle, who'd done it in Dec 2003. When I reunited with her in Jan 2022, I repeated my admiration for her accomplishment. She looked at me and said "its just a long walk. You could do it" Leslie in red parka. Kilimanjaro, 2003. Photographer unknown. At the time I demurred, because Kili was irrelevant in the face of her oncoming death. I began thinking about it in September 2023. If not now, then when?  I started training with her very good 2003 Arcteryx RT25 pack at home in Ventura County, CA. I made no mention of it on the socials. Bad juju. I'd booked the longest trip possible [11 days Northern Lemosho Route] with Simon Mtuy's Summit Expeditions to get as much altitude conditioning possible. A shorter trip [
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Location: Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
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Weasel Jizz Pale Ale

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" ...grab the mic and get dumb "   Weasel Jizz Pale Ale . Born in 1991 at D&L Holistic Industries. Schlong ago, when ultras were semi-wrinkled, and results were in black & white.   Back before Orange Mud rocket packs were a hallucination. This is the Origin Story of D&L Holistic Industries-- who launched products that would Redefine Ultras, And Shit®™.   Weasel Jazz Pale Ale. SpoogeBuilder. Iguana-Turdz NRG Bars. The list goes on for at least two or three seconds. "If you can dream it, you can do it" said Kenny while frying a hockey-puck burger in front of the Rose Bowl. Allegedly. Weasel Jizz Pale Ale was the Elder Gawd of success brews that later generations of influencers tried to imitate. Butt failed. Many logs have been dropped in this futile pursuit. . #weasel #jizz #INFLUENCER #ultras #norefunds #burntcoin
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Mineral King

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Sawtooth Peak from the back side Mineral King had already experienced hard-rock mining, timber extraction, sheepherding, and somehow managed to stagger into the mid 20th-century relatively intact. Its been way too long since I've been back up there. I've been there backpacking, trailrunning and backcountry ski-touring. Next to King's Canyon, its the best California has to offer. The proposed Disney Mineral King ski resort would have been an environmental catastrophe. In 1989 I took a ski avalanche workshop from Dave Beck, one of the original snow rangers Disney hired to do snow survey. Mineral King is an avalanche zone from any angle. Dave said that half of the slopes in the main L-shaped valley were unstable on a good day. The few cabins and mule-barn are located in the few stable areas. Secondly, the valley and surrounding peaks create an inversion layer that would trap all smog and particulates from the proposed resort. The geology of the valley would also not be able to
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Vietnam 2023 Cartomancy

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  Someone might get lucky, sometime. This is a continuation of last year's posts . This post has nothing to do with ultras, or any of that. Cartomancy, the four suits:     Spades represent challenging tasks or events coming in the future.     Hearts are about feelings, family, home, love, and relationships.     Clubs represent positive things that are coming in the near future.     Diamonds are all about money and finances. Nov 9 2023 8 of Diamonds: Surprise romance or travel later in life 9 of Clubs: New admirer or opportunities, warning against stubbornness 10 of Clubs: Unexpected money, travel I found these cards in the seasoning stacked-firewood yard of a traditional wood-fired ceramic factory we were visiting. Last year I found a discarded bong, used for smoking the "knock you on your ass" Thuoc Lao ; literally Laotian Tobacco. Its a Vietnam thing. When I tried it in 2019, I choked like a little girl. And I used to smoke a lot, in Ancient Days. But since no trip is l
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Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
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"You're smart, make us some money on TV"

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  "You're smart, make us some money on TV" That was my then-wife in 1984. We were broke. Our freelance design/pasteup clients had dried up. The TV was on all day, from 7am to 11pm at night. Which meant daytime television, and game shows. She thought since I knew a lot of stuff, having read books, I could ace it. Sure. I was broke enough to think that. So I started making calls to find out how it worked. Which led to auditions for $20,000 Pyramid, and Wheel of Fortune.   $20,000 Pyramid The Pyramid audition in an anonymous conference room somewhere, with about 30-40 people. Everyone had to stand up and give the elevator-pitch. Oh shit. Now I was sweating. My turn came, I stood up, and blathered something that was like a tire going flat on the roadside. Now I got a master-class in Game Show Auditions. First was a quietly elegant 50ish woman, emerald-green shirtwaist dress, hair pulled back in a French Twist. "Hello, I'm [X]. I became fascinated by nouvelle cuisine,
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Location: Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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