August 25, 2005

Hello All,

I figured it was about time for an update just to let you all know that I didn’t fall off of the face of Mount Kilimanjaro. I am, in fact, alive and well.

The last time I was in touch, I was just about to leave southeast Asia and head over to the middle east. My trip to Dubai actually turned out to be one of my favorite stops on my trip. I stayed with some wonderful family friends and did everything from a desert safari to shopping in several of what could be the largest malls in the world. I went to a spice market, tried everything under the sun and visited a gold market as well. Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates and is by far the wealthiest country in the middle east as far as I could tell. There was quite a bit culture shock this time around since I had been used to being surrounded by Asian people and Buddhist and Hindu cultures for two month prior to my visit. The people there were friendly, for the most part, and the food was out of this world.

Next it was onto Africa. I headed straight for the base of Mount Kilimanjaro where I met my crew of five people that would be climbing with me the next day. One of them, Kerry, is one of my best friends from college. I’ll start off by saying that there is so much I could tell you about the climb but I will make it short and sweet, or try to at least. The mountain climb takes about six days to go up and come back down and there is about 5-6 hours of climbing a day. It’s not a walk in the park like I was expecting. Considering we were told that two people had died climbing the mountain the week before we started our climb, I realized that it was NOT going to be as easy as I thought it would be as soon as I got there. Days one through four weren’t too bad physically. They were actually quite nice hikes and the scenery was so diverse and very unusual. When day two rolled around, we were finally above the clouds and stayed up there for the rest of our journey up the mountain. It was a pretty neat feeling being up there and knowing you were in your own little world that no one at the base could see or imagine for that matter. On day four we all started to feel the altitude a bit so popping a few headache tablets became the norm and wasn’t out of the ordinary.

On the night of day four, our guides woke us up at 11:30pm and we began our climb at midnight under the pitch black sky. Tonight was going to be the infamous climb up the peak and it would take no less than seven to ten hours to go up and come down. I had four layers on my legs, six layers on my top, three layers on my head, one around my face, three pairs of socks and boots. All of these layers still did not stop the bitter -10 degree temperatures from piercing my skin. Halfway up the peak my water was already frozen and my flashlight had frozen and burnt out as well. I didn’t even know that was possible. I was stuck with no water and no light and I still had HOURS ahead of me.

Eventually with much tribulation, we all made it to Gilman’s point. There is an option to continue a bit higher to the absolute top peak of the mountain but they warned us it would take at least an hour and a half from that point. By this time, people are throwing up and practically passing out from the pain of the headaches. I looked at my head guide and said, “I want to go up.” The guide looked at me with this half smile thinking to himself, “You bitch, now one of us guides has to go up with you!“ I was the only one who decided to go in the end and when I got to the top two hours later, I collapsed on a pile of rocks next to the crater’s edge and towering glaciers. I just sat there and stared at the sun rising. I had just climbed to the top of the highest freestanding mountain in the world. I did it! I made it! Attached I have the lovely picture of myself that I snapped while I was collapsed at the top of the mountain. I couldn’t even smile. This is probably the WORST picture I have ever seen of myself, but it’s pretty funny looking back on it. The deep bags under my eyes show the pain within the rest of my body, and believe me it was so bad that my face only shows half of the pain. I stayed up there for about fifteen minutes and then practically cried when I realized I had to climb all the way back down.

Two and a half hours later I was at the bottom of the peak crying uncontrollably like a little child who can’t even breathe between whimpers. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and most likely will be until, of course, childbirth comes around! Not looking forward to that one!!! Soon after I got into my hut and had some lunch I was told that I had 30 minutes to eat lunch and pack and then we had another long hike in front of us down to the lower huts. I thought I was going to die once again.

The final climb down the next day, I was really hurting. I had what they call a black toe (which means my toenail would eventually fall off) and I was in so much pain, not only from that, but my knees were also throbbing. We were all a mess to be honest. I had tears in my eyes for most of the day and kept picturing the hot shower I would have later that night. It only worked for so long until the next pang of pain came along and the little devil inside my head was telling me to throw myself off the side of the mountain again. I was miserable. The irony is, that is one of the greatest feats I will ever accomplish and I was supposed to be happy about something it! I laugh now as I write this, sitting here without one of my big toenails, and with the pictures to prove that I truly did make it to the roof of Africa.

Two days later I was in Egypt, climbing inside the pyramids. I had more amazing middle eastern foods and stayed with another set of family friends. I was treated like a queen and loved every minute of it after roughing it for a week. Egypt was only a quick stopover until I was off to meet my family in Italy.

Both my parents and my brother met me in Rome and we embarked on a cruise the very next day for almost two weeks. We got to see a bit of Italy and a ton of the Greek islands along the way. It was so relaxing and so nice to see and spend time with my family. And, the fact that it was first class all the way was not so bad either! Our cruise ended in Venice where we spent a few days together staying right on the grand canal. What a gorgeous city it is. We spent those few days and nights we had, shopping, eating and roaming the streets and canals of one of my favorite cities in the world.

And that, my friends, brings me to today, where I sit in front of a computer screen in good old Allentown, PA. Although I was supposed to be coming home in November, I was ready sooner so I came home after the cruise. I was tired of living out of a bag and eating peanut butter sandwiches all day every day. I was tired of living in quarters with sometimes 25 other people, listening to them snore while all of their various sleeping noises were driving me crazy. I missed my family and friends and I missed Allentown. It truly is the greatest city in the world. It’s home.

Until the next adventure...

Lauren P. Coker