ken4ord

Yeah I have to agree, booking in advance is a little more expensive. I guess it depends on your time schedule and personality. Haggling is way acceptable in East Africa and is part of their culture. I think the main reason mountain climbing is so damn expensive is because developed world doesn't know how to haggle and just accept increase with out hessitations. With haggling you need time, it's a game. If you change your mind and decide on Mt. Kenya, I know a guy who is way cool. It has been 2 years since I have been there and Micheal and I still stay in touch. The way I did it was to hire 5 porters up the mountain which most went home after we arrived at base camp. Micheal stayed on with us the rest of the trip, we all took turns cooking, I hung with the porters smoking, trading stories and cooking instead of hanging with package tourist. My buddy spent a lt time hanging with the package tourist and usually scored good eat, but I found them boring. The caretakers in the huts enjoyed having me hanging with them, in exchange I gave them food and medicine and traded stories. Culturally it was way more intersting cutting hunks of week old goat off the wall than it was talking to some dude who has 5-8 people hauling all their shit making all their food.

Yeah I been there and I suggest you don't do it. Seriously I have been living in East Africa for 3 years now, and it was the lamest experience I have had so for. There is only one reason why I suggest going for it and this if you are dead set on climbing the seven summits. If that is the case yeah I can reccomend some agencies. All it is thekking. The vegatation is somewhat uninteresting compared to other East African mountains. On the normal routes expect no mountain serenity since you traveling with 200-500 people (note it is difficult to arrange trip on the less traveled routes, though it is possible). Having a guide on the mountain is like having a dingle berry that you can never seem to get rid of. Seriously I thought it was sucky. Now Mt. Kenya was killer, I really would like to get back there and go climbing again, even after spending 13 days up there, there is still plenty to do. It is way cheaper and you can go up the mountain with out a guide if you want. Mt. Kenya also has real climbing. I have report from both in the international section. Soon there will be a report from the Rwenzoris. Another rocking place though don't plan on climbing, the trekking routes are great and the climbing has been taken over by vegatation. Then there are several other cool mountains to go to in East Africa that are all better than Kili. That's my $0.02 with some extra change. Your call.

Hell yeah looked a great time. It's been too long since I have been to J-Tree.

Damn Don real nice pictures. I miss ice climbing

Have fun fool, I know I am jealous especially after the trip I had. I decided next climbing trip needs to involve actual climbing.

Hell yeah man, I can wait. I'll be at the airport today. Well we didn't get to climb much, but it was an adventure for sure. Hell between ebola outbreaks, gas shortages, puking, shitting, passing out in thigh deep bogs, car surfing, loosing a murse, cattles stampedes and tearing it up until 4am in a sketchy part of town, I can definitely say it was an ADVENTURE. It will be interesting to see what the rest of 2008 has in store.

Hell yeah man, I can wait. I'll be at the airport today.

Yeah that guy lead 5.8/5.9 rock climbs, pretty impressive in my opinion. The gym sounds like a logical place to start, then I would say progress to top roping easy crack climbs, that way there is something to follow with his/her hands. Maybe some ground work so that he/she know what you are talking about when you describe holds they are looking for.

So no different than most of the spray except they didn't get tired cock fighting after a few posts.

Exactly. I use 2 separate super bright LEDs that flash so it appears like the oscillating headlights on police cars. They stand out. On the back an equally annoying bright, flashing light. I might even don a fluorescent construction vest if it's really bad. sickie We've had a couple of well publicised cycling deaths lately and day or night, I'm pretty certain I can be seen. What I really want to get for riding on trails in the dark is this light: Niterider These things leave sear marks wherever it shines. That one is bright but not long enough burn time for me. I do about 1-2 night rides a week, since it turns dark here at 6pm year round and I got a kid that I have to spend time with. My buddy and I usually head out for our rides around 8pm and get back as late as 11pm, good times for sure. Also I would reccomend multipule lights for night mountain biking, bar mounts and helmet mount, especially for the type of riding we like to do, more sort FR than XC. It was funny the other night we scared the beejezus out several people. It was a full moon and all saints day or near or something like. The first guy, dropped all of his stuff on the trail and ran off screaming "Jesus, jesus, jesus....." all the way back to his house when we rode by his house all of his family was laughing at him. The next terrorized people were a group of women making there way up one my favorite moderate technical descents. When they saw us coming they started screaming bloody murder, all of them dropped all their produce they were carrying (I felt bad about that). I tried to explain that we were musazi muzungus, but their screaming was so loud they could not hear us.

Holy shit this crazy, 30+ page of trying show one gentleman the real light, instead of his crazy belief that some almighty creator produced everything of this world. Unbelievable!

That is awesome, I have never seen that happen before.

Hell Yeah!!! Looks like a freaking great trip, I am jealous as one can get. I gotta get off this freaking continent or either get my ass up to Morrocco.

Nice TR!!! I can't wait to return. My last trip to the Canadian Rockies was just before I moved to Africa and I think of it frequently. Cheers.

What freaking cool trip. I need to get away like that. :tup:

Yeah I just don't tell my girlfriend. My point is it is freaking rock climb, it not like I am stealing nuclear physicist project and claiming that I came up theory. If I had scrubbed and cleaned some route and have someone send it and then give me all the beta on it, yeah I would be pissed. Now if I spent time setting a route and somebody climbed it before me and didn't tell me about it, then the climb should feel the same as if they didn't climb it. Now I got go sneak my girlfriends panties back in the draw before she notices.

Luckily for you if you do catch malaria, you probably won't feel it until you get home, it is up to about 7 days +/- incubation period.

I am not sure if I would say it is correct, but I would say it is considerate to stay off of a known project. Really though, as far as I am concerned, if the was a route and I knew it was a project and I could climb it and felt like climbing it because it looked like a good line, I am not going to wait around for someone to tell when I can climb it. At the same time I wouldn't spray about it and give away all the beta to so that the person who did put the effort into cleaning it can still have the first ascent. I would expect the same from others as well.

Damn, I can not believe it, that completely sucks. I just got done reading a post of his and sounded like such a great trip. Bummer that it is ending like this. I wish you all the best of luck and Rob a speedy recovery.

YOu can have that crap. What I need right now is a trip someplace cold, snowing and frozen, fuck the sun, I am so tired of it.

Well when I found out that I was in the AAJ last year, the only women who were wanting to worship me, were the skanky prostitues at the local clubs and all the beers that were purchase were by me, "My friend, my friend, buy me a beer". Hopefully for your sake this has to do with the fact that I am a muzungu (rich white dude in Africa, didn't you all know if your white your rich?).

Damn that was funny as hell. I had some friends down in Mass. they had a dirt course set up in the back yard for bikes, they took their little Suzuki out on the course and hit the jumps. The jumps didn't have as much of angle so the landing was nose down and a lot harder. Those little Suzuki's are pretty amazing for being just a little tin box with 4 cylinders. My friend has one here and we get a little rowdy in it, which include 3am brodies in the main roundabout downtown. That thing is immpossible to roll, at least so far.

Welcome back and congrats!!! I can't speak about Aconcagua since I haven't been there yet, but last year I did Kili and was quite disappointed. If traveling up some slog route in a mini-village is your thing then I say go for it, but I thought it was the worst big climbing trip I have ever taken. There was some nice scenery, but I wasn't really able to enjoy it with constant noise in the background of people talking and terrible radio reception being broadcasted. The only way I could recomend it if your goal is the 7&7, since there is no replacement for the highest summit in Africa. I always get ready for slogging by hitting the stair master. Like Ivan, I use aid, by smoking some weed before to deal with the boredom and either listen to music or bring a magazine. Since I don't have a stair master around I am getting ready for a trip in January, by carrying my daughter around on my back.

Masking tape is the best to use, it what we used in a climbing rope factory that I worked at. It doesn't melt like electrical and duct tape does. Like Dru said, use sharp scissors for cutting, but a sharp knife will work as well, harder to keep a clean cut though. Keep the tape on the rope after cutting. You can get a cheap soldering iron for less than $10 at a hardware store, your best option. Lighter and electric stove will work as well. I am not sure if I would try heating a knife since it will probably get to hot to handle. At home I have always used a lighter, just make sure to melt the end for a while so that the melted end is thick, which will prevent cracking a fraying of the end of the rope. After melting the end remove tape and melt the sheath at the end, this will again help prevent cracking and fraying of the rope end. It is important to fuse the end of sheath to the core or you can have slippage.

This is probably one of the best TR's this year. Looks like a very sweet trip indeed. I am damn jealous.