The Grandest Canyon of All

View up the Colorado river

I just spend 4 days backpacking in the Grand Canyon, and all I can say is WOW!  What a place.  The hike we did was one of the hardest in the park, and we covered 36 or 38 miles, depending on what map you look at.  Some of the highlights and interesting facts:

• The elevation change from the South Rim to the Colorado was about 5,000 ft.
• The stars were amazing!  The clearest sky I've ever seen
• The temperature change from the rim to the river was about 15-20 degrees (f).  It was so much warmer at the bottom.  I was actually hot sleeping on several nights.
• It's 10 miles across from the South Rim to the North Rim
• We refilled on water at the river several times...I drank 4 liters on the 8 mile hike out.
• GREAT training for Kilimanjaro I think.  I've got to keep doing some hikes as I train, I'm going to try and do an intense day hike once every two weeks or so, and do some longer trips when I can.  

More pictures of the canyon to come!

A little cactus growing out of the rocks

Dinner! Smoked salmon, cucumber, creme cheese, all on a pita. Yum.

1st night campsite, halfway between the South Rim and the Colorado river.

Cool rocks

Stargazing on a blustery evening

Peaks Foundation Launches Website!

Hey Everyone!  The Peaks Foundation has just launched their new website home, which is full of tons of information!  It's pretty sweet, I've only just gotten to glance through it. Check it out!

www.PeaksFoundation.org 

Update on my eating: No fast food, I'm doing well on that!  Dessert has been harder...definitely slipped up a few times, but it's a good goal to have.  While I'm traveling for the next week will when this gets way more difficult!

I'm off to the Grand Canyon for a week.  This will be an amazingly awesome, fun way to get some training in! I've never been and can't wait!

Pledge: No Fast Food (or dessert) for 2 Months!

Alright folks.  I'm not going to eat any fast food for 2 months.  And I'm also not going to eat any desserts that are not homemade, which is going to be wayyyyyy harder for me.  I gots to have me some homemade chocolate chip cookies sometimes, or if my roommate Kelsey makes blondies, then I definitely need to partake.  But ice cream, oreos, all that good stuff is outta here.  My madre made me feel pretty guilty about my sweet tooth when I visited home this past weekend....there were no sweets to be found.  Zero. Nada. Except for dark chocolate, but sometimes that just doesn't satisfy the way 5 Oreos dipped in milk do.  Know what I mean?

I will miss you, Oreos.

I don't eat a lot of fast food anyway, but I decided to cut it out entirely as I being to train more hard core for 3P3W. The kicker was tonight when I had Wendy's for dinner (Double stack and a small fry)...I ate about 2 hours before playing soccer, and the food felt like a brick in my stomach, therefore I played terrible. T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.  And I felt that bad as well.  Sometimes I feel that fast food is a necessity, because I often work through dinner time, or I'm on the road for hours going to an away game. BUT I can be better prepared (PB&J anyone? and maybe some grapes? Or some spare granola bars in the glove compartment...), to prevent the need to ever, ever, send my Honda Fit to a drive thru window.   I hope that in two months I will feel better and will train better because I'll be putting healthier foods into my system. Sorry McDonald's, Wendys, Taco Bell, Cookout, Chick-Fil-A, Arbys, Five Guys....you will not be seeing me for a long while.

First Donation!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have $220!  I can't even say that I raised the money, my AWESOME BROTHER did!  You might remember the handsome guy from an earlier post...

Carl, me, and Vedasto at Vedasto's home in Arusha, 2008

Carl and I at the Usa River Campus grand opening, School of St. Jude, 2008

The minute I told Carl I would be doing 3 Peaks 3 Weeks he was right on board.  Both of my previous trips to Africa have been with my family, so my bro knows first hand what a difference we can make by being supportive of existing success stories like The School of St. Jude. 

Here's how Carl raised $220.  I tell this story because it is a bit unconventional.  He's a Senior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota (read: cold!).  

After a December snowstorm of 18 inches!

Majoring in German and Environmental Studies, he also finds time to be a part of the Macalester Traditions, or "Trads" as they are lovingly called on campus.  The Trads are an all-male a capella group made up of students, and they wear as much plaid as they can when they sing.

Carl singing with the Trads

 The Trads have a Valentine's Day tradition: they deliver singing valentines to people, "ValenTrads". $5 for a ValenTrad but....BONUS!  $10 for a shirtless ValenTrad.  In Carl's own words: "yeah, we're kind of shameless..." but they do make more money.  They performed 51 singing valentines (I don't know how many were shirted/shirtless), and Carl convinced all the guys to give half that money to 3 Peaks 3 Weeks. 

Thank you Trads!

Awesome!  If 12 poor, shirtless, college boys can raise $220, how much more can us clothed, working people collect?  Thanks Carl for setting the bar high!  You're the greatest.

1st Conference Call with the Crew!

    For lack of a better term, conference calls are bizarre.  You can't see the people you're talking to, you're not sure when to jump in and say something, you never really know how long they are going to last. Yesterday was the first call I got to be on with my expedition team.  We're ladies from all over the world, so I was on the phone at 2pm while others were just waking up at 6 am, and some folks were winding down their day at 8pm.  It was really cool to hear what's going on with the PEAKS FOUNDATION (more on this soon!) and how everyone is coming with their fundraising.

 

I wonder if the can phone was invented before AG Bell invented the real thing?

   I always find myself trying to figure out what other people are doing while on the call.  Lunch break? Driving to a meeting somewhere? Eating dinner? Watching TV?  You never know. Personally, I was in my email trying to match voices with names and places while trying to got down as much information as possible.  And I did venture over to ESPN.com a few times...to check on really important things.  Like who is airing the Arsenal vs. Barcelona game today (Fox Soccer, if you care to watch).  What can I say, I'm a good multi-tasker.

Prediction: Messi gets dirty and assists/scores

    All important soccer games aside, I learned a lot about the people I'll be trekking with in East Africa.  I can hear the passion in their voices when they talk about why they want to climb. The curiosity when they ask questions about conquering 3 mountains.  Hopefulness when they talk about the people and causes that the money we raise will go to support. Commitment when they discuss fundraising ideas.  While I might not meet them in person until January 2012 in a Kenyan airport, I already know I have a stellar group of women to train alongside and collaborate with for the next year.

Endnote: Never ever ever EVER image search for the word "bizarre" on Google.  Too many weird/creepy things show up. Lesson learned.

Cause Spotlight: Laikipia Wildlife Forum

  
The Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF) is one of the 3 organizations that the 3P3W climb will support.  Located in the Laikipia region of Kenya, LWF does great things for the animals (and people!) of that area.  The organization was founded in 1992, so they have 18 years of experience working with the people of Kenya.  Here is an excerpt from their website, and a bit more about LWF:

    The welfare of people throughout Laikipia is inextricably bound up with the health and productivity of natural environments.  Water, forests, rangelands for grazing and other key resources are all at a premium.  Wildlife, in forming the basis of an expanding and economically important tourism industry, has become a critical resource.  The LWF is holistic in its approach to conservation- recognizing the inter-dependence of people and wildlife, and pursuing an integrated strategy of benefit to both the people and the wildlife, while safeguarding the precious natural resources on which both depend.

 

Hey Elephants!

Some things LWF does:

•  Environmental Education
• Water and Forest Management
• Tourism Development
• Wildlife Conservation
• Rangeland Rehabilitation and Management

Bottom line: Laikipia Wildlife Forum is all about preserving Kenya's great natural resources for all of it's inhabitants, which makes it stand out amongst other similar organizations.

Visit their website for more information!----> Laikipia Wildlife Forum

2011 Climb team completes Trek!

The 2011 3 Peaks 3 Weeks climb team Summited Mt. Kilimanjaro on January 29, 2011.  Congratulations to the ladies who completed the challenge!  Not only did they make it up all 3 peaks, but they also raised $91,000 for some amazing East African organizations.  I think I need to start training...

 

 Standing on the Roof of Africa!!

Here's an Excerpt from the 3P3W blog about the final ascent up Kili:

    "...Summit night on Kilimanjaro proved to be some of the hardest hours of our lives. The temperature was estimated to be -5C (~23F) with winds from 30-40mph and gusts close to 60mph. Personally, I’ve never been so cold in my entire life, and the wind was relentless. Finally, the sun came up, and the view was unbelievable. However, it only gave little relief from the cold as the wind pounded on.
    We all struggled, at one time or another. But when one of us faltered, another one was there to support. Our guides were amazing, providing not only constant watch for any signs of illness, but also encouragement through simple pats on the back or beautiful African songs. How they can climb and sing is beyond me.
    At approximately 9:45am, we reached the Roof of Africa (5,895m). Tears and hugs were abundant. Not only did the decision to leave later in the morning allow us to have some relief from the cold, but it also gave us a completely empty summit, with no other climbers to compete with for photos. It was a surreal moment. Many of us had this summit in mind for years, and it was finally in front of our faces. The glaciers were breathtaking, and looking down on the clouds is a feeling like no other. We had done it. We had climbed three of the highest peaks in Africa and done so in three weeks. Sitting here now, I can hardly explain the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude for making it to the top safely. It is a feeling that rocked our world."

Congratulations 2011 Climbers!  See you next year Kili...