The Cradle of Mankind

Olduvai Gorge is a ravine in the eastern part of the Serengeti plains. What makes it so special though, is its rich yield of fossil remains from some of the earliest signs of mankind.

Some 30,000 years ago, splitting of the earth’s surface by violent geological activity and millennial of erosion by seasonally flowing streams incised the nearly 250 foot (90m) canyon known as Olduvai Gorge. This has led to nearly a century of finds that have, in part, led scientists to believe that from Africa, humans spread out to populate the rest of earth.

The finds include footprints of three hominins (early human ancestors), miraculously preserved in muddy ash deposited by volcanic eruptions and hardened by the sun some 3.6 million years ago. The first skull of Zinjanthropus, commonly known as ‘Nutcracker Man’ who lived about 1.75 millions years ago, was found here as well as early stone tools found in 1.6-1.8 million year old deposits.

::

Just a Temporary Setback...

Well over the past couple of weeks I've been down for the count with the flu, and then a bout with bronchitis. I'm only now just getting back up and running with work after two and a half weeks away. This has also meant I've had to cease training for the time being as well, which really is too bad because I was just getting into it. The good news is that I have a lot of clients in the medical field making sure I'm getting my rest, drinking my fluids and taking it easy. :)

The warmer weather is a good sign of things to come, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove of things. So far my training has consisted mostly of:

Cardio:
- Recumbent bike
- Elliptical Machine
- Snowshoeing (With Backpack & 20lbs)
Weight Training (Bowflex)
Stretches, hiking-specific exercises, etc etc

With the spring fast approaching, I'll be moving outdoors for more activities and a few challenges before Tanzania. I'm planning for a 10km or 1/2 marathon in May, and also a few days in the mountains at altitude in the weeks before we leave.

... but for now, it's just rest, fluids and taking it easy to get back to 100%

::Dustin

To Make a Mountain (or two)

Kilimanjaro is not only the tallest mountain in Africa, it is also one of the tallest freestanding mountains in the world. What many people do not know is that it is a dormant volcano.

It began about 750000 years ago when molten lava burst through the Great Rift Valley (a large fault in East Africa), pushing the Earth's Crust upwards, creating the oldest of the 3 volcanos forming Kilimanjaro. Over the hundreds of thousands of years since then, huge eruptions have brought Kilimanjaro to it's current height around Kibo's crater rim to apporx 5895m (Uhuru Peak). The most recent volcanic activity of note was about 200 years ago which left the 'Ash Pit' in Reusch Crater.

Mount Meru, the first of our two planned summits, is an active volcano about 70km west of Kilimanjaro. In an eruption similar to that of Mount St Helens in 1980, Meru lost much of it's bulk in a volcanic blast about 8000 years ago, leaving huge cliffs 1500m above the crater floor. That is about as high as the Grand Canyon is deep.

Below is a Landsat/Radar image from Nasa showing the two mountains, and other volcanos in the area as well. Height is exagerated two times. Click for a larger image.

::

Prelude to a Journey

As many of you know, I'll be off to Tanzania in June of this year for what really may be the trip of a lifetime. Over the following months, I'll be using this site to provide a window into the preparation required, the people of Africa & Tanzania, and what it all means to me. Following the trip I will have photos to post, stories of my experiences and the people involved. There may even be some updates while I'm away.

The original idea behind this trip was a climb of Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m (19340ft), the tallest mountain in Africa. Obviously though, you need to make the most of your time 1/2 way across the world, so we've also planned a climb of nearby Mt. Meru (4566m / 14980ft), and to finish it all off, some time in the Serengeti & Ngorongoro National Parks. I'll be filling in some information about these places over the next few months as well.

In the meantime, I've been preparing my gear, working on getting my conditioning in order, and in what has been the toughest for many to swallow... working VERY hard to gain some weight.

Stay tuned, I'll be popping up new info often.

::