Mount Meru - The First Step

Mount Meru (4566m / 14980ft) is the first mountain summit on our itinerary. Previous posts give more details on the mountain itself, like the eruption that obliterated the eastern slope of the volcanic cone (photo).

Meru is far less travelled than it's neighbor Kilimanjaro, but is a great climb in itself. It is sometimes chosen for high-altitude acclimatization before a Kili climb. That acclimation was a big reason for adding it to the to-do list for the trip, though the climb is quite spectacular on its own.

The Meru climb is 4 days, and starts you off in the plain savannah of the Arusha National Park. Here you're sharing the trail with buffalo, zebra, giraffes and more. These animals are the reason for the mandatory park ranger armed with a rifle for each group. Up the crater wall to camp, followed by a couple of days of climbing. On summit morning, we start early (1am) while the rock on the trail is still frozen to make the trekking easier. The trail to the summit is treacherous in places, climbing on razor-thin ridges with big drops on either side. Once on the top, you can see the Meru Ash Cone & Kilimanjaro, 80km to the East at sunrise.

The climb is told to be even more scenic than Kilimanjaro, including wildlife (over 400 species of birds), waterfalls, and stunning views.

The Serengeti Migration

The Wildebeest Migration is a dramatic story. It takes place within Kenya and Tanzania and is the greatest wildlife show on earth. Between the open plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, thousands of wildebeest and zebras migrate to greener pastures as the seasons change and the circle of life and death continues. Predators follow the Wildebeest Migration closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike weak prey as they make their way into different territories.

The Serengeti hosts the largest and longest overland migration in the world, one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. Nearly 2 million herbivores travel the 'Circular Migration' every year, and 250,000 wildebeest alone will die during the journey from Tanzania to Masai Mara. Most are familiar with the pictures showing thousands of wildebeest crashing down to cross a river, filled with crocodiles waiting for a feast. For the animals involved, its life is an endless pilgrimage, a constant search for food and water.

The wildebeest spent the rainy season from December to June in the volcanic open plains below the Ngorongoro Crater where the grass growth is most productive and nutrient contents high. It is here that the calves are born. Calving season is short and the predators cannot make a dent in the new-borns with such a sudden surge of food. When the monsoon rains stop in June, the plains dry out and the wildebeest move west towards Lake Victoria in search of pasture and rains. The plains become a harsh and dry semi-desert in which no wildebeest could survive. Only through migration can the wildebeest and zebra use the widespread resources of the ecosystem and build up such large numbers. Following the rainfalls the migration moves on to the north, into the Masai Mara, where the rift wall catches the last rains even in the middle of the dry season. With the onset of the monsoon rains in December the wildebeest move back into the lush Serengeti plains.

Training Update

With my flu & bronchitis behind me, I'm back on track. My cardio training is going well and improving rapidly, and my weight training is progressing equally well. There is a noticeable improvement session to session which is a great motivator! Over the next few weeks, I'll be ramping up the intensity of the workouts as well as the length of my cardio sessions until about 2 weeks before I leave where I'll be winding things down.

My immunizations are coming up next week, and I'm preparing for my fair share of needles. Hepatitis A&B, Yellow Fever, Malaria (meds), and a few more (surprise!).

Finally my training diet is in full force with an overall increase in calories and protein. I'm back to my peak weight that I managed to get to before I was sick.

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