This is what you've waited for

Dustin called me about 20 mins ago, it was 6am and they were just getting up to have a quick shower, eat and then it was off for their first leg of the Kili trek. A few more text msgs have trickled in over the last few days. He shared with me some interesting things that some of us will only dream of experiencing. Whether it be trekking up a mountain in freezing rain trying to keep yourself going (both mentally and physically), or standing on the ridge of a mountain with 100km winds nearly blowing you off the side, either would be more challenging then most of us will ever experience. He talked about seeing 11 giraffe along the trails and encountering some of the poorest people he'd ever seen, both of which will stay in him memory for the rest of his days. He'll be on Mt. Kilimanjaro for 7 days, and he will push himself to his limits to make it to the top. Not many of you may know how hard Dustin has trained for this trip, although you may have some idea from reading his posts on this blog. Dustin trained for over 6 months to gain muscle as well as weight for this trek. He wore those crazy hiking boots everywhere (and I MEAN everywhere) for months trying to break them in. He would lug around a 30 pound backpack on evening walks, running up and down black strap mountain with it on, run on the elliptical machines and snowshoe for hours in the field behind his house in the winter trying to get his cardio up, not to mention the weight of a pack on your hips. He DOUBLED the amount of food he ate everyday, consumed some pretty nauseating protein bars and drank power shakes on a daily basis. He cut out many foods that didn't give additional nutritional value (and we ALL know how much that kid loves the candy) even getting to the point where he actually stopped enjoying food itself. For the most of us, gaining weight seems so simple, I can't tell you how many times I wanted to strangle that boy (sorry Shirley) for not being able to gain weight, must be nice right? Not so much. Watching Dustin struggle with his weight became very worrisome in the last few weeks. If he missed a meal, he would lose up to two pounds, something he worked at for months and months to gain. In the end, it was 6 pounds. 6 pounds in 6 months, and today he makes his trek up to the roof of Africa to accomplish a dream he and his dad have talked about for years.Be careful up there, so you can come home safe to me and share your stories of this once in a lifetime opportunity you have in your hands. We're all thinking about you guys.With love,Stace.