Yes I can...Yes I can...Yes I can...Friday January 8

Welcome Cindy Travel-Blog readers!

In less than one month I will be off on yet another wild & wholly excursion this time to a more far-away spot than ever before...Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania. Bill, mountain man husband of mine, successfully persuaded me to go along and I said "OK but I gotta bring my trainer & buddy Donna!". He enthusiastically agreed! Joining us is neighbor and former Uruguay Ambassador Frank Baxter (73) and Bill's great friend from Williams College days (now living in SF) Jimmy Marver, and Reid, Frank's brother in law from Topeka Kansas. We will be led by Kurt Wedberg of Sierra Mountaineering, and his associate Sara, and praise God lots of Porters!

Kilimanjaro, a national park and a World Heritage Site, is Africa's highest mountain, the world's tallest freestanding mountain, and one of the world's largest volcanoes. It is one of the world's Seven Summits. The trek upwards passes through a cloud forest, alpine moorland, high desert, and a barren summit zone to reach the peak - Uhuru Peak "the roof of Africa".

We depart from LA on Saturday, February 6... land in Amsterdam and spend the night at an Airport Radisson, and then leave the next afternoon for Tanzania. We will land in the town of Moshi, which is the home of the Chagga people (most if not all of the porters are from the Chagga tribe), and the center of the region's successful coffee production industry.

After our climb (and hopefully summit - at 19,340 feet YIKES) we will take a 2 day safari - needless to say I'm bringing my camera and hope to provide you all with lots of great shots! (don't count on a photo of me at the summit though...I'm a bit nervous I'll get altitude sickness but I'll go as far up as I can manage, and then return to base camp and work furiously on the needlepoint ornaments for the ladies!) We return home on Friday, February 19.

We've been doing a lot of hiking & climbing to prepare for this trip. Yesterday we climbed up Sandstone Peak, which is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountain range at 3111 feet. The view was incredible, as we were blessed with a clear & sunny day. This hike is located just up from Neptune's Net on the PCH.

Here's a photo of Donna and I and Bill on Sandstone Peak. Onward & Upward!!