Meet our Kilimanjaro Team

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Have you heard this one? How many Tanzanians does it take to get 4 Dallasites up a mountain? 31. And I am NOT joking. Granted, 2 of those extras were for the Trieb Mahal (more on that later), but even with our best efforts to pack minimally, this little trek takes a VILLAGE to pull off, because what you bring with you as a trekker is just the tip of the iceberg.

Kilimanjaro Team: The guys in orange are our porters - 26 of them along with two guides, a cook, a waiter, and a camp manager.
The guys in orange are our porters – 26 of them along with two guides, a cook, a waiter, and a camp manager.

The porters carried not only our luggage, they carried the sleeping, dining, and toilet tents; the chairs and tables used in camp; the gear needed to cook meals and the food that went into them; the safety equipment and … a biggie… water (see the big yellow containers in the picture above).

The more trekkers in a group, the fewer porters per trekker. While one trekker can require 12 porters, after the group reaches 6, only 1-2 additional porters are required per additional trekker.

A few of our porters on the trail. They could balance these bags on their heads for hours.
A few of our porters on the trail. They could balance these bags on their heads for hours.

The head of our support team was our lead guide Pendael Lauwo… what a special treat for us. “Penda” carries on a family tradition started by his grandfather in 1889. Yohana Kinyala Lauwo was the head guide for Hans Meyer, the German recognized as the first (white, European) person to reach the Kili summit, in 1889. You can read more about Penda and Yohana, who lived to be 125, here: http://blog.thomsonsafaris.com/kilimanjaro/kilimanjaro-guides-lauwo-family-tradition.

Kilimanjaro Team: The Dallas crew poses with Penda before the big event.
Our trekking crew poses with Penda before the big event.

Our great friend Will Taylor, on the left, is the President of Khashana Adventure Travel, and Anne-Marie is a family friend of Will’s who was the Kili veteran among us… this was her 2nd trip up Kili! Her experience and advice were invaluable, and she was kind enough to hang back with us old folks when she could have gone up and down the mountain 3 times to our 1.

Kilimanjaro Team: Anne-Marie and I pose with our assistant guide whose name is Godlisten.
Anne-Marie and I pose with our assistant guide whose name is Godlisten.
Posing with our cook, John. His meals were terrific and especially so considering the lack of a fixed kitchen.
Posing with our cook, John. His meals were terrific and especially so considering the lack of a fixed kitchen.
Notice the egg cartons on the back of this porter's pack.
Notice the egg cartons on the back of this porter’s pack.

Yes, real eggs, above 15,000 feet….

Our Kili Outfitter: Nature Discovery

  Trip created by our travel pros, Khashana Adventure Travel. To see more view our other posts or visit their web site.

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