Kilimanjaro Report post Posted July 17, 2006 Well, we conquered the mountain!! We did a quick trip up to Flagstaff to see if we could put Az's highest point under the belt.. It was great weather and a great day for a hike. Beautiful forest and was a welcome relief from the raging desert heat. Even heard a few male blue grouse "hootin" from the treetops! We almost got pushed off a couple of times by monsoon storms, but they moved on and we made it to the top before any more decided to move on in.. With Humphreys under the belt, we now have done AZ @12,633 ft Humphreys Peak , NM @ 13,161ft. Wheeler peak, and TX @ 8,749 ft. Gudalupe peak.. Next on the list is a big one (14K+) in either CO or CA.. Here we are at the start of the climb. Here is a pic of a helo coming for a rescue mission. The gentleman had fallen and split his knee to the bone and was the worst cut I had ever seen in person before. It was over halfway around his knee and was over 2 inches wide. His kneecap was fully exposed. But, he was in good spirits and just had to catch a quick ride in the helo to get that thing stiched up! Just a scenery pic from the trail.. ON TOP OF THE HIGHEST PEAK IN AZ!! The bad part of this trip was my feet. I have been trying to get a pair of Meidels broke in since Feb.. I thought I had them broke in enough to finally do a hike in them, but that was not the case. I got the worst blisters I've ever had from these boots. I will never buy another pair of Meindels again and will stick to either my Vasques or my Columbias to do any more of my hiking in. If anybody wants an almost brand new pair of Meidels, just look in my trash can. They're all yours! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ernesto C Report post Posted July 17, 2006 Congratulations to all of you Scotty on another job well done and nice pictures as usual. Hey Scotty,the only thing you were missing was your CWT.com flag..............maybe for the next peak Ernesto C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron G. Report post Posted July 17, 2006 Good job on summitting! Weather this time of year can be the biggest detractor. Last time I was coming down a woman was heading up and her hair was standing up. When we saw that we quickened the pace to get down quick. Ron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daryl_s Report post Posted July 17, 2006 Those are some sweet pictures. Cool story too, thanks for postin'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZP&Y Report post Posted July 18, 2006 Hey Scottyboy, Outstanding!!. Nice summit. That peak demands the utmost respect, wind, rain, lightning and of course blizzard snows at certain times of the year. The 50 year avalanche (2 years ago) devastated the Abineau/Bear jaw trail snapped the ponderosa like match sticks (on the north side of Humphreys) and that trail is still virtually impassable a year and half later. You should consider Mt. Whitney in Cali. Mt. Whitney is the most frequently climbed peak in the Sierra Nevada, if not in the US. Because of this, the National Park Service and the US Forest Service, who manage the Whitney Portal Trailhead, have implemented a permit system to minimize the impact of day-hikers on the Mt. Whitney backcountry. All hikers entering the Mt. Whitney zone, including day-hikers, are required to obtain a permit. Mt. Whitney can be most directly reached by a 10.7 mile (17.1 km) trail from Whitney Portal, 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Lone Pine on the east side of the Sierra. Ice axes and crampons are needed in spring and early summer, but technical climbing equipment is not usually necessary between mid-July and early October. The elevation at the trailhead is 8360' (2550 meters). The elevation at the summit is 14,491' (4417 meters). As for real comfortable hiking shoes I cannot say enough about Vasque. After 125 miles on the Arizona Trail they are the bomb. Soak those tired feet in Epsom and you'll be ready for another summit in no time ! I actually like Humphreys in the Winter time ( brrrr ) but hey you want solitude ? It's there! Take care and Thanx for sharing your adventure! Stay safe down in the zone PS- Nice Honeymoon pics! AzP&Y Doug Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted July 18, 2006 Where did you guys stay the night in flagstaff at congrats on that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter4life Report post Posted July 19, 2006 Nice pictures, it looks like you had a good trip!! You are one up on me for state high points. I have done Guadalupe Peak several times and Wheeler peak a bunch of times, but not Humphrey's. I have also done a few fourteeners in CO and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340), which is the highest peak in Africa. Are those the Meindel Alaska Hunters that you have? I have walked the soles off quite a few pairs of Meindls and find that they fit my feet well, and I find that Vasques don't agree with me. It might just be that your feet aren't the right shape to do well in Meindls. I would be happy to take them off your hands if they are between size 9.5 to 11.5 as either my brother or myself could use them depending on what size they are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kilimanjaro Report post Posted July 19, 2006 hunter4life, you lucky devil!! We are planning on doing a fourteener either in CO or CA as our next big hike either in Sept or next spring ... In the meantime, I may go and do Guadalupe again for the fun of it. There are 4 of us that are seriously looking at a trip to Tanzania in 2008 to knock down Kilimanjaro. That is a mountain that I have dreamed of climbing since I was a little kid. How was it?? A great expirence?? If you could give us some info on who you went with and all that, that would be great as well.. A far as the Meidels go, they are basically brand new.. They are size 11, but these came sraight out of Germany and they say size 10, but that is the Euro size. They are crampon adaptable as well. Friggin' awesome boots, but they just don't fit my feet right for some reason.. They are the true Perfekts form Germany. Not the ones from Cabelas. You can't buy them in the US, but I found a company in Vancouver, British Columbia that sells them. Let me know if you are interested. Cuz I sure ain't gonna be wearing them again!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter4life Report post Posted July 21, 2006 Climbing Kilimanjaro was a great experience!! It was really neat going from rainforest up to glaciers and back in the course of 6 days. I climbed it in 1999 with my dad and brother. We used a tour company called Wild Frontiers that is based in South Africa because it was quite a lot cheaper than any of the US tour companies that we could find. I will have to dig out some of the pictures from our trip and get them posted. I am still interested in the boots, I will send you a PM. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kilimanjaro Report post Posted July 21, 2006 I've been wanting to do that climb since I can remember.. Hook me up with some info if ya can find it and POST SOME PICS OF THAT CLIMB!! Just PM me about the boots and we'll get together.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
