We wanted to feel cold.
Kristy and I wanted to put the “Mount” back into MountOcean and to feel cold, so we’re looking for snow on the equator. Possible? There is only a couple of places in the world where this is feasible, one is Eastern Africa!
Storm in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro
This is a land of stark contrasts. We see farmers harvesting mangos and pineapples – while wearing down parkas and hoods. Everywhere bright vibrant colours of clothing contrast against dark skin tones. We’re in Africa, the hottest continent – and wearing fleece and layering our clothing. We’re near the highest point of land in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro.
We haven’t actually seen or felt snow yet but we know it is close as Kristy sits with Mt. Kilimanjaro looming the in the background. A dark storm has settled into the North-eastern slope blocking our view of the summit, but at the upper elevations there will be fresh snow.
Of course it’s hot at the equator.
In order to find temperatures that could precipitate snow, one must find significant elevation. We decided to take a break from tropical ocean life and get high. Really high. We’ve packed all the warm clothing we had (not much as we left all our snow gear back in Canada) to seek one of the 7- summits. Going to really high elevation is a problem of course. Specifically, we have spent significant time at sea level and our Canadian blood is likely now acclimated to that elevation.
Altitude acclimatization is an interesting physiological process which allows mammals to adapt to a decreased blood oxygen saturation by increasing the number of red blood cells in the body, which helps transfer more oxygen to the organs. This process takes days to weeks depending on the altitude and individual.
While we acclimate to this elevation, we’ll be taking advantage of the wildlife viewing while we’re on Safari in the Afroalpine zone in the higher altitudes of Tanzania.
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