Mark and I don’t have a shared bucket list, per se. Sure we know where the other one dreams of traveling to or what goals we have individually and collectively, but we have not proactively planned to “check items off” a list...except Mount Kilimanjaro.

My parents were married on May 28, 1972 in the Boston Arboretum. Surrounded by family and friends, they hosted a celebration that I still hear their friends call: “the best party ever”. Shortly thereafter, despite all life’s challenges and responsibilities, and with little financial cushion, they opted to test their young marriage in Africa. That’s right folks, my parents climbed the “Highest Point in Africa” only a few months after getting married and more than a year prior to Kilimanjaro even being declared a National Park (in 1973).

The cover image for this post is a photo I can see in my mind. Throughout my life, in every home we shared, this photo has hung in our family room. As I craft this, I realize that the photo is not only a reminder of a major challenge they faced together, but it is a trophy of sorts, reminding them what they can achieve when they work together. No matter the meaning, I grew up knowing I would climb that same mountain, and hoped it would be with my life partner.

Flash forward 35-years, and zoom in on Mark Thomas Colaço, eagerly sharing ideas for our 2018 international trip:
“Hong Kong,” he offered, rather excitedly.
“No thanks.” I quickly shot down the idea as if it were a clay disc floating above.
“Morocco?” He tried again, as hopeful as boy on Christmas Eve.
“I don’t think so,” I rebuke, without a second thought.

[And a brief note: I realize how LUCKY I am to have a husband who likes to travel and wants to travel with me. I also appreciate that we have the flexibility and means to do embark on such journeys. This is meant to be amusing...and a bit self-deprecating...please don’t think us ungrateful. So we continued...]

“So where would you like to go,” he inquired, clearly knowing his other ideas would be met with similar dismissals.
“Well,” I start with some trepidation, only raising Mark’s concern, and eyebrows, “you know I’ve always wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.”

“What?!? It would be fun. My parents did it...and survived!” I offer as if that improves my sales pitch.

“And we could extend our stay on the continent. Neither of us have been to Africa. This is the perfect time. We are both in shape. We love each other. Flights are probably reasonable. Are flights reasonable? We love each other.” I don’t remember breathing or stopping; maybe I was subconsciously starting my training.

Though the conversation didn’t end there, that’s enough of a synopsis for this story. A few days later, Mark presented me with some date options and more research than requires to start a government agency, and we were off and running.

When we plan an international trip, we of course consider the political climate and world affairs. We accepted that for the climb portion of the trip, we had to visit Tanzania; the destination and activity post-climb left us a bit ambivalent. We knew we wanted to go on a safari but we also wanted to experience as much of the African continent as possible. Considering that we planned this trip on Fall 2017 for February 2018, we decided that, for this trip, our safest bet would be to stay in Tanzania for all of our activities and spend only a couple of nights in Nairobi at both the beginning and the end of the trip.

So, here we are, January 29, 2018 preparing to leave for our trip. I don’t think since our wedding have I put this much thought in to an “event”. It feels like I made Google Spreadsheets to track our Google Spreadsheets. We searched every sporting goods site and store for the “right” gear; the saving grace to this step is knowing we will give much of these items to our team of porters at the end of this trip. We packed, and repacked, to ensure that our duffle bags weighed less than the 15kgs allowed for they climb. We hoarded plastic bags and packing cubes in an effort to be as organized as possible. We received more vaccines than needed 4-years ago when we went to India. This process has changed so much in Charlotte — if you have questions, let us know!

And most notably, we supplemented our regular aerobic and cross-training routines with more trail walks and “mountain” climbs. For better or worse, living at 700 ft above sea level, Charlotte keeps us pretty sheltered from attitude. Though we plan to take diamoxy to proactively combat altitude sickness. We have no idea what to expect from this adventure, but that ambiguity seems to fuel our pairing of excitement and nervousness.

It is our intention to post regularly to this blog, but we don’t know what internet connections will be and, frankly, we may want to simply be present in Africa. Either way, we be sure to take many notes and share our experiences upon our return. We hope you have a great few weeks...next stop, Kilimanjaro!

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