JIMMY AND I began issuing invitations, and eventually, everyone accepted. As the spring and summer of 2001 came on, we met several times to talk about equipment and travel arrangements. We also talked about how to prepare for the trip, physically and mentally.

	Buying our meat supply for the six-day hike up Kilimanjaro.

We even went one day and hiked together through Sam Houston State Park near Huntsville. We got lost twice.

By the end of the trip to Africa, we compiled a long list of lies we had heard or read about Kilimanjaro before the trip. One of them was that anyone in “reasonably good physical shape” could easily make it to the top. We read that somewhere on the Internet, but even at the beginning it didn’t sound right.

Actually, you have to be in pretty good shape to climb the mountain with any degree of comfort. We took six days to reach the summit. You can do it faster, but we wanted extra time to help us acclimatize to the extreme altitude. It’s a long, hard uphill walk over some of the world’s most rugged terrain, and at nearly 20,000 feet, the mountain is higher than any mountain in the lower 48 U.S. states by nearly a mile.

The degree of ruggedness depends upon which of several routes you choose to climb. We chose the most difficult, on purpose, but not really knowing how difficult it would turn out to be.

During the year 2001, all of us worked hard on physical conditioning. Jimmy started running and lifting weights. He, Tom and I regularly showed up for Body Pump classes at Galveston Health and Racquet Club (often taught by my wife, Teri). Harry chose weights and the Stairmaster. Brent ran and Richard did weight work.

Over the spring and summer, I continued my running, dieted, lifted weights and lost 10 pounds. Because Galveston is at sea level and flat, our group had special training challenges for a mountain climb. I began running up and down the Frost Bank parking garage.

A note to wives: If your husband announces he’s going to Africa to climb a mountain, be prepared for him to spend money, lots of it, on a long list of gadgets and gear. My own list included: a Suunto watch that measures everything from altitude to temperature; a new pair of excellent Vasque hiking boots; a zero-degree Wiggy sleeping bag; a fancy bench made knife.

My list actually is a good bit longer than that, but this gives you an idea.

If you travel to Africa, your outfitter probably will give you a list of items you’ll need, but there are several to which you should pay special attention.

They include your boots, sleeping bag and plenty of warm, dry clothing. Whatever you do, do not go mountain climbing with boots that are not comfortable or thoroughly broken in.

When you pack, pack your clothing inside your luggage in waterproof plastic bags.

You should consider gaiters (protection for your ankles) a necessity, not an option. They’re important to keep your boots and trousers dry. You’ll need trekking poles. I didn’t take any, and on the final ascent, I had to borrow one from Galbraith. Trekking poles are vital for balance, and they take a surprising amount of pressure off your legs.

Travel in Africa requires pills for malaria and yellow fever shots, and we got several other shots that were not required.

Finally, I would advise getting visas for both Kenya and Tanzania in advance, from each country’s Washington embassy. I thought that step probably saved us a lot of hassle in getting the visas at border crossing stations.

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