Mt Kilimanjaro—part 1

In my daypack I carried raingear, a lightweight parka, a camelback water bladder and an extra litre bottle of water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, a headlamp, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and a small sketch kit which included a small Moleskine watercolor journal, Staedler pens, a Pentel Pocket Brush pen, (watercolor pencils which I never used) and a small watercolor palette. My pack was not outrageously heavy but every little thing adds up, when you are hiking 4-6 hours a day….uphill.

My good intentions of sketching were slightly curtailed by the fact that we hiked all day and it was cold at night.

Day 1—After a three-hour jeep ride to the start of the climb we all waited around while they weighed our luggage. Not knowing anyone or what to expect of the days to come, I tried to calm my nerves by drawing as we all just waited—not too successful.

I had no idea that this would be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

Every evening we would devour a plate of popcorn and drink tea with powered milk and lots of sugar. I usually managed a quick sketch before dinner and then would huddle in my tent, in my sleeping bag, wearing many layers and usually a hat while I added color by the light of my headlamp before I would finally succumb to sleep usually before nine o’clock.

Camp would come alive very early in the morning. Nature would call and we would all wait as long as possible knowing it would be a cold walk to the outhouse. I brought the “Freshette” which was an alternative to that cold night walk. I am not sure what was the lesser of the two evils…

Beautiful Shira Camp 1 at 11,000 ft. Altitude low enough that it wasn’t too cold to sit outside and sketch before tea and popcorn.

We came out of the dining tent after dinner to see the full moon peek out from behind Kili. We all just stared, as this beautiful moment was happening before or eyes. The cold night air forced me into my tent where I quickly sketched peeking out to check the moon and its light on the landscape.

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 2

Day 3—Shira Camp 2. A short hike acclimating to 12,000 ft. I got a very bad headache from the altitude, which forced me to lie down. With my feet sticking out of the tent the sun was shining and warm as I closed my eyes after taking a handful of Advil, I recovered. We did yoga on the rocks as the sunset waiting for tea and popcorn.

Day 4—A long hike to Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft through the Barranco Valley where giant Senecio plants dot the rugged landscape.

Giant Senecio—Some are up to 30 ft tall.

Lunch and dinner we would always start with the most delicious soup. A new flavor everyday—warm and satisfying after a day of hiking.

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 3

Day 5—The long scramble climb up the steep Barranco Wall to Karanga Camp at 12,200 ft. Foggy, misty and cold.

Day 6—Barafu Hut at 15,200 ft. We had tea at 10:30 pm and left for the summit at 11:30 that night. We reached the summit at 19,341 ft around 6 am as the sun was coming up.

Sketching the mountain in the evening at Barafu Hut. To anxious to sleep.

Day 7—After summiting we rested at Barafu Hut and then the long downhill in the rain to Mweka Camp at 10,000 ft.

Day 8—After a wet night the sun came out and dried our gear for our final hike down to the Mweka Gate and the end of our adventure. A quick sketch of the porter who choose my hat and our amazing guide and leader Richard Vitalis.

Mt Kilimanjaro—the trek to the summit—Climb High, Sleep Low

Jambo everyone

I started this adventure on January 9th in Moshi Tanzania. I met my 8 fellow treking/climbing companions who were 21-32 years old (the 53 year old guy bailed on day 2)—HA! Off we went on a 3 hour jeep ride on a bumpy narrow dirt road to the start of the 8 day Lemosho Route to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro at 19,341 ft. I learned that we would acclimate to the altitude by "climbing high and sleeping low".

Day 2—we came out of the rain forest to get our first glimpse of the mighty mountain that we would eventually summit.

The mountain loomed far away as we made our way to Shira 1 Camp at 11,500 ft. Still amazed that I am in Tanzania Africa and this is the mountain that I am going to climb, while I kept silently asking myself was I going to make it to the summit?

This is my tent where I slept for 8 nights—you can't even imagine...

This was our private bathroom that went from camp to camp with us.

Day 5—Climbing the Barranco Wall with our guides Richard and Johnson. On our way to Karanga Camp at 13,000 ft.

Mt Kilimanjaro—The summit and the long downhill

I made it to the summit walking "slowly" or "pole pole" as they say in Swahili because the air is so thin. 6 1/2 hours straight up to 19,341 ft. It was about -15 with the windchill. We started at 11:30 pm on Jan 14th and summited at 6:00 am and the 15th. The guides and porters all sang beautiful songs as we climbed keeping us motivated and together as a group as it should be. I burst into tears at the top. The young ones, our guides and I all hugged, laughed and cried. I can't help reflecting that the goal had a feeling of elation, excitement and accomplishment, but the journey overflowed with heart and spirit and soul and that is what made me cry. I couldn't have asked for a lovelier group to share that moment at the top of the mountain.
I wore:
Hiking boots and expedition weight socks
2 pairs of long underwear under heavy winter sport pants,
A heavyweight base layer shirt, a fleece jacket, 2 down parkas and a Gortex wind jacket.
Heavy winter sport gloves with liners
A balaclava and a fleece hat with ear flaps
and I was still freezing

On the last day at the last camp we gave the porters gifts of thanks for without them we would not be able to climb the mountain. They carry our stuff, set up the tents, cook our meals and break down camp and move it to the next spot everyday. Many of them carry 40+ lbs on the backs and heads and many only wearing sneakers or worn out shoes. I saw one porter laden with stuff running in a pair of flip-flops.
I gave away my fleece hat to the fashionable porter posing with me in the photo above, my Therma Rest pad (the porter who got that kissed it), my heavyweight winter sport pants, insulated waterproof gloves, fleece pants, a down parka and my beloved Asolo hiking boots. They need that stuff so much more than I.

It was an amazing experience that taught me so much about survival, spirit and will. I clearly realized I am stronger than I thought, I can survive on very little creature comforts, that there are truly wonderful people and places to meet and discover all over this planet and most importantly that it is actually okay to eat some carbs...sometimes...hakuna matata.

Sketches coming soon.

Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro

Today, I start my journey to Tanzania Africa to climb Mt. Kilimajaro. It is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and is 19,341 ft. I will be 8 days on the mountain, sleeping in a tent. I am in good shape, both nervous and excited with a good dose of "what was I thinking". I am looking forward to putting one foot in front of the other, a little self reflection along the way with a good bit of exercise. With all good intentions I have my sketching kit in my pack and hope to journal my trek.

See you in a week and a half.

A California Christmas

I spent Christmas visiting my family in the San Francisco Bay Area. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. They have lived there for 55 years and married for 60—wow! Not much time for sketching except for my afternoon with Myrna Wacknov.

I did notice that the next door neighbor's had three pomegranate trees, the branches laden with fruit bursting open with juicy red seeds. And like the rest of the neighborhood I helped my self to an armful, but I waited until dark. I brought them inside and painted them while we cooked dinner.

I brought my dog, Sophie, with me. Being only 14 lbs she fits easily in a carrier and under the seat on the plane. She was fairly appalled when I shoved her in a carrier and then gave me the face through the mesh openings. Once on the plane she fell asleep only to wake up once and of course give me the face, again. Once in California, she had a great time romping at the dog park everyday and having many people to pay attention to her, take naps with and laps to crawl in.

On our walks around the neighborhood I noticed these wonderful Ponerosa pine cones and once again was stealing from the neighbors.

We had the best time.

My amazing family.

Sketching with Myrna Wacknov

Myrna posing with our sketches

I was fortunate enough to meet up with an internet friend, the talented and accomplished artist and teacher, Myrna Wacknov of Creativity Journey, while visiting my family in California. We met at the Cantor Museum at Stanford University and had a great time discussing art and creativity, looking through each others sketchbooks and sketching materials and sharing thoughts and ideas. With a bottle of ink in the middle of the table we experimented with drawing instruments while sketching each other in the warm California sun.

I sketched Myrna with a natural bamboo pen and ink. Then used the dreaded waterbrush to add watercolor.

Myrna sketched me with a wooden coffee stirrer and then added watercolor with a sable travelbrush along with a container of water. I had major brush envy...

Thank you Myrna for an outstanding creative sketch/visit.

Walking in the Maine woods

Walking through the woods to the lake, there is a spot where the ground is covered with a thick soft layer of pines needles from a grove of Eastern White Pines. We can not hear our footsteps and these lovely pine cones are scattered everywhere. I gathered as many as would fit in the hood of my parka.

Portrait of a friend.

Home

Every week I communte to Potomac Maryland for work. An hour plane ride and on a good day it is only 45 minutes from the Baltimore airport to work. The traffic in the greater DC area is unbelievably conjested and the slightest drizzle can turn an hour commute into 2+ hours. You can imagine what it must be like when it snows. Last winter some of my collegues had an 8 hour commute home. I, on the otherhand, was stranded and not getting home at all.

It is always wonderful when I look out the window and see this view. The islands dotting the Casco Bay and Portland harbor. A beautiful sight and a sigh of relief, knowing I will soon be home.

A fall weekend in the country

I spent a weekend in the Belgrade Lakes Region in central Maine. Beautiful lakes dotted with cottages and surrounded by mountains to the north and west. We hiked the trails through the woods and along the lake on that warm November day. I haven't had much time to sketch at all recently with work and travel, so my drawing skills have taken a hit.

But I did learn to drive a tractor...

Hiking in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

Living in Maine has given me the opportunity to spend wonderful times hiking in the spectacular White Mountains of New Hampshire. One of my favorite things to do is a long hike with friends and stay overnight at one of the AMC huts along the Appalachian Trail. Upon arrival, I usually race into the hut to secure one of the highly coveted lower bunks and then I can enjoy the rest of the day and the amazing views.

View looking east towards the Presidentials and Mt Washington

We hiked the Gale River Trail to Twin Mountain and stayed overnight at the Galehead Hut. A beautiful hike straight up a rocky trail to 4,000 ft along the Gale River. Warm early summer day at the bottom and quite cold and wintery at the top. Temperatures dipped into the 20's that night and we awakened to a dustimg of snow on the peaks.

Hiking with my wonderful friend Patti and her brother Peter. We had so much fun being outdoors, putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the spectacular views as we acended to the hut. The walk back down the next day had the challege of being a little icy and slippery, but at the bottom it was warm and sunny and we were starving so we enjoyed a picnic before heading home.

These boots have taken me miles in the mountains and are amazingly comfortable, but it is always great to take them off at the end of a long day on the trail. I always bring something cozy and comfortable to wear around the hut at night.
I sketched as the siblings played cribbage.

Here I am at the top with prayer flags woven by my friend Sarah Haskell for her project Woven Voices—Messages from the Heart. Her amazing prayer flags are woven by a community of weavers from written messages of peace. They are hanging all over the world unraveling and releasing messages of hope, peace and renewal. The flags hung outside the hut overnight, however, I could not leave her flags up on the mountain because of "Leave No Trace". Soon, I will take these flags to another mountain...

Down by the sea

My little white dog, Sophie, absolutely loves the beach, but has never had much of an inclination to go in the ocean or any other large body of water. She will race up and down along the waters edge, roll in seaweed and any other unidentifiable beach debris, snatch and eat a sea urchin that the tide has pushed onshore and I have found her in a pile of mussel shells and seaweed chewing on the bone of a bird. Never much more than a toe getting wet, she can make the most of a walk on the beach.

One afternoon, my friend Patti carried her out and set her in the water and she swam like hell back to the shore. Her little legs started going before she even hit the water—hilarious!

End of summer blues

Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. Here in Maine the days are still warm, but they are getting shorter and the sun is lower in the sky. There is that gold autumn cast to the atmosphere. The dreaded end of summer blues have set in...

Not all has been blue this weekend like sushi and champagne at Miyake on Friday night.

Very blue hydrangeas at a friends house in Georgetown Maine.

Sketching on the beach today at Pupit Rock in Cape Elizabeth.

Here is the rock that Pulpit Rock derives its name. While sketching it, I looked up and remarked to my friends that I didn't think it was very pretty. I believe I heard the word "ugly" mumbled. Here I was sitting on a private beach, looking at the shipping channel into the Casco Bay and the many islands downeast, sketching a big ugly outcropping of rock and I couldn't have asked for a lovelier place to be on the planet.

As always the "end of summer blues" cast an unsettling shadow as I watch the sunset over the rooftops of Portland and the close of another wonderful summer in Maine.

Farewell summer!

"Somewhere over the Rainbow"

Weston B. Haskell 111 1953-2011

My dear friend Sarah's brother Weston was killed in a tragic accident last week. Her family is devatated by the loss of this amazing man/brother/son/father/uncle and friend. Though, I only met Weston once at a party on the island, I felt as though I had known him forever. It is always hard to know what to do to console people in their grief, except to tell them that you care and that you are there for them if they need you.

I decided to do this portrait of Wes and bring it to the service. I asked Sarah's husband Ben about the polka dot hat and should I use that image as reference and he said "Yes, Wes loved that hat". Sure enough, at the lovely touching service today, over half the people were wearing these crazy polka dot hats while we all sang "Somewhere over the Rainbow"

Some where over the rainbow

Way up high,

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue,

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far

Behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops

Away above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Bluebirds fly.

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly

Beyond the rainbow

Why, oh why can't I?

And then everybody danced to the music of the Fabulous Icons Blues Band and the winds of Hurricane Irene.

Godspeed Weston.

Lisbon folding sketch book

I spent 3 days in Lisbon before the Internationl Sketchers Symposium, sightseeing, sketching and eating the most delicious food. I happened to take a folding sketch book with me and decided that I needed to complete it before the Symposium started. It was a very different process for me but found I enjoyed the challenge.

A fellow sketcher took this photo of me with my crazy fold out sketch book during one of our workshops. I did not have time to put color into it until I got home. I have been so busy with work that it has only been worked on sporadically. Tonight it was finished and then I had the arduos task of figuring out how to post it...

It is not exactly the way I would like it. Funny crops etc. but for now it is okay. I really need to research this process a bit more...when I can find the time...

International Urban Sketching Symposium—Lisbon

I am back from attending the Urban Sketching Symposium in Lisbon Portugal. What an amazing experience! I arrived early and spent three days exploring the city, eating the most delicious food and sketching. Then three days sketching with close to 200 very talented people. Lucky me!!!

Sketch Crawl: On the last afternoon of the Symposium we gathered at the Praco do Comercio for the 32nd World Wide Sketch Crawl. People sketching everywhere.

Shopping: I noticed many people wearing Birkenstiocks for walking the steep cobblestone streets of Lisbon so I joined in with a pair of a fashionable black pantent style. The talented Omar Jamarillo was working his watercolor magic with a large squirrel hair brush so I had to give that a try. Maybe I can paint like Omar—HA!

Food: Lisbon has the most delicious food. All of which I would not normally eat. Most meals started with bread, cheese, olives and a dry cured ham called Presunto. When in Lisbon...

Stuff happens: I played hooky from one of the lecture/presentations one afternoon for a delicious cup of coffee in the shade of an umbrella near the school—I needed a pick-me-up. When I walked back in to join the workshops, it was pointed out that I had a huge smudge of something that could be pencil or charcoal on my nose. I wonder how long that was there...

More to come of my amazing trip to Lisbon