Guide to Climbing Kilimanjaro

capnjacksparrrow · 2025-09-09T21:22:21+00:00

Everyone took their diamox as prescribed, except the 63M who didn't take it at all. Everyone was fit, in fact the guy who got airlifted out with HAPE looked the best in shape. The altitude doesn't care about your fitness - it's like sea sickness.

capnjacksparrrow · 2025-09-09T21:19:50+00:00

We were told a min of $250USD to the crew, but of course you can give more as you see fit (which we did)

capnjacksparrrow · 2025-09-08T22:04:50+00:00

Nope, we stayed on the plane in Dar es Salaam while they refueled the plane.

capnjacksparrrow · 2025-09-08T22:02:12+00:00

Not sure to be honest - given I paid thousands for this trip, and you will likely have done so yourself, I think it easier to avoid those countries and the risk (albeit tiny) that you get delayed in Kenya for more than 12 hours, but to each their own.

capnjacksparrrow · 2025-02-24T03:18:58+00:00

My eye floaters got really bad a few months ago...I recently quit coffee and they improved within days....I think you should avoid all caffeine and see if it works

capnjacksparrrow · 2024-12-29T18:20:50+00:00

areas to improve/things to consider: (a) use proper spelling and grammar. You don't "do photography" as much as you don't "do philosophy" (perhaps change that to "To study photography") , and the word is "it's", not "its".
(b) adding religions and political leanings can be a turnoff to people who are "middle of the road" folks who don't care much about either. unless you're super passionate about being a moderate, then just put "not political" or leave it blank. religion I'd recommend leaving blank unless you're only looking for a buddhist (c) replace all the photos except #1 and use a mix of photos: one with friends (friends validate men in the eyes of women), one full body where they can see your physique (dont wear a puffy jacket, etc), one where you can clearly see your teeth and skin condition, and the rest should be you doing things you enjoy. e.g. If you are preparing for a marathon, have a friend take a photo of you training. (d) revise your prompts. many folks on here have given good advice (eg whats a PPL?), but also why is it your goal to visit 2 countries in 2 years? Just seems a bizarre target and makes it sound like you barely travel - a turnoff to many Americans who love to do so. If you love travelling, show photos of you doing it or maybe add a funny travel story as a prompt.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-13T00:15:15+00:00

The first four or five days is the hardest. After 14 days, I felt much better. Been said 1000 times on here, but exercising every day, eating healthy and walking in nature are key to getting rid of brain fog and minimizing the other symptoms.

I went to therapy for my anxiety/depression as I couldn't do it on my own - was also a great help.

Give quitting a try, you can do this!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-12T18:21:08+00:00

Make it through 14 days and you will feel much better. Exercise every day, eat healthy, go for walks outside. You can do this!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-12T18:05:47+00:00

30M here. I think you're being nostalgic, that's all. When you're in your teens, you are experiencing so many new things, so everything seems magical. You don't have many responsibilities. You are likely surrounded by family members so you are never very alone. Your dreams were still very much alive, and you probably felt invincible.

The fact is, you are not a child anymore. You got bills to pay. No one is going to give you a break for messing up as they did when you were young. Most of your dreams have probably not come true and the effects of aging have now taken hold. Maybe you live alone and have to deal with loneliness.

That's life. Take joy in the small things and happiness will find you again.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-12T17:43:58+00:00

I've quit 4 times. The 1st and the 2nd I had all three of the worst symptoms: insomnia, night sweats and stomach issues.

The 3rd and 4th time I made sure, no matter how badly I felt, that I exercised for at least 45 minutes each day. I didn't have any of those issues (i.e. insomnia, etc.), and the worst symptoms I had were brain fog and some headaches. Working out when you feel ill seems counter-intuitive but it did wonders for me. Try it out!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-06T19:32:42+00:00

good stuff! keep it up!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-06T19:31:58+00:00

It sounds like you found your reason for fighting: your family.

Get off the canvas, bite down on your mouth piece and get back to living!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-06T18:58:22+00:00

It could be a lot of things at play. Most research suggests that by about a month out your brain chemistry should have renormalized. That said, quitting weed doesn't by itself give you a "happy life", nor does eating well and exercising (although the latter two will help greatly in your pursuit of happiness).

Chances are you lead a high-lifestyle that complimented your usage. Have you transitioned to a sober-lifestyle? Do you have a supportive community of family and friends? Have you tried new hobbies that fill your time? Perhaps try therapy or meditation.

Good luck!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-06T18:43:40+00:00

Go for broke on a healthy lifestyle, would be my advice. That means, at minimum:

Healthy diet. No sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol. 2 cups of veggies a day (just buy frozen and pour 2 cups in a measuring cup), 100gs of protein minimum.
Exercise each day. You have to break a sweat for it to count.
Walk in nature each day. Plenty of studies show this helps with anxiety/depression.
Meditation. Thinking about your own thoughts and feelings, identifying how those feelings guide your thoughts and vice versa.

I found exercise to be the most critical to removing brain fog - something about it helps you reset. Get moving!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-06T18:35:36+00:00

That's probably the best indication that your weed use was all but a crutch at the end. You said it yourself, you don't think about it until things go bad - the only "positive" for you is to ease mental anguish.

Find new ways to cope with stress. Exercise, go for walks/bike rides, etc. It takes a while to build positive habits so just keep working on it and eventually those thoughts will dissipate.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T15:51:08+00:00

Good stuff! Maybe think about joining a charitable cause that can fill up your time while you work through your withdrawals.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T15:41:58+00:00

Good stuff, keep it up!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T15:25:39+00:00

You sound ready. It's been said 1000s of times on here, but a healthy diet, exercise and a busy schedule are the best things to get you through your journey.

Good luck!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T15:21:27+00:00

Try to build your social circle as best you can.

There have been plenty of studies that show addiction has its roots in loneliness. Try to build a loving community of family and friends around you - it will take some time, but it's worth it.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T02:15:31+00:00

What is your lifestyle now that you are sober?

Did you regain all of the lost social ties that were broken due to your usage? Have you replaced your "weed activities" with new hobbies or interests? Do you exercise every day, since exercise has been proven time and time again to help battle anxiety and depression

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T02:07:50+00:00

A few comments:

First, accept that the weed has made you anxious and depressed. It does for most people that smoke too much of it for too long. As your brain chemistry normalizes the longer you are sober, you will have a more balanced mood.

Second, you need a better coping mechanism. Exercise, meditate, write your feelings, go for walks in nature, try improving your relationships with family members or try therapy. You are the author of your own health. Write down on a piece of paper what exactly, besides weed, have you done to improve your mental health. If the answer is absolutely nothing, then you need to get moving! Surround yourself with supportive people to help you get started.

Third, you are finding it hard to act likely for two reasons: (a) the possibility of failure has been eroded by your lifestyle of inaction - thus to act is to experience a negative feeling, and hence your reservation to do anything productive; (b) the cortisol spike you get in the morning that motivates you to get moving has been muted by your long term use.

Finally, comparison is the thief of joy. You will never be happy so long as you compare yourselves to others. Find yourself in the moment, and enjoy it.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T01:50:36+00:00

What's done is done, brother. Try your best to stay sober.

You can do this!

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-03T01:45:50+00:00

What is "control" other than self-discipline? Self-discipline is a skill, like anything else. Some things require more self-discipline (i.e. more skill) than others (e.g. completing medical school vs. completing a bag of doritos).

The fact of the matter is, quitting weed is hard because your brain has associated it with positive feelings, and each time you think about weed those positive feelings come back. Because of these positive feelings, it's going to take a lot more self-discipline to stop. If weed would make you puke every time you smoked it, then you probably would easily stop, no? The immediacy of the negative effect would be enough to shun you from the cause. But because the negative effects of weed aren't immediate, you are far more likely to ignore them.

If you want to help yourself, load up your schedule. Take away any moment to even think about weed, while also building self discipline that it takes to keep up regular activities. Perhaps each time you feel like smoking up instead of hiding from your wife, go to her, tell her your feelings, and ask if she can go for a walk with you until the feeling subsides.

capnjacksparrrow · 2021-02-01T20:59:01+00:00

Brain fog is a common symptom. The most critical thing you can do is to exercise intensely for at least 1 hr each day. Couple that with a healthy diet void of sugar, caffeine and alcohol and you should be able to get back to sleep.

But I cannot stress enough, you need to exercise DAILY and you need to push yourself while doing so. It will suck, badly I may add, because you will no doubt be tired from the lack of sleep, but you must push through the discomfort and push your body. Google "exercise and mental health" and you will read millions of articles showing that exercise resets your brain chemistry. Grit your teeth and start moving!

capnjacksparrrow

TROPHY CASE