A weekend in Blankenberge, a trek through Antarctica or a camel ride through the Sahara. It needs little explanation that certain trips are a little more preparation than others. Forwarding journeys take time. Certainly in preparation.
Pushing boundaries
Nico Verdoes, a pilot for a major airline, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain at almost 6,000 metres, in early February 2013. "That mountain had been smiling at me for years when I flew past it. I often said to my co-pilots that I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa, one day." After a long flight to Tanzania, his employer gave him five days of rest on site before the return flight. You could hardly call it rest, because he used those five days to undertake the climbing trip together with two friends. "Five days is the absolute minimum. We couldn't have any problems or we could forget the summit."
Nico Verdoes is an athletic man who regularly walks long distances, but he realised that it would take more than a good basic physical condition to start the expedition. He started walking long distances and sought out heights to practice. "Covering kilometres and stepping over high dunes more than thirty times. Ideal for building muscle mass." He also lost six kilos in three months and did not drink a drop of alcohol. Yet he soon realised that these things would not become his greatest enemy. "Of course, you look up a lot on the internet," Verdoes says. "And then you come to altitude sickness. Enemy number one of mountain climbers."
Altitude sickness occurs because the air pressure decreases as one rises and, consequently, so does the oxygen in the air one breathes. Less oxygen in the blood causes unpleasant symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and fatigue. In severe cases, there is only one solution: descend.
Verdoes felt the pinch and went looking for a solution. He ended up at a Belgian company that specialises in altitude tents. "On my advice, I went to sleep at home for a month in a high altitude tent where low-oxygen air is blown in. You can adjust the height of the tent. The first days you set it at 2000 metres and you systematically increase the pressure so that your body can quietly adapt to low oxygen air. The tent was my salvation because I had no problems during the climb. My two comrades, on the other hand, had it coming."
Also important in the preparation is the equipment that you take with you during the trip. When climbing the Kilimanjaro you start in the jungle of Tanzania. The climb evolves over a moon landscape and ends in a relief with glaciers and a thick layer of snow. “You start in a t-shirt at a temperature of 30 degrees and high humidity and you end up at 6000 meters at a fresh -20 degrees. Thermal clothing and good equipment are absolutely necessary whether you make it or not. "
Despite the exhaustion, he and his friends reached the top of the mountain after three days of climbing. “Fantastic to experience a sunrise on the highest peak of Kilimanjaro. Unbelievable. ”The descent was another tough one anyway, but once downstairs, he proudly looked back on his performance. “The first thing I did when I came down? Drink a beer, the local 'Kilimanjaro'. (laughs).
Also important in the preparation is the equipment that you take with you during the trip. When climbing the Kilimanjaro you start in the jungle of Tanzania. The climb evolves over a moon landscape and ends in a relief with glaciers and a thick layer of snow. “You start in a t-shirt at a temperature of 30 degrees and high humidity and you end up at 6000 meters at a fresh -20 degrees. Thermal clothing and good equipment are absolutely necessary whether you make it or not. "
Despite the exhaustion, he and his friends reached the top of the mountain after three days of climbing. “Fantastic to experience a sunrise on the highest peak of Kilimanjaro. Unbelievable. ”The descent was another tough one anyway, but once downstairs, he proudly looked back on his performance. “The first thing I did when I came down? Drink a beer, the local 'Kilimanjaro'. (laughs).
Nancy Jans is completely devoted to trekking through the desert. In 2004 she traveled through the desert in Algeria, near the Libyan border, for the first time. In the meantime, she has had a dozen hikes through the Sahara. "Stepping through the desert is slowing down," she says. “During the entire journey you disconnect yourself from all comfort and modern incentives. The desert is one of the few places on earth where there is no range for telephones. So you can completely forget mobile phones, facebook, twitter or internet. I don't even take a watch with me. "
Through her experiences, Nancy now accompanies desert trips. No sinecure and special preparations are absolutely necessary. “Water is only for drinking and cooking. You don't wash, but the desert sand never really gets you dirty. Desert travelers must really focus on a lack of water and a minimum of comfort. "
The advantage is that you do not have to carry a lot of luggage. A gala costume for dining in the evening is out of the question. “Light clothing that covers the body. You need that. A scarf that the Bedouin wearing is ideal. ”In addition to the lead sun and fatigue, people in the group sometimes get sick or have to deal with a violent sandstorm. “That is part of it, but it makes the journey really tough. You simply cannot go back on a hiking trip. If you get sick, you just have to continue. No matter how difficult it is. If something happens, then there is never any help. You need to realize that in advance. ”
For Nancy Jans, the cliché image of the desert as a large sandbox is absolutely wrong. She has fallen in love with the all-embracing silence. “Sometimes it hurts to notice how quiet it is. Also at night. Then it is wonderful to sleep under that starry sky. You can't be closer to nature. "
Daan Vanslembrouck - Het Nieuwsblad / The standard
