Listen I am really sorry... but I have not been able to send out any pictures to anyone because I did a stupid thing! I saved all of my pictures on one DVD not thinking about the fact that my computer does not have a DVD DRIVE!!!!! Yea I know smooth right???
Well I have since downloaded them on to a portable hard drive from a comp. with a DVD drive and now that I have gotten them home to my house I was trying to put them on my computer and well I forgot the power cord to the Hard drive at my house in Westchester....
So when I get the pictures I will make an album and post them on Snapfish.... So have no worries I havent left you out...
If you read my blog and you dont get an email from me about my pics in a few weeks then just email me or comment and tell me you want some pics... I will be happy to send you an invite to view them on Snap Fish.....
C-Ya
Gio
Monday, May 7, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
The Peak
Hey everyone. Things have just flown by this past week, but I really wanted to throw all of the details from the Mt. Kenya trip onto our blog. Even though I'm in the states already, I think it's worth posting, so here you all go. (Warning, it's a pretty long one)
Sun. April 1 - Day 1
-Organized our group (which consisted of me, Gio, Jason, Edu, Kibaka, Mark, Nick, and Monica) and packed
-Departed the apartment 2 hrs. late (thanks to Edu) to catch a matatu to Chogoria
-Arrived in Chogoria and hiked about 8 km to the Forest Gate
-Hiked another 8 km into the forest after refusing to purchase a ride all the way through the next morning
-Camped illegally on a small patch of ground between the road and the forest
-Shared a tent with Jason; slept horribly (I honestly dreamed about an elephant devastating our camp)
Mon. April 2 - day 2
-Woke up fairly early and continued to hike about another 8 km into the forest
-Sick of the heat, the forest, and the flies, we lucked out and got a ride with a Forest Ranger to the Mountain Gate
-Chilled at the gate for a while, enjoying water
-Paid the entrance fees for the mountain (mzungus had to pay a lot more, but I lucked out and only paid the children's price, my birthday was only 9 days away)
-Took our first exciting (yet fairly easy) hike on the Mountain
-Arrived at Road head and illegally made a sweet camp fire
-Shared a tent with Jason again, but slept remarkably well
Tues. April 3 - Day Three
-Woke up and took a crazy hike to Mintos
-Monica started to freak out and hyperventilate
-Our pace slowed drastically
-Jason and Edu ran ahead to set up camp, leaving the rest of us to hang back with Monica
-Took Monica's pack and progressed through the steep trail
-Edu returned from the camp site and relieved me of Monica's bag
-Kibaka and I break away from the group and head to the camp in order to help Jason set everything up before the rain/hail began to fall
-Everyone arrived at camp
-Kind of got lost in a cloud going to the outhouse, but I eventually made it back o.k.
-Went to sleep pretty horribly, and again slept horribly
Wed. April 4 - Day Four
-Woke up and headed to The Temple (this awesome, huge cliff)
-Proceeded to spit off said cliff (awesome picture)
-Headed back to camp
-Gio lost his dishes to the tarn (lake) by setting them afloat in his bowl/ship with the intention of washing them after collecting water
-Proceeded to depart for Austrian hut
-Did some crazy hiking through snow/sleet
-Mark and Edu became incapacitated from altitude sickness; Gio suffered as well, but not as badly
-After setting up camp on the rocks, Jason, Kibaka, and I were the only ones really standing
-Jason prepared food and I hiked down to the glacier in the dark to gather water
-Gave Edu my -25 degree sleeping bag for the night because he was really sick
-Slept with only two thin fleece sleeping bag liners
-Froze all night spooning with Mark and Gio (extremely uncomfortable, but unfortunately very necessary)(got closer to Gio than Jackie has been at night)
Thurs. April 5 - Day 5
-Got up at 8 and peaked at Lenana (6000 m.) with Jason, Kibaka, Nick, Monica, and Gio
-Most difficult and dangerous, yet indescribable climb ever
-Climbed back to camp and headed down from Austrian Hut for the Met Station
-Rapidly decreased altitude
-Went down some crazy skree (loose gravel stuff) (it sucks)
-After skree, all energy leaves my body, and I no longer feel like Superman
-After some debate over our pace, we arrive at Met. Station and get some sleep
Fri. April 6 - Day 6
-Woke up sorer than ever and left for the gate
-Jason, Edu, Kibaka, and Mark bolted ahead
-Gio, Nick, Monica, and I went a painful and slow 2 mph to the gate
-Eventually made it to the Gate with time to spare before being forced to pay for another day on the Mt.
-Caught a matatu at the gate (thank God) and headed out for South C
-Dropped Nick off on the way home with money so he could pick up pizza
-Continued home to unpack
-Showered after going a whole week without
-Ate pizza, looked at pictures, and wrote all of this down in my journal
I think that pretty much covered the Mountain trip. It was truly indescribable, and I have never felt cooler in my life. I have a new passion for mountain climbing; so if anyone is interested in a few trips, let me know. They should be organized soon. Well, I have more to say, but I think I'll throw it into another post. I love you all.
-Victor Rogers IV
Sun. April 1 - Day 1
-Organized our group (which consisted of me, Gio, Jason, Edu, Kibaka, Mark, Nick, and Monica) and packed
-Departed the apartment 2 hrs. late (thanks to Edu) to catch a matatu to Chogoria
-Arrived in Chogoria and hiked about 8 km to the Forest Gate
-Hiked another 8 km into the forest after refusing to purchase a ride all the way through the next morning
-Camped illegally on a small patch of ground between the road and the forest
-Shared a tent with Jason; slept horribly (I honestly dreamed about an elephant devastating our camp)
Mon. April 2 - day 2
-Woke up fairly early and continued to hike about another 8 km into the forest
-Sick of the heat, the forest, and the flies, we lucked out and got a ride with a Forest Ranger to the Mountain Gate
-Chilled at the gate for a while, enjoying water
-Paid the entrance fees for the mountain (mzungus had to pay a lot more, but I lucked out and only paid the children's price, my birthday was only 9 days away)
-Took our first exciting (yet fairly easy) hike on the Mountain
-Arrived at Road head and illegally made a sweet camp fire
-Shared a tent with Jason again, but slept remarkably well
Tues. April 3 - Day Three
-Woke up and took a crazy hike to Mintos
-Monica started to freak out and hyperventilate
-Our pace slowed drastically
-Jason and Edu ran ahead to set up camp, leaving the rest of us to hang back with Monica
-Took Monica's pack and progressed through the steep trail
-Edu returned from the camp site and relieved me of Monica's bag
-Kibaka and I break away from the group and head to the camp in order to help Jason set everything up before the rain/hail began to fall
-Everyone arrived at camp
-Kind of got lost in a cloud going to the outhouse, but I eventually made it back o.k.
-Went to sleep pretty horribly, and again slept horribly
Wed. April 4 - Day Four
-Woke up and headed to The Temple (this awesome, huge cliff)
-Proceeded to spit off said cliff (awesome picture)
-Headed back to camp
-Gio lost his dishes to the tarn (lake) by setting them afloat in his bowl/ship with the intention of washing them after collecting water
-Proceeded to depart for Austrian hut
-Did some crazy hiking through snow/sleet
-Mark and Edu became incapacitated from altitude sickness; Gio suffered as well, but not as badly
-After setting up camp on the rocks, Jason, Kibaka, and I were the only ones really standing
-Jason prepared food and I hiked down to the glacier in the dark to gather water
-Gave Edu my -25 degree sleeping bag for the night because he was really sick
-Slept with only two thin fleece sleeping bag liners
-Froze all night spooning with Mark and Gio (extremely uncomfortable, but unfortunately very necessary)(got closer to Gio than Jackie has been at night)
Thurs. April 5 - Day 5
-Got up at 8 and peaked at Lenana (6000 m.) with Jason, Kibaka, Nick, Monica, and Gio
-Most difficult and dangerous, yet indescribable climb ever
-Climbed back to camp and headed down from Austrian Hut for the Met Station
-Rapidly decreased altitude
-Went down some crazy skree (loose gravel stuff) (it sucks)
-After skree, all energy leaves my body, and I no longer feel like Superman
-After some debate over our pace, we arrive at Met. Station and get some sleep
Fri. April 6 - Day 6
-Woke up sorer than ever and left for the gate
-Jason, Edu, Kibaka, and Mark bolted ahead
-Gio, Nick, Monica, and I went a painful and slow 2 mph to the gate
-Eventually made it to the Gate with time to spare before being forced to pay for another day on the Mt.
-Caught a matatu at the gate (thank God) and headed out for South C
-Dropped Nick off on the way home with money so he could pick up pizza
-Continued home to unpack
-Showered after going a whole week without
-Ate pizza, looked at pictures, and wrote all of this down in my journal
I think that pretty much covered the Mountain trip. It was truly indescribable, and I have never felt cooler in my life. I have a new passion for mountain climbing; so if anyone is interested in a few trips, let me know. They should be organized soon. Well, I have more to say, but I think I'll throw it into another post. I love you all.
-Victor Rogers IV
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Mt. Kenya
Mt. Kenya was so awsome. I cant tell you how beautiful it was and how difficult the trip was. Here are some pictures. I hope you like them I have about 500 from the trip so I will show you many more when I get home. Its was one of the greatest adventures I have ever been on. this whole trip has been amazing. Cant wait to come home I will be there in 3 days!!!
-Gio
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Mount Kenya!
Vic and I are going to climb 12,600 ft of Mountain!!! starting tomarrow. I am really excited about going up. Plus there will be a full moon while almost every night. That should be great for some awesome pictures. I am so stoked I have never climbed something so huge in my life. I am really looking forward to this experiance. Whats even better is after I get back from the climb I should be just about ready to come Home... I miss home so much...
Well wish us Luck!!!
-Gio
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Mountain Bike Project
Here is the concluding report on The mountain bike project Vic and I have been working on. If you wish to see the previous ones contact me and I will send you all the reports. Thank you for your interest.
Mountain Bike Project
The Result:
Five high quality Raleigh mountain bikes have been purchased and transported to Taraja Boys home to be stored temporarily. Also about ten kilometers of trail have been cut and two trails have been created and marked. The “Godfather” is the longer and more difficult of the trails. “Pinky and the Brain” is shorter and more technical. Along with purchasing bikes for the project we have also invested in several less immediate needs including cans of WD-40 to keep the bikes running smoothly. Also we have purchased three meters of chain along with a padlock to lock up the bikes. We are also looking for a good deal on a basic set of tools for bike maintenance as well as extra inner tubes for popped tires. Once we have purchased a set of tools and some extra inner tubes that should complete our project. We will head out to Athi River once more on Friday the 30th of March to deliver the tools and the inner tubes. While out in Athi River we will take a couple of the kids out on the trails. I am excited to see our work go to use! The kids at Taraja have been enjoying the bikes so much already, riding them all around Taraja.
Our spending breaks down like this… Five mountain bikes coming in at about 900 dollars, and about 100 dollars spent on other things such as machetes, spray paint, bike locks etc… The total being about 1,000 dollars spent. You can see a more detailed account of our spending below in our excel document.
Fundraising has been going well, we have only received fifty dollars from Wal*Mart but people have pledged anywhere from 600-700 dollars so far. As of now the project has been funded out of our pockets. We are confident the money needed will come. If you are interested in supporting this project financially you can contact my brother in the states
Antonio Giordano
E-mail: cr02@iona.edu
Cell Phone: 518-956-3787
Anthony has been handling all of the fundraising in the states for me while I have been in Kenya. He will transfer any donation you have in to my bank account to be used here in Kenya.
Thank you all for your interest and support.
Sincerely
Alex & Vic
Here is a detailed account of our spending.
| Description | Amount (Shillings) | Running Total (Kshs) | Running Total (USD) |
| 2/26/07:3 Machetes | -335 | -335 | -4.93 |
| 2/26/07:2 Yellow Spray Paint | -398 | -733 | -10.78 |
| 3/9/07:2 Bike Locks | -600 | -1333 | -19.60 |
| 3/9/07:2 Trinity Pro Sport Bikes | -13,600 | -14933 | -219.60 |
| 3/14/07:2 Mtn Bikes Returned | 13,600 | -1333 | -19.60 |
| 3/15/07:1 Raleigh Mtn bike | -12,895 | -14228 | -209.24 |
| 3/26/07:3 Raleigh Mtn bikes | -38,685 | -52913 | -778.13 |
| 3/27/07:1 Raleigh Mtn bike | -12,895 | -65808 | -967.76 |
| 3/28/07:2 WD-40 and 1 chain | -940 | -66748 | -981.59 |
| 3/28/07:1 Padlock | -60 | -66808 | -982.47 |
| 3/28/07:1 Inner Tube | -700 | -67508 | -992.76 |
| Our Balance (USD) | |||
| -942.76 |
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Plan
Well, I'm back in Nairobi as well, and it is crunch time. Gio definitely did his part while I stayed out in Tiwi Beach. He finished shopping for souvenirs. Now comes the easy work. Tomorrow, Gio plans on heading out to Athi River with the one bike we have, and he will blaze the trail for the next few days. I will be heading to Nakumatt and purchasing the rest of the bikes. I will then transport them, via bus and leg power, up to Athi. It should work out well. We will each be accomplishing crap, and I won't break my face open on the mountain, so it's a win-win situation. Right on, I promised myself I would leave this post to one paragraph so that everyone would actually read it, so I'm going to stop now.
-Victor Rogers IV
-Victor Rogers IV
Friday, March 23, 2007
Bling Bling
Well I am back from Mombasa.
It was so increadably beautiful. I cant tell you or describe it. Just simply fenominaly beautiful.
I came back from this beautiful place only to finish this bike project I have begun. I plan on spending about 4-5 days staying out in Athi River completing some trails. However, I am missing one very crucuial part to this whole project. Thats Bikes!!! I have purchased one whith my own money but still need four more. I have a good chunk of money that my brother has fundraised for me that will pay for two bikes and a about one fourth of a third. Wal* Mart donated fifty dollars and so that puts us at about 2 and 1/3 bikes. we still need about 500 dollars. and well I am running of time to purchase these bikes and transport them to Athi River so i will probably purchase two more with the money my brother fundraised and then we will have three. leaving us with the need for two more bikes and an odometer to measur the length of the trails. so minimum I need to raise 400 more dollars. If you are interested I need you to act fast. Email me at rapturewaiter77@yahoo.com and I will give you all the information you need. Just so you know the bikes I am purchasing cost about 200 US dollars a piece. I have posted a Picture so you can see what your paying for. Thanks for your support.
The project has been going on very well and I am excited to see it completed. I hope all is going well with all of you at home.
God Bless
-Gio
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