Last weekend was spent up north hiking. It is beautiful up there and the perfect quick weekend getaway to relax and enjoy the outdoors! We hiked one of the many trails up there as well as one of the Lutsen ski hills. It was fun to go off the beaten path and explore!

On Tuesday, I met a couple and their 2 sons from Sweden while I was climbing the Stillwater steps. They asked if I was training for something and in turn I found out they were tracing their ancestors who had immigrated to Stillwater, MN. I thought that was an interesting story and made me wonder about my ancestors and what stories they would tell me had I known them or had they documented them. I think everyone has a story to tell and I was glad that the couple chose to share theirs with me.

I made a trip to REI last night for more of the gear list. Always those last few items that take the longest to get ready! I received my sleeping bag liner in the mail today. It is supposed to warm my sleeping bag by another 14 degrees.. I'm not sure how a thin piece of cloth will do that, but I'll give it a try!

Where has the week gone! Last weekend consisted of the Stillwater steps and this weekend consisted of hiking up north, some with and some without my pack. It was beautiful and a great way to start tapering for the next couple of weeks.

To track the climb, you can click on the Alpine Ascents link and Lori Schneider's link. You can also read more on twitter (to be set up soon) and facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lori-Schneider-Empowerment-Through-Adventure.

Also, here is the outline for the climb:

Hiking 39 miles (63 km) in 7 days, with 16,077 ft. (4,891m) elevation gain to the 19,344ft (5896m) summit on Kilimanjaro! Here is our schedule while in Africa:

July 10-11 Fly to Arusha, Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania
July 12 Gear checks, briefing, meeting our team of 28 brave souls!
July 13 Climb Kili Gate-Machame Hut 6mi/10km 9,900ft/3000m
July 14 Climb Machame Hut-Shira Hut 5mi/8km 12,500ft/3800m
July 15 Climb Shira Hut-Barranco Hut 6mi/10km 12,900ft/3900m
July 16 Climb Barranco Hut-Karanga Valley 3mi/5km 13,300ft/4055m
July 17 Climb Karanga Valley-Kosovo Camp 3mi/5km 15,600ft/4760 m
July 18 SUMMIT DAY Kosovo-Uhuru Peak 4mi/7km 19,344ft/5896m
July 19 Descend-Mweka 8mi/13km Shower time! Celebration dinner!
July 20 Safari-Tarangire National Park
July 21 Safari-Visit Masai village & Ngorongoro Crater
July 22 Safari-Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti National Park
July 23 Sunrise Balloon rise over the Serengeti plains, Homeward bound!
July 24 Home-Sleep for a week, revel in the accomplishment, smile forever!!

We are also going global! There is a company out of Paris, but their PR firm is in London that is paying for a professional photographer to document our stories and our journey with hopes to use our story internationally to inspire others.. Sounds pretty cool.. Stay tuned.. I think we are just getting started ;)

I was told that if you can climb the Stillwater Steps 20 times with your pack on you are ready for the climb.. On Saturday I climbed them 20 times and on Sunday I climbed them 10 times and by Sunday night my calf muscles were so sore I could barely walk! But, the good news is I can do it :)

The trip is drawing near and with last minute purchases and preparation, training is actually getting more difficult to stay consistent with. So much to do to prepare for the trip! I will start my Typhoid vaccine tomorrow, which must be completed 3 days before I start the malaria vaccine which must be started 1 week prior to leaving.. So many things to keep straight its no wonder I'm starting to forget some things! I have lists everywhere and gear laid out. My dining room is now a packing and sorting room. So much fun! The excitement is building!

Tonight was a great night for a hike.. an hour and a half with almost 30lbs in my pack! I haven't trained since Thursday (when I used my niece as my weight for lifting, thanks M :) ) and was concerned about losing some of what I had gained when in fact the opposite happened. I found a pace that worked for me and went with it, while being able to increase my training time and pack weight! The workout felt great!

I ordered my flag tonight. For those of you who don't know about it, everyone who donates will have their names written on the flag that I will proudly take to the top with me and have a picture taken. Little did you know, but you are all coming with me!

Today was vaccination day at the doctors office.. yellow fever, tetanus, and a polio booster shot to be followed by typhoid and malaria pills starting next week. Welcome to international travel!! Thank goodness the gentleman who gave me my shots was good at it as the tetanus shot did not hurt nearly as much as it did the last time! Also on my list of items to get at the doctors office were several prescriptions for antibiotics, inhalers (my list, not Alpine Ascents list), and altitude sickness medication... Check, check, and check!

The gear list is starting to come to a close and everyone is getting more excited as the trip nears. My brothers wedding is this weekend so with a brief lapse in training for a few days, plans are to return to it full force upon next week. Only 4 weeks to go!