Mount Diablo Group

"The Snows (and Rain Forests) of Kilimanjaro"

Wednesday, November 7, 7 pm, Winslow Center, 2590 Pleasant Hill Road (at Taylor Boulevard), Pleasant Hill.

Join us at the next general meeting of the Mount Diablo Group for an armchair journey to the top of Africa. Revel in the cold, thin air and expansive views from the summit of Africa's tallest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania. Our guide for this exciting slide presentation and talk is Rich McDrew.

Of the world's Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each continent), Kilimanjaro is the only one that doesn't require technical climbing skills.The glorious hike from tropical rain forests to the frozen 19,340-foot peak ascends nearly three vertical miles through many ecological zones. The porter service is guilt-free - hiring local guides and porters is mandatory. When you finally reach the summit at sunrise, you'll marvel at Kilimanjaro's enormous pyramid shadow etched in the sea of clouds below - an even better view than from atop Mount Diablo!

Rich climbed Kilimanjaro with his 25-year-old daughter in August 2002. Technically speaking, Kilimanjaro is a "walk-up", but each year thousands of altitude-aching climbers retreat before reaching the top. Rich will show you the importance of planning a slow ascent (about one week) to increase your odds of getting to the summit.

Rich McDrew is a Bay Area native. He had a 23-year career with the U.S. Secret Service. He served at various duty stations in the United States, where he investigated counterfeiting and protected presidents and other dignitaries. Rich returned to the Bay Area in 1980 as the special agent in charge in San Francisco. He also worked for 11 years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Now retired, Rich is active in many environmental organizations, including serving as president of the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association.

For more information about this program, contact Ken Lavin at (925) 852-8778 or ken_lavin -at- hotmail.com