by Emily Sopensky

But guiding requires skill. Having a good one can mean the difference between a pleasant, challenging trek or a hellacious sojourn. Finding one depends primarily on finding a good provider.

Recognizable names like REI (www.rei.com), Sorbek (www.mtsobek.com), and Wilderness Travel (www.wildernesstravel.com) provide excellent experiences. Like many of those on the trail, I found mine through the Internet. It helps if the provider has references and an office in Arusha. I went with a well-established local firm Klub Afriko (www.klubafriko.com), because I knew someone who had climbed with them. Another selling point--Klub Afriko routinely deals with Americans, providing courses in wildlife refuge and Swahili to students from schools like Princeton and Stanford.

Alternatively, visit Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) to learn which guides are good They are located in Arusha, Tanzania, a town of about 300,000 that sits at the bottom of Mt. Meru near Kili.

UT alumni Dr. David Lane waited until Arusha but did not visit TANAPA. A little more of a risk-taker than I, he says, "You can't wander around Arusha without being attacked by touts fronting for safari companies. A six-day trip on the Machame-Mweka route costs $650 per person. You can hook up with a freelance guide -- but who to trust? So you hire through a company."

Chris John warns of going with someone who quotes you prices below the prevailing rates. Park fees alone are $400. Any quote less than $650 is unnecessarily putting your life in danger. You want to go knowing you have a guide who knows what he is doing, has reliable porters, and is not going to skimp on food, water and the gear. In Lane’s case, the provider gave him an inferior tent that leaked when it rained. His gear got wet and he suffered a sore throat long after his trip was over.

Ultimately, you want a trustworthy, well-prepared guide, which means you want a well-regarded provider with whom you have confidence. Knowing you have a good guide sometimes requires experience. I asked everyone I met who climbed Kilimanjaro what makes a good guide. Here are some clues:

Knowledge

Honeymooners Raoul Schuddeboom and Heather McAndrews thought their guides "really knew the mountain inside out." Sarah Fellow, a climber from London, liked the guides "who pointed things out" like the names of flowers and plants. I was pleased that my guide’s English was excellent. Short of learning Swahili quickly, how else do you explain how you like your eggs cooked?

Sarah’s boyfriend Charles Groves replied, "A good guide is one who is there when you need him and will take care of you if something happens." I didn’t understand the full meaning of this until Sarah told me later, that when I thought they were bravely dining al fresco the night before the final ascent in mid-20 temperatures, she was actually cleaning out the tent after Charles had thrown up. His guide knowingly gave him some tea to settle his stomach.

Jan Wilkins, a Dell employee who climbed almost two years ago, appreciated her guide’s knowledge, too. "We could tell that he treasured this mountain as a great resource of his country."

Pace

Anna, another honeymooner, thought a good guide is one who "goes slowly." I sometimes found my guide’s pace irritatingly slow--even though I’d read and had been told many times that going slowly was important in avoiding altitude sickness. Thankfully, he did not respond to my mutterings and I did not get sick.

While envying my situation of being able to go when I wanted, two Americans, Richard and his friend JJ agreed that, "A good guide is someone who knows how to set the pace for the group and make sure they stay together."

Good Crew

Wilkins pointed out that "a good guide also has good porters." For example, "We were spoiled--hot tea in bed, help with our bags and hot water in the afternoon." My own porters packed up the campsite after I left, passed me on the trail, and had my tent pitched at the best site by the time I arrived.

With the luxury honeymoon package, Raoul and Heather had "two guides, a personal porter, a cook, a waiter, and 13(!) porters at our disposal." They carried a lot of gear, including "a biological toilet, and three-course meals." Defending his extravagance, Raoul adds, "Dikdik is not cheap, but at least you can see where your money goes."

Common sense

Lekule’s strategy for placing my tent had merit. He preferred sitting it between the porters’ camp and the loo. One day when I spent longer than usual in the loo, he discreetly asked if I was okay. Unsaid was his concern that I might be suffering from altitude sickness or diarrhea.

At 19,980 feet, altitude sickness is a real danger. A guide who does not respect that or the limits of his clients risks lives. At our final campsite, Richard’s friends told me that two hours before the summit he got sick and could not finish the ascent. After a five-day trek, it cannot be easy for either guide or client to turn around just hours shy of the summit. But a wise guide will. Two weeks before my climb, another guide with two clients took one up the final ascent, leaving behind the other who was sick. Client and guide returned a few hours later to find the other client dead.

Entrepreneurism

Bone-wearying and tedious, the final ascent takes place between midnight and sunrise. At 3 AM I was telling myself to remember my aches and pains if I ever had a stupid idea like this again. Soon after, Lekule massaged my back to help my waning tenacity.

To earn better tips, a good guide finds ways to please. Lekule, knowing I was using a microrecorder on the trail, used it to record the Kilimanjaro song for me. Rich and lustrous, I cherish this recording.

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