By RACHEL KUBIK, Racine Journal Times
RACINE, Wisconsin (AP) – Elizabeth DeKraay Dunlap never wants to see an energy drink or energy bar again.
“They are just disgusting,” she said.
Elizabeth, along with her two sisters, Carolyn DeKraay Dickens and Sarah DeKraay, had to drink a powdered electrolyte drink and eat energy bars as part of their grand trek: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest autonomous mountain in the world at an elevation of approximately 19,340 feet above sea level.
The electrolyte mixture was to ensure that the three sisters and the rest of their group were full of nutrients and well hydrated with 3-4 liters of water per day. “We threw them out when we came down from the mountain,” Elizabeth said.
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Besides? “I think I’m done with mountain hiking for a while. I need something tropical.
The three sisters, who lived in Racine, agreed last year that the Mount Kilimanjaro hike would be a fabulous bucket list trip in conjunction with celebrating Elizabeth and Carolyn’s 60th and 50th birthdays, respectively. They started to coordinate the schedules.
“Everything was going well until the delta variant. We couldn’t postpone it for a year. If we didn’t do it now, it was now or never, ”Elizabeth said.
Their fourth sister, Christina Zikeli, remained in Racine with their parents, Nancy and Warren DeKraay. The three began the hike on August 13 and finished on August 20, the Racine Journal Times reported.
Carolyn DeKraay Dickens, who graduated from Case High School in 1988, is now 51 and lives in downtown Chicago.
Sarah DeKraay, who graduated from Case High School in 1983, is now 56 years old and lives in Madison.
Elizabeth DeKraay Dunlap, who graduated from high school in Iowa before her family moved to Racine, now lives in Cary, Illinois. She celebrated her 61st birthday on August 12 during the trip.
The DeKraay sisters were the oldest hikers on the trip.
“I feared I was the weak link,” Elizabeth said. “I was a little nervous when I realized I was the oldest there. The first day we saw it (the top of the mountain), I was like “Oh my God”. It was so far away. “
Despite her initial concerns, Elizabeth said she hadn’t had any issues.
When climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, there are seven main routes to choose from. The sisters took the Machame route, the most popular route. It’s a seven day hike: about six days to the top and about a day to the bottom.
The guides made sure the hikers were acclimated to the elevation change so they hiked the hikes slowly and made stops along the way at the campgrounds. This was also when meals and toilet breaks in the standard dry toilet took place.
Those who walk on Mount Kilimanjaro must be accompanied by a guide; nobody can go up on their own.
As a touring group of seven Americans, the number was much smaller than normal due to the pandemic. But 34 porters carrying food and supplies accompanied them; Carolyn said it was to keep people working.
Elizabeth called herself “not a great athlete,” but always stayed in shape. Sarah and Carolyn said they’ve always been in good shape.
Sarah has played golf most of her life and was inducted into the Racine County Sports Hall of Fame for the sport in 2016, but said hiking was never on her list.
Elizabeth and Sarah signed up with separate personal trainers in March and focused on cardio and strength training. The three sisters also hiked a 14,000-foot mountain together in Colorado in preparation.
Although the three sisters live in different cities, they visit Racine a lot, Carolyn said. All three have completed 85% of their training for hiking in the Racine / Kenosha area, specifically at Petrifying Springs in Kenosha, around the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Somers, and lakeside in Racine.
During training, they hiked distances of 7 or 8 miles on cross-country ski trails at UW Parkside, which they said paid off during the hikes.
One of the group’s biggest challenges was dealing with the altitude and the resulting altitude sickness, which was a surprise, Elizabeth said.
“The average physically fit person can do the hiking part,” Elizabeth said. “It’s the nausea and headaches and generally not feeling well that makes it difficult. You have no appetite.
Another of the major challenges was the Barranco Wall, with an elevation of 843 feet. It’s located on the side of Mount Kilimanjaro and what climbers call a run, which means it doesn’t require experienced rock climbing skills.
However, the wall is steep and climbers must use handles and feet to maneuver the vertical wall.
“It was a bit more technical than we expected,” Sarah said.
During the hike, Sarah’s skin on her fingers cracked from the dry air. Elizabeth said she had sunburnt hands that had blisters. Carolyn said she also had “awesome blisters”. Other than that, they did not suffer any other injuries.
What helped them persevere and get through the tough times was the good work ethic they learned in the Midwest, Carolyn said.
The altitude and cold were overwhelming at times, but the cold didn’t bother them too much thanks to her Wisconsin origin, Elizabeth said, “It was about 0 degrees at the top. We were ready for it.
Another thing that helped was their guides and the stories they told – like the story of when helicopters brought back a group of hikers. But after a while things got really calm within the group. No one was speaking.
“The last 18 hours have been really tough. I wanted to quit, ”said Elizabeth. “It just wasn’t an option, so we kept going. “
They ate really well – besides the energy bars and the electrolyte drink mix. They were served oatmeal, bacon, eggs, pasta and stir-fries, to name a few, from the group’s official cook.
“We were really burning the calories, so we got a lot of food,” Elizabeth said.
And, of course, the sisters loved the views. Sarah described the views as “absolutely spectacular” once they got through the clouds.
Carolyn said the starry sky was the best part. ” There is not pollution. You look up at night and it was like sparkling diamonds.
The sisters visited other parts of Tanzania before and after their long trek; Carolyn said the country is amazing.
They stayed in a hotel that had monkeys, saw tribes and other outdoor scenery, stating that they were “beautiful, exactly what you would expect from Africa”.
“Tanzania was fantastic, just one of the things you can do on the to-do list,” said Elizabeth, noting that traveling with her sisters was very special too.
“We have never traveled this long and this close with this type of situation before,” she said. “I thought Carolyn might snore. I could just imagine us fighting. I didn’t know what would happen. But we had a good time; we made some really special memories together.
Elizabeth said it was an amazing trip and that she felt lucky to be able to do it during these special times. The three have faced many additional hurdles when it comes to COVID-19, such as taking frequent COVID tests and completing additional paperwork.
What about the difficulty level of the hike?
“It’s doable,” Elizabeth said. “It’s something difficult. It sounds very intimidating, but it is doable. You can do it.”
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