Getting ready to go…
Although I could’ve used 97 more hours of sleep today started off pretty good. I said a prayer with my Mom last night but I still think my nerves got the best of me as I spent most of the night tossing and turning.
The guide showed up “on-time” which means he was almost 20 minutes late. There seems to always be a crap load of excuse given here. No one ever admits they are at fault. His reason today was that he thought I was going to wait for him outside 😐 . In true Tanzanian fashion the van still had to be packed and it took 6 grown men and 20 minutes of discussion to put 3 bags in the vehicle. Just when I thought we were good to go and headed on our way we had to turnaround and retreive the first aid kit from a random man standing in the middle of the street. 😐 Since climbing Kilimanjaro is kinda dangerous imma need for the guide to have packed that kit first. My confidence in this cat was definitely dwindling at this point.
Fast foward to us arriving at the Machame Route gate of the Kilimanjaro National Park. There are several different routes to choose from when climbing Kili. The Machame route is highly recommended because it allows extra time for proper acclimatization. There was an easier route, Marangu, and after arriving onsite I wondered how long it would take before I wished I had chosen the more novice trek.
The rules
I waited at the gate for the guide and porters to weigh the gear and fill out paperwork. Under the covered area where several Kili conquering hopefuls await their chance to start this massive feat I was greeted by this tall white guy rocking a USA Olympic basketball jersey. I thought I’d be smart and ask him if he was from America and of course he said yes. We sparked up a conversation and I discovered that he (Dave) and his good friend, Kent, were in Africa on a mission assignment. They were going from country to country handing out bibles which I thought was super dope. They inquired as to why I was in Tanzania and why I chose to climb. I briefly told them about my “defining happy” journey and my grandpa. Our conversation ended with Dave leading us in prayer. He prayed for our protection as we climbed and he also said a special prayer for my grandpa. I obviously started the climb with tears in my eyes. Little did they know my nerves were immediately calmed and I knew for sure that I didn’t meet these two angels by chance. As I had fought so hard with the decision to volunteer again or go to Dar Es Salaam and train in a gym for one month before attempting the climb….this is where I needed to be. Right here and right now. I love it when you get an “in-yo-face” confirmation that you are on the right path.
Let’s Go!
Porters getting the gear ready
Ok, now on to the beast….Kilimanjaro. I am so glad that they require you to walk, “Pole Pole” (slowly slowly) up this mountain. If I had walked any faster I’m sure my knees would have voluntarily detached themselves from the rest of my leg. We started out trek throgh the RAIN forest and this route was no joke. Surprisingly, my mind was calm and my breathing was under control. My legs on the other hand felt like someone had taken a sledge hammer to them. Kent caught up to my guide and I and broke out in song, “How Great Thou Art”. This coupled with me going through my mental rolodex and singing every empowering spirtual song I could sing I made it to the first camp in good spirits.
Made it to the first hut!
My home for the next 6 days on the right. My dining tent on the left
With the exception of my guide informing me that since I am black American I have Mzungu (white person) inside, trying to barter with a random climber for my extra altitiude sickness pills on the low, holding sidebar conversations with EVERYONE who passed us, totally ignorning me most of the time, and me being stuffed like a holiday pig from all off the food the cook made my first day went well. I’m just hoping and praying that my body doesn’t feel like I’ve been hit by a car tomorrow morning.
One day down…five more to go… I can’t believe I’m doing this. So surreal!!!