Day 5 - Kili Climb (Final Descent)
Trip Start
Oct 05, 2007
1
8
16
Trip End
Oct 27, 2007
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Monday, October 15, 2007
Today would make of final day on Kilimanjaro, dropping down another 1,000 metres from the more than 2,000 lost the day before.
Breakfast was relished by the crew this morning, and our anxiousness to get started was apparent. Our initial descent was at a break-neck speed for the guys, who pulled far ahead of the girls on this leg of the trek. The first 2.5 hours flew by, breaking for lunch at Mandara only briefly. While the advanced group waited for the trailing group to rejoin at Mandara, a couple of much anticipated coca-colas were consumed, toasting our initial success on this trip, and looking ahead to a long, hot shower - a luxury that had eluded us thus far on the Kili leg of the trip
Kili Day 5: Descent
.Immediately following the lunch break, my left knee began to give me a great deal of pain. I had a very difficult time bending my knee - something that couldn't be avoided on the descent. I fell back of the second group and made my way slowly, trying to keep my left leg locked in an extended fashion as best I could....with only moderate success. But no pain at this point could compare to what I endured at at top of the mountain, and I plodded along, reaching Marangu gate only slightly behind the main group. And just in time for several group photos to celebrate our success.
Truthfully, we lingered only as long as it took to peruse the small gift shop at the park entrance, and to down a few bottles of coke. The full attention of the crew had already turned to hot showers, and we made haste in our journey back to the Springlands hotel in Moshi aboard out minibus.
I can tell you the showers were AMAZING. And you have no idea how bad other people stink until you yourself have bathed. And man, there was some serious stink going on in this group..... The stink of conquest, be sure!
Kili Day 5: Descent
I had enough time to rip apart my kit and re-pack, having made a mess of my things on various stages of the climb. I was also in need of more donated malerone to combat malaria, since I had none, and we were about to move into the malaria zone for the remainder of my trip. To make matters worse, and to make it seem as though I had planned nothing before embarking on this trip, I had under estimated the amount of cash on hand I required for part 1, and was now $80. US short for the trip guide tips and other misc. costs. Thus started a mad scramble to beg, borrow and steal (OK - no stealing), of medication - from other trekker's supplies - and to borrow enough money to cover off my needs until we hit an ATM the following day. With that mission a success, we turned our attention to preparing for the drive to Arusha. And with that, we would say goodbye to a couple of companions that were not part of our tour group, but whom we had grown close (and accustomed to), Harold (Toronto) and Marco (Switzerland).
The drive from Moshi to Arusha, where we would pick up 5 additional travelers for the safari leg of the trip, and overnight was fairly uneventful. The group shared some amazing reflections on the Kili climb. I recall thinking what an excellent group this was and how fortunate |I was to have this collection of people to travel with
Kili Day 5: Descent
. And as the trip unfolded, I began to realize just how amazing they were.We were OVERWHELMINGLY surprised at the relative luxury of our accommodation in Arusha. No tents, no bunks, just a nicely appointed hotel with real, live beds. And hot water, and showers and flush toilets, and electricity. WONDERFUL
After decompressing briefly in our hotel rooms, we met at the dining hall for a couple of beers. By this time, I had bunked up with Richard, a great traveling companion living in London, England. He would remain my bunk-mate for the rest of the trip, and I am glad for it. It also didn't hurt that the two single female travelers were bunked up in the next adjoining room, though as much as we tried, we couldn;t elicit an invite to the imagined tickle fights that must have gone on next door....
Back to dinner then - and our 5 new fellow travelers, for the safari portion, were: Matt & Eileen from Whitby, Wayne and Joan, also from the Toronto area, and Patrick from California. These 5 had just finished a safari in Kenya's Masai Mara, and were continuing on through the Serengeti with our group. And they were great people.
Sadly, the energy levels were low all around that night given the previous few days' activities, and the group retired at a relatively young hour of 9pm. So much for party life, but I was dead to the world, and so was everyone else. Thus ended the day!
