I wake 30 minutes before coffee. I slept like a baby last night. I feel sore but refreshed. I spend the extra time sorting and repacking my gear. I was too tired for it to really sink in yesterday. Today it dawns on me it is over. I set out to conquer this mountain and I did. As in life though, I did not do it alone. I had the help of God, Trish, Liberate, EJ, Thaddeus, Major, Lisa, Muhammad, and 24 more Wagumu. I am pleased with the accomplishment, but we still have to descend. We are planning about a 3 hour descent this morning, so we are breaking camp late.
As I dress I notice a huge blister on my left heel. I speak with Liberate and we agree that wearing my camp shoes will be ok since it is a short hike. So I don my gaiters on top of my cross trainers and we disembark. The trail is rocky and steep, but I prefer it to the scree. As we descend we move out of the arctic zone, through alpine desert and into heather. My body responds well even though it has 8 days of trail weariness. However, I keep treading on these rocky outcrops without the ankle support I had during training.
When I was training, I found this roundabout in the Dunes that has an angled curb. I would do laps around the circle on the curb to strengthen my ankles. I would usually do it twice around one direction and twice around the other. Anyway I felt it strengthened my ankles for this hike of epic proportions. In reality, I started having issues with my right foot. I stopped and adjusted it but it did not help. When we reached the camp, I spoke with Liberate. We discussed that a sprained ankle should be worked and not rested. If you let it get cold and then hike tomorrow, it may be worse. So EJ summoned Muhammad to bring my duffle. I changed back into my hiking boots for the ankle support and we called the Thomson office to get permission to continue hiking to the next camp.
While we are waiting, we meet the other Thomson group. It consists of 5 people, two men, three women. The men are father and son, Joe 62 and Clint 24. I find out they are taking the Safari extension with Thomson and will likely be with me on safari.
We got word that Thomson agreed to let us continue since it was in the best interest of the client and we continued down to the last camp before the gate. My ankle felt good as we set up camp.
We arrived a little after lunch, but Thaddeus and Major set up lunch for us. It feels good to be almost finished. After Lunch Lisa and I discussed the tips for the crew. Mike and June had rightfully left the tips per the guidelines for the entire trip with Lisa. This is a tough time, especially for what to give the porters. We have for the entire journey watched these guys work so hard. They carry 20 kg each and practically run up and down the mountain. They wait patiently every morning to break down our tents and pack our gear. We know how hard every ounce is to get up the mountain because we carry our own packs. The Thomson porters are well equipped but we have seen others that are not. Even well equipped, these guy work very hard for the little pay they receive. My heart wants to give them all the money I have with me. Lisa expresses the same sentiment. However we both need money to complete our own journeys, so we act as the voice of reason for each other. We each add a little more than the recommended guidelines. We also pool in Mike and June's contributions.
The afternoon, we hear singing and head up the hill to investigate. It is the other Thomson group. We approach and find out they are celebrating the end of the journey and this is the tipping ceremony. Lisa and I gracefully extract ourselves as we figure this should be a private moment. When we arrive back at our camp we tell Liberate and EJ that we have sorted out the tips and let then know we can have our ceremony when they are ready. A short while later they call all the Wagumu (plural form) together and start the parting ceremony. The porters sing a couple of songs and then EJ translates the words for us. We are given a chance to speak to them and say thanks. We then announce how much tip each Umgumu will receive. They smile and seem pleased. They sing one more song then congratulate us with handshakes and hugs for our accomplishment. The last Umgumu to hug me is Muhammad. I give him an extra tip because he always carried my bag and helped with my backpack when we reached camp.
After the ceremony we go to dinner. It is garlic roast beef and potatoes with banana soup. As always it is delicious. The chef and wait staff enter the tent. We present them their tip and say our thanks. Liberate and EJ join us for our last dinner conversation and health testing. I score well: 72 HR, 97% OX. We present the guides their tips and exchange contact information. I head off to bed. It is a cool night but not cold since we are at about 10,000 feet.
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