Day 11: Arusha

I wake early.  Coffee should arrive at 6, but I can't sleep.  I am looking forward to a shower when I arrive at the hotel this afternoon.  We have about a 3 hour hike to the gate this morning.  We follow the morning routine which has become so familiar now.  Thaddeus arrives at 6 with coffee.  The bowl of warm bath water arrives shortly thereafter.  I sort and pack my gear for the final time on the mountain then I head to breakfast.  The porridge is hot, but I am tired of it by now.  The eggs and potato pancakes are wonderful and the fruit is a nice compliment.  I am trying to live in this moment to remember the wonderful experience of this trek.  What I have accomplished is still sinking in.  I have been to the roof of Africa and lived to tell the tell.   You think I am exaggerating, but we asked the guides and some people die making the attempt.  Of course they did not share this with us until after we completed the task.  When we asked about their worst experiences they both recounted someone dying on the mountain... it makes you think about how difficult it really was to complete this journey.

I am glad its over in a way, but sad to be leaving my new friends.  We head down the trail after breakfast.  Quickly the flora changes to denser heavier forest. I notice the humidity has gone to 100%.  There is a thick fog surrounding us and I realize we are now in that perpetual cloud bank we have observed from above for the last 8 days.  

I am sweating but the temperature is cool.  There is just so much moisture in the air.  I realize it is actually raining at one point, so I stop and stuff my iPad into a waterproof bag.  The moisture makes the trail slippery.  We all slip and slide on occasion.  Our muscles are tired and that makes it even harder.  Suddenly, Lisa slipped and fell.  She is slow getting up.  EJ goes to check her.  She is holding her arm and crying.  We are all worried.  This adventure is supposed to be over, but the mountain takes her price, even at the end.  I walk over to see how she is doing.  

I need to backtrack for a moment to explain what happens next.  The dust on the mountain is pervasive.  It is on all your clothes, your hands and your eyes.  Your nose is constantly running.  I did not bring a handkerchief and complained about it early on.  Lisa was kind enough to give me one.  It is orange and you can see it in my back pocket in the photo at the summit.  I used it every half hour for many days. Now keep in mind there is really no way to do laundry at high altitude because wet things will just freeze instead of dry. So everyone knows I have been carrying this very disgusting handkerchief for many days.  However, the last night, it was finally warm enough to wash it  so I scrubbed it thoroughly and hung it to dry in my tent.  

Now back to the trail. Lisa is crying heartily, snot is running down her nose.  She wants to wipe it and starts to use her hand.  I said "Wait, here" and pulled out the handkerchief.  The look on her face was classic.  She did not want to touch it , but did not want to be rude either.  So I interjected, "Its ok, I actually washed it last night".  The whole crew including Lisa started laughing.  It broke the tension and we started getting her up and on the way. It was oddly one of the most memorable moments of the trek for me.

We hiked down the mountain past the giant ferns and mossy trees. I was focusing on the present moment, taking in every sight, smell and feeling.  I was trying to take in the forest, the monkeys and the birds.  I was looking at every flower intensely to try and take in all I could in the last moments on Kilimanjaro.  The trail ended and EJ said we had about 45 minutes walk down the forest road. Up to this point we had passed many wagumu hauling sand bags up the mountain for construction. Adults both men and women, were carrying 20 kilo (about 50 pounds) and the children were carrying 10 kilo. When we got to the trailhead, we found the place where they were filling the bags.

About 45 minutes later, we arrived at the park gate.  Major and Thaddeus has set up the table and chairs for us, but the food had not arrived yet.  We spent the time showing the wagumu pictures of home.  We also had to check in our rental gear and complete some paperwork.  When all was done, we were presented with certificates of completion. It may seem silly, but I was very pleased to get mine.

Lisa and I said our goodbyes and I headed off to the truck to meet Joe and Clint.  Our new guide was Phanuel.  Thomson had provided Champagne for Joe's group and Clint invited me up for a glass.  I'm not sure why they did not do the same for us, but it was a minor thing and I appreciated the gesture from Clint.

We headed to Arusha and to the Meru Hotel.  It is a very nice hotel comparable to a Marriott or Hilton in any US city.  I felt very self conscious while checking in.   I even noticed one hotel clerk moving away from me.  I must smell atrocious. Once I was in my room, I sent Trish a text letting her know I made it.  Then I headed for the shower.  I bet I was in it for 45 minutes or more.  I washed every inch of my body twice.  I scrubbed my fingernails and toenails with a brush.  It felt great to be really clean, not just cleaner. I snapped a photo from my hotel window.  It is supposed to have a view of Mount Meru but the peak is obscured by the clouds today.

I took a short nap then headed downstairs.  I met Joe and Clint seated at the bar outside. They are from Chicago and seem to be great guys.  I think it is cool that a father and son are traveling together in Africa.  We headed to dinner and then went to bed by 8:30.  You get so used to the early bedtimes on the mountain it did not even seem early.  Plus, it will be the first night in a bed for 9 days.  It was wonderful to crawl into clean sheets with a clean body.