So ... we
made it.
After a
years work and planning, and after five long days of slogging
uphill, we were there. It was an emotional moment, and I found
it difficult to speak. I bent over and picked up a chunk of
pumice stone and slipped it into my pocket. If my camera failed,
I would at least bring something down from the peak.
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Mount
Kilimanjaro
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From the
peak, however, we had nine or 10 more hours of walking, down
from 19,344 feet to roughly 10,000 feet at the Rao Camp. The
distance yet to go, and the cold, sent us off the mountaintop
after less than 15 minutes.
Its
a pity, really, but the top of a big mountain is rarely a place
one chooses to remain long.
The rest
of that day is a blur, and a painful one. Early on, we were
out of water. Our throats were dry and sore from the cold, dry
air of the mountaintop.
We slogged
on down the mountain. We stopped and tried to eat at the Barafu
Hut about 10:30 a.m. Then we headed out for the long walk to
camp. Jimmy arrived first, and he met us with water as Richard
and I arrived around 3 p.m. Harry arrived next. Tom and Brent
made it in at 4 p.m.
Toms
bad knee and Brents beat-up feet slowed their walk considerably.
What I remember
most about that long, painful walk was the way our camp
which we could see a long way off, across a broad valley
seemed to recede, mirage-like, into the distance whenever we
got close to it.
I am writing
this 10 days after the experience of the climb. It is still
fresh in my mind, but I can feel it growing a bit fuzzy around
the edges. Someone asked me today if I wanted to go back.
Id
go back to Africa in an instant. There is much there to explore,
and Id like to share the experience with my wife.
But, would
I climb the mountain again?
Probably
not. Frankly, it hurt, and it scared me.
Dont
mistake what Im saying. I wouldnt trade anything
for the experience now. It will always be among my most cherished
memories. The friends who went with me feel like brothers, and
thats worth a lot.
But I dont
want to do it again. Well, not soon anyway.
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