Waking up at 6:30 was rough. I was groggy, exhausted, physically worn out, and the absolute last thing I wanted to do was get up and hike some more.
Despite not being hungry at all, I had a couple bites of eggs and toast to satisfy my appetite for the next few hours. While I was really apprehensive about the food going into the trip, I’m really going to miss the food we ate on Kilimanjaro because it was so good.
I’m even going to miss the trips Rakhi and I took to the wooded areas to go to the bathroom. Rakhi called some of them a “loo with a view” which I thought was hilarious.
We began the final leg of our hike at 7:20 AM. Aaron and Arnold hiked ahead to arrive at the gate first and organize our travel arrangements back to Arusha and the airport. Rakhi, Daniel, and I hiked at a slower pace because we were in physical pain from the downhill hiking.
As we hiked along through the rainforest it seemed as though we had come full circle back to the first day of our hike. We had beautiful scenery the whole way down but also had to deal with a muddy trail.
By the time we made it to the gate it was 11:20 AM. There aren’t enough words to begin to describe how happy and relieved I was when we got there. My motivation for getting down the mountain was receiving my summit certificate and a long, hot shower.
When Arnold gave me the certificate saying I had reached Uhuru Peak, I was elated. It’s definitely going to be framed as soon as possible so I can hang it somewhere I will see it every day.
While I was super happy about receiving my certificate, sadness crept in when I had to say goodbye to three new friends: Rakhi, Arnold, and Aaron. Saying I’m going to miss Rakhi is a huge understatement. What a blessing it was to have her added to our group at the last minute. The companionship of having another girl on the hike was such a bonding experience. As for Arnold, I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again. I told him if I come to Tanzania in the future I am going to visit him.
When they left to head back to Arusha, I was alone in a day room at a hotel waiting for my 9 PM flight. It was the first time in almost a month being by myself. What a strange feeling. It was too quiet for my liking. I used the time to decompress, repack all of my belongings, and rest before my long plane ride.
 |
| Hiking through the rain forest with my attractive gaiters |
 |
| Rain forest scenery |
 |
| Our group with all of the crew at the gate! |
 |
| Saying goodbye to Rakhi |
 |
| Arnold giving me my certificate-I'm ecstatic in this picture but looking a little rough |
 |
| My certificate!!! |
No comments:
Post a Comment