A Long Goodbye

Day 10 - True Date 6/15/13

Today was another day that seemed to have lots to share. While yesterday may have had many pieces: ascent, break, ascent, summit, descent, camp, etc... Today was nearly all one long event; descent (rhymed). However, that trip off of the mountain passed through many different settings and we saw some new and different views and group dynamics.

Breakfast was more of the usual fair. We were woken up and offered the usual hot beverage of our choice. I, as usual, took a coffee to kick off the day. We were then

provided with the usual time to pack our things and wash up before moving on to the mess tent for food. As we were pretty used to at this point, we were offered toast, eggs (this time in the form of a spinach omelet while before they've been fried), and pancakes. The pancakes today were a personal letdown as we'd run through the jelly/jam reserves so I was unable to have my favorite toppings.

Starting our hike was slightly delayed due to the cold temperatures having frozen

water bottles and the filter/pump contraption. However, with only a little bit of troubleshooting we filled our bottles and hit the trail leaving Barafu Hut (~15,000 ft) just after 8:00. The trail picked up much the way it left off (I suppose that is not really a surprise to anyone). We were past the point of long stretches of loose scree so there was unfortunately no more "African Skiing" to be had. We were, however, still very much in the alpine desert region of the mountain. Before long we found ourselves on a wide ridge that switched back and

forth as it wound down. On either side there was a shallow ravine with many boulders jutting up with nearly no plant life around. The scene could make for a nearly perfect replica of Tatooine from Star Wars (and I mean the original one... not the silly new episodes 1-3). Unfortunately, the best picture to mimic the fictional planet occurred yesterday... when I was in no state to take a picture.

The views during this stretch were remarkable. Before us the ridge continued to wind but eventually dropped out of sight. However, there remained a solid bank of clouds that always seemed to linger just at the "end" of the trail. As people passed beyond sight, it was as if they'd walked off a cliff and into the clouds. Looking behind us were some of the best views of Kibo we had all trip as well as our first (and best) views of Mawenzie. Mawenzie stood relatively

narrow compared to Kibo and was much more jagged. As we walked it seemed to gather wisps of clouds to avoid being seen. On the other side stood Kibo. As always it rose high and large over every around. Having just come down it, it was clear that our perspective did not give its size justice. That said, even from our miles away and thousands of feet below, it was still clear to see the glaciers that capped the peak.

From the alpine desert we passed back into the health zone. Here the trail dynamics changed very little and similar could be said about the views. However, the vegetation quickly began to increase. First it was just small grasses and shrubs. But, as we looked through the canyons on our sides we could see that same cloud layer as before, but now looming over a dense tree cover. We pushed

forwards, passing straight through the High Camp (~12,500 ft) and continued onwards towards Mweka Camp (~10,000 ft). This hike kept us in the setting of the health zone, though Mweka camp sat on the very edge of the rainforest. Through this hike we saw the smooth progression of straggling grasses growing into thin but plentiful trees. Our views when we reached the Mweka camp were now obstructed by the vegetation on all sides.

After a group meeting at the Mweka Camp there was only one stop left on our trek of Kilimanjaro. We had to make it out to the Mweka Exit Gate. Given that it was the final stop of our trip our group headed off on different paces with the guides splitting up among us. Harrison and Archer set off on a near run. Liesje and Kelly were not far behind but were clearly not "running". Sabrina and I brought up the rear of the group.

The final stretch of the mountain took the group through a dense rainforest. The trail was very well maintained, consistently cut into steps with constant irrigation canals. The further we went, the more we plunged into the cloud layer that we had been seeing all morning. While the trail was very well maintained, it was also seemingly endless. The steps continued to go down and down

(always as steps/stairs) and the clouds/fog continued to get denser/darker. Before long we felt as if we were trapped in some jungle version of an Escher painting. Fortunately, even the stairs and the mists had their end (despite just saying they seemed endless). The sky finally became lighter and the trail opened onto a dirt road. From there it was only another 30-45 minute, relatively flat walk to the gate. Luckily, I finally saw the colobus monkeys that I'd been hearing for an hour or so!

Finally, the group congregated at the Mweka Exit Gate (5,380 ft) and signed out in the rangers log. The descent from Barafu Hut (~15,000 ft) to the exit gate was about 9 miles and nearly 10,000 ft of elevation. The total descent took our group

less than 5 and a half hours. At the gate we had our final lunch with the crew. It consisted of stuffed avocados, fresh tilapia, fires and fruit. As you'd expect after a long hike, it was delicious. After lunch we tipped the crew who sang us a "thank-you" song (that was uncomfortable) and we loaded the jeep to head back to Arusha.

Since we ended the hike a day earlier than expected we were put up in a different hotel than before. This time we were housed in the Impala Hotel. While it is certainly more "up scale" than our previous lodging, the Ilboro Safari Lodge, it felt far less homey. It will be nice when we return to the safari lodge tomorrow. The afternoon and evening were pretty straight forward. We all started by taking much needed showers followed by the usual hodgepodge of relaxing activities: reading, writing, napping, etc. We met for dinner in the hotel lobby at 6:30 and afterwards it was more or less time to call it a night.

Tomorrow should be fairly easy, including safari prep and a trip to the local market.