Day 1
We meet other climbers in other groups. Everyone looks excited and few are adjusting the bladder, day bag, and everything else. We receive a lunchbox! It is substantial, we eat it all but save the drink and biscuits for later. The Lemosho route begins at this gate, and our guides complete a lot of paperwork here. We pass the weigh-in on duffel bags! What a relief!
We begin our ascent through the rainforest at 2:26 p.m. Warm (hot), humid rainforest; despite sweating a little, we still appear tidy. The fauna is unique and fascinating, and the trees are tall. Simon notices Colobus monkeys. He finds them, but how?
We stop to pee a few times and then swig from our bladder! Enock is very smart. He tells us about this healing tree in a shy manner. Unwanted pregnancies can be prevented if the leaves are boiled in water and then drunk. I can recall the story “The Great Kapok Tree,”. We must protect our rainforests!
4:56 PM: We still have an hour left.
Oh, the incline walk has started.
Lots of calf and booty work.
Day 1-Camp 1 Mti Mkubwa Camp, 2650 meters above sea level, at 5:28 p.m.
Despite being worn out, we are glad to have reached Camp 1! We learn about our tents, the toilet tent (which has some very interesting equipment in it), the mess tent, and the schedule. Deliveries of duffel bags occur. Tea and popcorn are served along( a different snack is served each day). Then comes a red bowl of hot water for washy-washy. As he is wide awake, we get to see Yuma’s handsome face and his beautiful smile. Though he doesn’t speak much he is super cool and friendly. Rasheed, our outstanding Masterchef, is a wonderful person who always smiles. After all the hard work, it was always exciting to wonder what we would eat for dinner that night!
