Charles and Enoch of the Monkey Team arrive for the 4 pm briefing. Enock is tall and intense-looking, and both Charles and Enock have great smiles. They both appear to be in great shape!
Which route is your favourite? We ask Enock.
Lemosho replies Enock
Boss: Lemosho
We chuckled! Was it because we were traveling the Lemosho route that they all had the same response?
DJ told us in the morning, didn’t he? ‘Ohhhhhh…Lemosho …difficult!’
We’ll just have to wait and see.
They checked our kits, and everything was there and more. Charles urged us to “bring everything,” so we made the decision to do just that. He asked if they were new as he pointed to my hiking boots. He most likely believed that she had brought them directly from the store. I merely grinned and said… They really are clean! I had purchased the pair of Soloman hiking shoes just before Christmas, so they weren’t brand-new, and I had already used them to walk my dogs (but not on any lengthy hikes). But as you may know, it pours nonstop in the UK 365 days a year, so you often find yourself trudging through puddles and squelchy, oozy mud, so I am in the habit of giving my shoes a good shower every other day. I had actually washed my beauties and donned them the day before I was to depart. Always break in and acclimate your new shoes. Blisters and bites are the absolute last thing you need! I was so happy when they approved my duffle bag, but now I’m worrying about keeping it under 15 kg. He told me to bring everything, but how was I going to fit it all in? This presented a challenge for me! We still had the entire evening and night to prepare and pack our belongings into the duffel bag. Trish had the biggest one and it was a Columbia which she picked up on a sale. Sid had his 60L backpack. So, we were good to start our packing!
Day 1 attire should be warm, so shorts are acceptable. Pack a fleece and a rain jacket in the duffle bag. Pickup at 8:30 am!
That evening, we had trouble packing! First of all, the lighting in our room was so ethereally low that we were unable to see each other. Those lights reminded me of a few fireflies. We hadn’t even climbed the first step of our mountain when we realized we needed to use our torches for light. I was also dreadfully afraid of putting a gecko (loads of them on the patio wall and they emerge after dusk) in my bag at the same time. What if one snuggled down on my bed? In any case, my bed at the time was a magpie nest! I made the mistake of leaving two of my tracksuit bottoms in my suitcase during all this commotion. I realised this on Day 2. Never pack so many black clothes because they will just blend in with the night.
Sid was now having trouble fitting everything he needed into his 60L backpack, including his sleeping bag. He decides to wait until morning because there is no light, and he lacks the energy to think. Regarding the bag, there was a little bit of a panic. I sent Monkey Adventures a message. then I find out later that they don’t rent out bags. The situation is still tense! What else could we do in the night of the fireflies but sleep, moreover, we didn’t want to drain out our torch batteries.
We had to get some rest because tomorrow is a BIG day. We needed all the energy we could get to figure out Sid’s duffel bag and more importantly we were going to start the Day 1 trek! My inability to fall asleep quickly can probably be attributed to my excitement and slight fear of the unknown.
Good Night