Jun
Before beginning the hour-long drive to point where we’d begin climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro’s Lemosho route, the 10 Roadmonkey expedition members asked our guides, from Tanzania Journeys, to stop at a convenience store in Moshi for water and snacks.
Jolie, Rollie, Susan, Christine & Stef: Before we started pooping into wood boxes for six days
Then Team Roadmonkey left from our ranger station and hiked about 3 hours through some very green rainforest at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.
We passed very fresh signs of elephants – namely, large piles of dung along a narrow trail made very slick from recent rains. The beginning of the trail was very difficult and very steep, and many of our group members were quite exhausted by the end of the first hour.
We thought, at the time, that this was rigorous. We knew nothing.
But then the trail leveled off, and after a bag lunch under a canopy of trees in a meadow, we arrived at our hill top camping ground where we found about 20 other Kili climbers and their porters and guide.
Day 1 trail break: When we were still clean and untested
By about 8:30, all of the Road Monkey group was in their tents and asleep, exhausted from jet lag and a full day’s climb.
Paul
