The following two accounts of our 2006 Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari were written by two of our participants, Susan and Chris. For background- before Susan left on the trip, she sent out an email to all her friends asking them to send her $1 for a donation to the Amani Children's Home. Another participant, Olivia, liked the idea so much she sent out a similar email asking for $6. Together they raised over $1,000 for this home that takes care of street children and AIDS orphans in Tanzania. That is a huge amount!

Chris had established an email correspondence with a young woman named Jordan, who worked in the office of the company we worked with, prior to the trip. As a result, Jordan accompanied us on the trip. She was delightful. Will she become the first woman guide on Kili? We hope so. For Chris' account, click here.

The pictures are from the 2005 trip

Susan's account:

I am home, and happy and proud to say that I made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Also, that in keeping with my 'ignorance is bliss' approach to adventure travel I completely under rated the difficulty of the climb.This trip has so many facets that it is hard for me to know where to begin, so I guess I'll start with my departure from my beloved Baltimore, Hon.

Day 1. BWI airport, my adventure begins. I immediately begin a little game with myself called 'find the hiker', I know that a woman, Olivia, who lives local and is going on the trip will be taking the same flights that I am, can I pick her out? I think I have spotted her...but more by process of elimination. She really doesn't stand out any more then anyone else.
We make our way to Detroit and then …

Day2. to Amsterdam where we meet up with the rest of the group in the airport. This time I spot the group easily, 9 women hikers and the 2 group leaders I have met before, so I am able to move into the group easily.... I have learned from my past two adventure trips that I tend to go at a different pace then most others so in order not to scare anyone I have told myself to lay back a little, observe everyone else, try not to let my fast walking, talking, and thinking city ways overrun everyone.... but it aint easy.
We land at Kilimanjaro airport at 9:30 pm. As I step out of the plane a very warm breeze blows across me, my first feelings of Africa. And I get an old movie feeling, as I walk across the tarmac in the half light into the terminal. Ceiling fans are whirring above my head, I stand in a crowded, hot, dimly lit, wood paneled room waiting to go through immigration. I must admit that I actually feel good about being one of the last ones through. Even though I had to fight the urge to change lines more then once, I can lay back a little, it won't hurt me....
Everyone collects their luggage and hauls it outside to a waiting bus. I try to search around and get a feeling for the area, it is dark and desolate. A young Tanzanian woman named Jordan is our guide to the hotel.She is attractive and friendly; one of the women from our group, Chris, has already made friends with Jordan via email, so there is some get acquainted chat. As we ride through the darkness I see donkeys, and a surprising number of people walking along the road. We make our way to the hotel: pink stands out in my memory, very nice and clean, seems to have a little 'Enchanted Forest' wild animal theme going on. There are two hippos eating a zebra in what would be a fountain if there were any water running. Interesting, I wonder if the water would be blood red. We get our room assignments, I will be staying in the Rhino Room with Chris. Jordan and her friend come up to our room as Chris has brought a gift for Jordan, a personal cd player with some cds. Chris' niceness hold true the entire trip, she has a wonderful upbeat outlook and couldn't be happier to be where she is. We check out the room, two single beds, dresser, desk, toilet, tub and sink, standard issue, but wait! we have an air conditioner. I am thinking the air conditioner will be great for a noise filter...throughout the nite there are dog fights, cat fights, cows mooing, music playing, crows cawing, roosters crowing and who knows what else. I know all the sounds in spite of the air conditioner because the power shuts off in the nite for conservation. A couple of us, Chris, Susan, Olivia and myself, head down to the restaurant/pub to get a beer...my first African beer, Kilimajaro...ain't the beer cold! Not really, but you people from Baltimore know what I mean. Back in the room I am thankful for my mechanical abilities as I figure out how to work the flush, the air conditioner and the shower. I do a quick search for bugs, don't find any, sort of disappointed, sleep off and on, wish I had remembered a watch.

Day3. Breakfast buffet in the morning, everyone is very pleasant, the people that work here seem very kind and willing to serve you. There are some known foods on the buffet, so far so good! We take a public bus to a Womens co-op that we are going to visit today. Everything is an adventure; we are the first on the bus and head through Arusha to the bus depot. We wait until the bus is packed full, or overfull by our standards, before we get going. I am sitting by a window trying to take it all in, things look run down, dilapidated, dirty. There are no sidewalks, streets are somewhat paved, women are dressed in colorful fabrics, sitting stooped along the sides of the road selling a variety of things, some have babies slung on their backs. I have seen scenes like these in movies and magazines but am shocked and saddened by the reality.
We arrive at the womens co-op and are greeted by the kindergarten children singing a welcome song to us. We are invited up to the classroom to see what they are learning, then head outside for a tour and an explanation of how the co-op works. We help peel garlic which will then be crushed, dried and packaged for sale. The women serve us a wonderful lunch and read us their mission statement, then we take a tour of the nearby farm. Once again it is shocking to see the conditions that exist there. There is an opportunity to buy some of the spices and things from the women here, of course everyone does. We travel back to our hotel by van, have dinner, [which in retrospect sums up the attitude of the people here, no hurry or in Swahili...'pole pole' slow,slow] and settle down, for tomorrow we will be traveling to Mt. Kilimanjaro to begin the climb.
When I see the mountain from down below my thoughts range from, “I just wanted to see the animals!, what am I doing here?” to “is it humanly possible to cover that much distance [a mountain!] in 5 days?”

Day 4. The ride to Mt. Kilimanjaro takes a couple of hours, lots to look at, plenty to think about. The road leading to the Machame Gate is dirt and extremely rough as we heave and bounce our way to the gate. We12 women and a few of our porters and bags are in one bus and the rest of our porters and gear are in another. There are a total of 42 porters for our group. That seems like such a large ratio but I am soon to be educated. The porters turn out to be the most amazing people; the work that they do carrying the stuff up the mountain is amazing. There are two greetings in passing as we climb the mountain, 'Jambo' which is basically 'Hello' and 'pole pole', slow slow.
We each sign in at the gate, have lunch, and get our gear together to begin our climb. This is also my first time seeing a 'squatty potty' which is basically a toilet that is flat to the floor that you squat down over to use; this particular squatty is porcelain and has a flush. Aint life great!
The first day of our hike leads us through a rain forest, beautiful, lush and green. Get a few good laughs listening to Susan’s stories, very entertaining, looking forward to more. Surprisingly no animals; however we did come across a small black and white chameleon. A steep 6+ hour hike to our first campsite, Machame Camp at an altitude of 10,200ft.
Get my tent assignment, I will be sharing a two person tent [I'm sure the brochure said 4 person tent for two women], with Mareli, a very nice 40 something woman from Colorado. It is hard to sleep as our tent is slanting down and the only thing that keeps us from sliding out of the tent and down the hill is all the gear we have stuffed in front of the opening in here with us. I have a minute of anger at myself; I have forgotten my headlamp, washcloth, soap, sunglasses, all sitting on my dresser at home. For a minute I think I have forgotten my thermal bottoms and in my mind I am just about to call it quits, and walk back down the mountain and stay in a hotel! It is chilly overnight and I sleep with gloves on. I get up to use the, well, I'll call it the bathroom; it is a toilet of sorts in a tall straight up and down tent and I am treated to the most beautiful sky, clear with hundreds of stars, we don't get this at home!

Day 5. Breakfast, pack up and begin hike. As we leave the forest area and continue on a steep ascending path I am finding that it is getting more difficult to breathe and need to keep a slow steady pace, 'pole pole'. I am hiking alone, not the fastest and not quite the slowest, and I am enjoying my alone time and my thoughts and my pace. I stop to catch my breath and look around, and am caught off guard by the absolute beauty of my surroundings. I cry a little, take a photo, hope to remember this moment for the rest of my life and move on. Today is my anniversary, 32years, and I have lots of reflection and thoughts. Never in my wildest dreams.....
Chris waits up for me and we hike together. We spend an amazing day talking and laughing, [when not gasping for breath], I am starting to have pinch me moments. Am I really here in Africa? Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? How did I get here? After a tough 7+hour hike we get to Shira Camp 12,600 ft. Have dinner, it is a cold nite, the porters bring us hot water bottles to take to bed. I can't say that I have ever used one before, so tell Mareli she can have mine. What a treat when I get into my sleeping bag to find that Mareli had put my hot water bottle in my sleeping bag. My new best friend. Priceless! I sleep in my gloves and hat.

Day6. Breakfast, pack up, the porters bring us a bowl of warm water to wash with and I discovered that if you undress as much as is decently possible and wash outside in the cold air you feel so much warmer when you get dressed again. I am hoping for a hot flash or two.
Today I hike with Lori and Amrit, Lori is 50ish, nice and a good sense of humor, Amrit is 25 [and probably wondering what the world she is doing here with all us old ladies] strong and friendly. Amrit is not feeling well today, we keep a 'pole pole' pace. Stop for lunch and Lori starts feeling ill. Our pace must be quite slow as Marian, the group leader comes back to find us. A tough day of hiking, hoping that everyone gets feeling better. In the dining tent,[sounds more elaborate then it is, believe me], I have a chance to get to know Pat better, 60+ quiet, I have a feeling that she takes it all in. I have a nose bleed overnite, wonder if it is significant, consider not mentioning to Marian just in case it is a sign of something bad. I don't want to be stopped now, I don't want to do something stupid either. I'll wait until it happens again. I sleep in my gloves, hat and coat. Barranco Hut Camp 12,700ft., an important acclimatization ! day.

Day 7. The best day! The porter, Jacob, made me an early coffee and I snuck off to a ridge to watch the sunrise. Amazing, pinch me! Marla came over to join me, I enjoyed chatting with her. Breakfast, pack up and begin the most amazing hike/climb up the great Barranco Wall! I have never done any rock scrambling before and although there are some challenging, precarious, dangerous places I find this to be a most rewarding and exhilarating experience! Bring It On! We make our way to Karanga Valley Camp 13,800ft.
A couple of the women, Chris and Claudia, are having emotional breakdowns as they become more friendly with the porters and hear more about the hardships of life in Tanzania. I want to help, to come up with an answer or a solution that makes us all feel better....but I know it's not that easy.
The worst nite! The tent slants sideways and as luck would have it I am the top side, when I can find some way to hang on. I sleep? sort of folded in half against the opening of the tent with my head braced up against my back pack.I sleep in gloves, hat, coat, thermal bottoms, and pants, with the hot water bottle against my wool socked feet.

Day 8 into 9. After a 5+ hour hike we arrive at Barafu Hut Camp. I am totally up, this is it! At about midnite tonite we will begin our ascent to the summit. Once again I am awe-struck looking at the mountain, how can I possibly get from here to there? Photo op, and Marian puts her arm strongly around my shoulder. I take a quick sideways glance at her trying to read this gesture. This is encouragement and the giving of strength, she has made this climb before, I am at once humbled and strengthened. We are at 15,100ft. I laid down and got an instant incredible headache, took a couple of advil, the headache goes away. Now how to stop the sinus problems and nosebleeds. I want my Puffs Plus. No pain, no gain!

Midnite! We begin the ascent. Pole pole...it is hard to breathe. The scene is rather eerie, single file long lines of people hiking in the dark with head lamps. You can see them in front and behind you. One of our group seems to be struggling with altitude, and every so often a porter comes up to check on her. I get the feeling that we are in one of those old dance contests and if someone taps one of us on the shoulder we are out. I am completely focused, I don't believe I've said 10 words this entire climb. The one woman that was struggling loses her battle and is forced to turn back. Too bad and I'm sorry for her. It is a sobering moment for me. I don't want to come this far and not be able to make it to the top. I feel like I've missed a block of time...sleepwalking? I don't know. I do start to dig deep for strength, I think of my kids and of the importance of accomplishing this, I know they think I can do anything, I think I can do anything.... I think of Joe and his kind and caring way, and of his unfaltering support for me. I think of all the people that gave me $ for the children's home, I think of my friends and of the other hikers in this group. Somehow it is important that I don't let any of them down. I think of the loss of my parents and for the first time ever I don't feel the sadness, anger, or regret that usually comes with thinking about my childhood,[all those one hour sessions are paying off], I feel empowered, I am strong, I can do this. I pray, I say every prayer I can remember. I ask God to help me, to give me the strength....suddenly I am being assisted by a porter [get this] named Emmanuel! I don't know what to think of that but I follow his advice and fall into a slow deliberate steady pace behind him, pole pole. Somehow I make it to Stella Point. The assistant guide for our group suggests that I stay where I am and not risk going any higher. I ask Emmanuel about walking a little further up and around to see the glaciers; he is agreeable. Once I get around that point I ask how much further to the top. Emmanuel tells me it is about 30 or 40 minutes 'pole pole'. I ask him if he thinks I can make it, he says yes, I agree and a fresh burst of energy carries me easily to the summit, the highest point on Mt. Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. 19,685feet.
It is cold, fresh air and sunshine. Amazing glaciers all around, beautiful views. And of course the elation at having made it. Photo-op!

By now it is after 8:30am and time to begin the descent. The descent offers me a chance to do some screeing, kind of like skiing in loose pebbley soil. I love it, but not sure how my knees will feel about it later! We make it back to the camp around 1:00 or so. That gives me about an hour to rest, pack up and head to the next camp.
The hike down to the Mweka Camp is steep and long and I feel every downward step in my knees, and there are many! I am slowing down and am hiking some by my self and some with John our head Porter/guide. We chat easily and he tells me about his dream of someday owning his own tour company. I hope he is able to realize it. He is also keeping tabs on Jordan, the woman porter/guide that came along and also made it to the summit. She is not feeling well and having a very difficult time. We pass a man who is struggling greatly. I feel pretty good physically and great emotionally. At Mweka Camp I wait for the few others behind me with mixed emotions. I am happy and excited to have made it however I am feeling the disappointment of the ones who were not able to make it to the top.
Mweka Camp is in the upper Rain Forest, we have a final dinner on the mountain and settle down for our hike out tomorrow. I decide to take my flashlight out to do a little nite hunting. Darn, not one animal or critter, someone says it is because of the altitude.
Day 10. In the morning after breakfast we get together with all of our porters to pass out tips, it is an honor to do this,this trip could not happen without these strong, caring, gentle, men. It is a testament to Marian and her concern and caring for these men that she has taken the time to get their names and to hand them their tips personally. We have learned that the porters are often overworked, underpaid, often work with out the proper nourishment or equipment and if this money was left in the hands of someone else, may not reach the porters as intended. They sing and dance their gratitude, we all join in. One of those moments that there just aren't words for....
A 4+ hour hike down through the Rain Forest and to the main gate, I am hiking in the middle of the pack, alone for part of the way when I am joined by a young porter named Victor. Although I was enjoying my alone time and thoughts he seems to want to chat and hike with me, oh well. Victor is a porter and wants to move up to guide. He needs to know about the area, the plants, trees and to be able to speak English well. I get his address and promise to send him some books. Everyone together again we get on the bus and head to the town of Moshi, where we will visit the Porters Association, and perhaps the Amani Childrens home that I had collected the$ for, $440.00 total! [ I take the opportunity to leave behind my hats, gloves, rain pants, gaiters and duct tape that will be made available for the porters to use if needed].
[$440.00 Wow! and thank you from the bottom of my heart].[On that note, one of my son’s friends was at my house before I left on this trip, he had heard about my 1 friend $1 collection, he said he had something for me. I stood as I watched him take his wallet from his pocket and remove $1, there was something so much bigger going on here...I hope he didn't notice that I was getting teary eyed as the moment resonated within me. Here was this 17year old kid so reverently giving me a dollar to take halfway around the world to help some other kid that he had never met and most likely never would. The moment was so powerful as it represented each and every dollar and each and every person behind those dollars that you all have given so freely. Some of you I have never met, yet you all became part of my trip and of my climb and of my success. I suspect that in the future the help we gave to the children's home will be the bigger story in my life].
Philip, the young man I have been in email contact with from Amani Childrens home, comes over to the Porters Association Office to meet us. It turns out that Amani Childrens Home is a bit further away then I had originally thought, it would mean taking the bus and everyone else along. I know that Ann our assistant group leader will be staying in Arusha for a few extra days and I ask her to deliver the money there in person and a camera for the kids to take pictures of themselves and Amani and return to me, to which she agrees.
Back to our original hotel, SG Resort in Arusha, a hot shower and dinner! And of course a Kilimanjaro Beer!
Day 11. Today we separate into two groups as was pre arranged according to which route you chose when you signed on for the trip, no survivor moments here! After hugs and photos we board our van and head off to Lake Manyara Lodge and a safari. We stop in Arusha to go to a bank for those who want to exchange money. There is a guard in front of the bank, no admittance unless you have bank business. As we return to the van there are quite a few people with things to sell, souvenir type stuff, some just ask for money. I discreetly put some money into the hand of a little girl that looks to be about 7 years old. Shouldn't she be off playing dress-ups or baby dolls somewhere?
The road into the Lake Manyara Lodge is an unpaved road a mile or so long with a village/settlement on each side. The buildings are little more then shacks, built with a variety of materials, wood, metal, sod...the people sit or mill about outside them, occasional children are along side the road begging . This small stretch of road hits me hard and the tears come. I will have to drive up and down this road 3 more times and every time is just as difficult. I feel helpless, I am not sure where to put this...We get to the hotel and there are Baboons running everywhere, if you leave the slider open to your room a Baboon will surely enter. My roommate here is Marla, a 40 something woman from Kalamazoo, nice and easy to get along with. The room has no a/c but mosquito nets around the bed so you can leave the windows open at nite, no more hats and gloves for me. I am drained emotionally and can't seem to do much but sit and think about what I have seen. After check in and lunch we all get into the van for our first Safari drive into Lake Manyara Park. We see elephants, lion, hippo, water buck, monkeys, it is great and exactly what I came for but I am still trying to process all that I have seen. Plus the lift up top to the safari van is broken and won’t stay up so that does limit the adventure a little, and our safari guide doesn't speak English too well.

Day 12. I get up early take my camera, grab a coffee and catch the sunrise.We pack up and head out. New van, new guide, Limas. We're off to the Serengeti. It is amazing, we are driving on dirt road through vast endless open grass land. The day is clear and warm. The top to our van is open and I can stand as we drive along and search for animals. We see zebra, impala ,wildebeest, hyena, giraffe, I need to look at my pictures to jolt my memory. We want to make a stop for snacks and whatever. Our guide Limas turns off the road onto a little back dirt road, we end up in a Maasai Village. The village like every other one we've seen consists of a row or two of small stall like shops. It is difficult not to feel like an intruder here, you can feel everyone’s eyes on you as you move about. The children come along with their hands out and I am relieved that I have a pocket full of Tanzanian coins, enough to give each child at least one. An older Maasai man comes over and shakes my hand, he tries to do some thumb handshake thing, of course it is lost on me. I smile as our eyes meet, he smiles back, I hope we are not married now or that I didn't just give away all my worldly possessions or one of my children. I find myself standing next to a Maasai woman with a baby slung to her back, the baby has flies on its face and clustered about its eyes. I want to reach over and brush the flies away, but I don't. I want to somehow tell this woman that I care and ask what I can do to help, but I don't. I put a few coins into her hand and turn for the van. These moments are touching me deeply. I know that I will be forever changed. We arrive at our next hotel, The Seronera Lodge. It is too late for a game drive, we all get our room assignments. I am rooming with Ann; I have met Ann before, she was the guide on the Grand Canyon trip I took last year. Ann is nice, easy going, 30 something. She finds a small lizard in the bathroom, alright wildlife, it's about time!

Day 13. I wake up early, take a walk around and catch the sunrise. A morning game drive through the Serengeti and we see a large group of lions eating their kill. Water buffalo, giraffe, zebra, warthogs, beautiful colored birds, ugly buzzard birds, and more. We head back to the lodge for lunch and to pack up. Back at the Seronera Lodge there are lots of colorful lizards sunning themselves on the rocks and also Rock Hyraxs roaming about. After lunch we head out to a Tent Camp for a Night Safari.
We arrive at the tent camp and I am pleasantly surprised to see room size tents[now where were these on the mountain]. After a brief orientation about the solar hot water and no electric we get our tent assignment. I am with Ann again, our tent is the farthest out and that is ok with me, maybe we'll see some wildlife. I only see one large spider on the ceiling of the tent, sorry, it's him or me. The tents are surprisingly roomy, with two single beds, a chair, a clothes rack, and a shelving unit, too cool! Everything is made from tree trunks and branches. The back wall of our tent has a zip pass through to [get this] a flushing toilet, a sink vanity with mirror, and a shower with hot water; all are open on top to the great outdoors. I let Ann get settled while I take a tour of the area. When I get back she heads out for dinner. I love this place, the shower was great, you are outside but have privacy in the tent, the water was hot, and I felt secluded enough to enjoy the sun shining down on me and the peace and quiet of being alone in the Serengeti, pinch me! We have a lovely dinner in a candlelit dining tent served to us on china, quite unexpected! We grab our jackets and load up in a huge army issue open top truck for the nite safari. We go rolling along through the open Serengeti, one man drives while the other shines the spotlight. We see a few animals that we have seen during the day, zebra, impala, wildebeest. Then we see jackals, and a bush baby jumping through the tree, a porcupine with his quills at attention. Back to camp and to sleep. I was sleeping next to the open screen window. When I woke up I realized that if I put my head at the other end I could watch the sunrise from my bed. What a wonderful experience.

Day 14. We are packed up and moving again. Headed to the Ngorongoro Crater. On the way there we are crossing a river when someone spots a crocodile, the one and only that we see. When we arrive at the lodge we have a couple of hours of time before dinner. Limas said he was going to get the Van washed and filled up. Olivia, Pat, and I ask if we can go along, and we are off. We wind up in a village that was little more then a gas station car wash and post office, not like any you've seen before. While we are waiting Limas walks us up the road and around a bend to some outside tables where we sit and have a beer. It is nice to sit here in this foreign place and chat with Limas. At the next table there are a couple of Maasai men having sodas and beer, surreal. We chat about churches in the area and Limas says he will take us to see one next to where his brother lives. On the way there he points out a Lutheran Church, the doors are open so Olivia and I peek in, choir practice. They invite us in and we sit and listen to their beautiful harmonizing hymn in Swahili. We leave there and head to where Limas’ brother lives, next to a Roman Catholic Church. Someone comes to the door of the house to say hello, Olivia strikes up conversation and asks if she can come in, oh man! I love Olivia right about now, when would I ever get a chance to go into a real Tanzanian home. It seems the joke is on us. We sren't in the house 3 minutes when it turns into a retail outlet. The woman is getting all sorts of fabrics from a small side room, someone is sewing on a treadle sewing machine in the back yard/portico. Olivia buys the skirt and top the woman is making. Pat buys some fabric, so do I, $42.00 later I am heading back to the lodge happy as can be, that little side trip was totally unexpected, and enlightening.

Day 15. Up early, view the sunrise. I'm not even sure where the sun rises at home...the lodge is situated on the rim of the crater, astounding views. Someone has shown us a Black Rhino through the telescoping binoculars. On the drive to go down into the crater we pass a group of elephants, and water buffalo We drive down into the crater, a rough ride. It is a wonder that these vehicles survive this, it is a wonder that our backs survive this. Down in the crater we see wildebeest, zebra, hippo, buffalo, hyena, and more, but no Black Rhino! We take the extremely rough ride up and out of the crater, at the top someone again finds the Black Rhino in the telescope, oh well....
We begin our drive back to Arusha and to the airport.We make a couple of shopping stops along the way, and of course [classic!] the motor overheats in the van, no worries in Africa, we have time, the motor cools down and we are on the way.
Finally 9:30 pm we are on the plane and on our way home....I wish I could have stayed longer. I am seated next to an African woman named Gemma on the short flight to Dar es Salaam, her home. We chat and she tells me that it is her dream to someday work for herself, she tells me about her 3 daughters and a little about her job. She asks for my email address, I give it to her, who knows how this will all turn out.
Sunday 4:30pm I arrive at BWI. Home!


I don't know why I am here in this great country of wealth and opportunity living the life I do, or why others are struggling to merely survive. I do realize that poverty, hunger and disease are world wide problems, and I don't need to look far to find it. When faced with these overwhelming and complicated issues I have many times said that I am 'only' one person, or that I am 'just' one person. I am making a conscious decision to change my thinking. I am not 'just' one person. I AM ONE PERSON! I will do what I can to help whenever the opportunity presents itself to me. I don't know where my adventure in Tanzania will lead me, but my mind and my heart are open...


Another Side of the World

I did not have a lot of expectations for this African trip... I came to climb the highest thing on earth that I could climb without technical skills. I expected to arrive in Africa and not have to worry about the nuts and bolts of getting to the climb or back to the airport. I knew there was a safari later, I didn't give a rip, and given a choice of whether to sign up for that or save some mula, I probably would have forgone that part... sure glad it wasn't optional! I knew the first day was to be some cultural exchange dealie, but I didn't give a rip about that either. I knew there was to be some filler activity for the couple of days on the mountain us original Breachers would be missing. I also knew that I'd have to meet and interact with a bunch of other trip participants. Cripes, I'm shy enough and such a loner that prospect alone was way more intimidating than the prospect of trying to walk up to the top of Kili. So imagine my surprise when from the moment I deplaned at Kili Intnl until the moment I finally had to say a somewhat tearful goodbye to the final handful of trippers and the guides at Amsterdam, I found myself utterly enthralled and engulfed by Africa and the incredible womyn I was traveling with!

It began with the Shira Women's Coop. Well O.K., actually it began our first night in Arusha when my assigned roomie was the wackiest woman on the trip. She left me an utterly defenseless pile of laughter. Our visit to the Shira Women's Cooperative the following day continued to set the stage for one of the most life changing experiences I've ever had. During the bus ride there, I sat next to Marian, one of the guides for this journey and president of the adventure tour company I was traveling with. In a non-intimidating way she was somewhat probing and seemed genuinely interested in me and my story, and shared a bit of her own story as well. O.K., whew, there's two people on this trip that I feel totally comfortable with! At the coop, the Shira Women's warmth, easy laughter, generosity, honesty and eagerness to share their lifeways with us truly melted me, washing me clean of pessimism and negativity. I loved that we worked side by side. The Shira women taught us a new way to deal with tons of garlic and how to pound that garlic into powder using their traditional tool, a thigh high mortar and with a pestle the size of a log. The feast they laid before us brought tears to my eyes...an incredible abundance; tropical fruits including finger sized bananas, mangos, pineapple and breadfruit, a thick stew type dish and ugali. These women are so precious!

By the time we were on our way to Kili the following day, oh yeah, that's what I had come for... I was totally gone, having completely reverted into a child of wonder. I loved meeting the porters and guides that would be assisting us throughout our climbing days, and happily tried out my newly acquired and stumbling Kiswahili. I truly appreciated their patient way of correcting my speech and answering my myriad of questions. And best of all, my new Afrikan friend Jordan was climbing the mountain with me! So no shit, there I was frolicking in paradise!!

Every moment on Kili fed my soul and made me stronger. I had read that climbing Kili is a walk through every environmental zone on earth, but until I was there, breathing in and breathing out, I didn't really grasp that concept in a real way. I appreciated that we had some options on our ascent. The day hiking to Lava Tower with a smaller group was magical. Throughout the afternoon the clouds rolled in shrouding the tower and surrounds, but then would briefly part for only a moment showing a clear vision of this awesome, fierce place. It was like being in the land lost by time. I was totally amazed that whenever I asked John our guide about some bird or plant or wildflower he could almost always name it, often adding some extra quirky little information.

The final ascent to the summit was magikal. Nearly full moon, no headlamps required, I learned a new Afrikan proverb, ninong nguvu (sp?)- meaning "we are strong enough." We would periodically repeat that to ourselves and each other throughout that long night. It was like moving through a dream. After climbing up a ways, I gazed down on glowing snaking Chinese dragons, other summit teams moving up the mountain through the night. For the most part, our team was utterly silent, only the heavy breathing of life could be heard. In this dreamtime, a strong team moving more quickly could be heard gaining upon us. They were singing their way through the night with gusto, an African call and response. I sang heartily with them as they passed, it was all I could do to keep myself from falling into their faster pace and joining their ascent. Emmanuel, one of our guides, laughed a belly laugh, I felt like he had seen my soul. Later he briefly sang some call and response with me, laughing all the while. It was then that he named me mountain lion. I was honored. I flashed on the Hemingway quote about the frozen leopard found on the crater's rim, "no one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude." I no longer remembered what I sought at that altitude either. A day later, Emmanuel would give me a second name, mwanamke kichaa... crazy woman.

Finally standing on Stella Point, I hugged my Afrikan friend, tears of exhaustion flowed freely from her beautiful brown eyes. Though she seemed incapable of going on to Uhuru, anywhere on the crater rim is considered a summit. My new friend, whose dream I had only recently come to understand, was the first womon of her Chagga tribe to climb Kilimanjaro. I was so honored to have been present during her journey. I walked, danced the final bit to Uhuru alone, singing a simple song, a tune that has haunted me for years whenever I've found myself embraced by extraordinary beauty. In the past it was only a tune, now a kind and precious womon had taught me the words. I was able to spend time on the peak, off to the side, by myself. In those moments my past fell away and my future un-planned itself until finally there was only me sitting quietly at peace, breathing in, breathing out. As I stood to leave I saw the happy faces of our group waving me over for family pictures, and then to my utter astonishment, I saw my African friend frolicking on the summit. Huge hugs, smiles and laughter all around.

I continued to spend the time after breathing in all of Africa that I could possibly hold. Descending from the summit alone until quite near our camp was like drifting through dreamtime. In the days following, during our Maasai village visit, I was totally absorbed. Again and again I felt the underlying heart beat ninong nguvu - we are strong enough. Safari days were wonder days full of grace and beauty and laughter and easy warm comradeship. I have breathed the breath of Africa. I have been buffeted by her cold winds and caressed by her warm breezes. She has licked me clean like a newborn lion cub. She is now part of my bones and blood.

So that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.