Sunday: The Day of “Rest”

Each day we have been taking an afternoon stroll around town, trying to get some exercise and enjoy the weather before we head back to the arctic circle (aka Minnesnowda). As we were driving to Iringa on our way out of town on Saturday, we saw a mountain at the edge of town that looked like a doable hike. So at 9am, four of us packed up our waters and headed up the mountain. Two more from our group came for moral support and made sure we got to at least the bottom of the mountain, and turned around to spend, one of the hottest days since we’ve been here, inside. 

As we headed up the mountain, we met a couple kids so spoke the tiniest bit of English. They pointed us to a path and we headed that way. They decided to come with us and lead the way. Up one of the steepest parts of the mountain, we hiked up with these kids who were in flip flops. Another kid about 5 years old joined us as well without any shoes. As I forced the group to take a break (one of many), these kids were hardly breaking a sweat. 

When we got to a platform, a couple guys met up with us and told us we were taking the hard way up and they could lead us the rest of the way. We happily agreed and said goodbye to the children. I will spare you the details of the hike up, but I am not a hiker and the other group members were convinced that they would have to carry me the rest of the way. We made it to the top (without me fainting)! 

The way down was much easier. I talked with one of the guides, Abraham. He is a carpenter from town, and we talked about the importance of education and about Tanzania and about all the hard workers we’ve seen and met. It was a great experience. Yousef was the other guide and cut the way for us. He was at the front of the group (obviously not where I was) and even though this wasn’t their job, they were happy to help us. At the bottom we thanked them and went on our way. 

On our way back, we were stopped by another guy telling us that if we needed a guide, he would take us up again. I happily told him I had enough mountain climbing for one trip

So even though it may not be Kilimanjaro, I can happily say that I hiked over 7 miles up 1200 feet in elevation in 4.5 hours. I met some great people and became closer with the group. Even though we are here for the medicine, it is nice to be able to learn from others during all aspects of the trip.