Day 11 - Final Trek Day 9
Thursday, September 17
Mweka Camp —> Mweka Gate 4 miles
10,040 ft. —> 5,400 ft. 4,640 ft. down
7:15am —> 11:30am 4 hours 15 minutes
It’s hard to believe we were standing on top of this mountain just 24 hours ago!
5:30 Final Coffee Call - 6:30 Breakfast - 7:30 Hiking!
Before leaving camp, our guides lead us around the corner from our tents to this spot with this lovely view of the mountain.
The first ½ km. or so was down a dirt trail. And then things got interesting…. As the vegetation got thicker and we entered the forest, the ground became muddier and muddier. Since the sunlight never reaches the trail, it never dries out. It was 5,000 feet down over rocks and roots in thick, slippery mud. And since this route is a supply route for porters and a descent only route for clients, there was a good amount of traffic. (We didn’t take a lot of pictures because, frankly, there wasn’t a lot to photograph on the way down, and we just wanted to get down!)
The last kilometer or so was a wide gravel road used for vehicles, which was a relief from the mud. Then the road widened to a set of buildings and vehicles where the trail officially ended.
The the chaos began! First we had to sign out of the park (with our passport numbers etc.) and get our official certificates for having completed the climb.
Then we went to a large grassy area where all of our duffels were laid out so we could change our shoes. There was a man there who would wash our boots for us for $1. There was also a tarp laid out for us to place anything we wanted to donate to the porters (hiking gear, clothing etc.) and they could take what they wanted.
Then we said good bye to our porters, loaded up the vehicles, and drove a short distance to a restaurant for a lunch that our chefs prepared for us.
The we drove half of our group to a hotel next to the airport, waited for two of them to take a quick shower and then take them on to the airport to catch their flights home. Then the rest of us when on to another lodge 90 minutes away for our overnight. (Driving on the same crazy, bumpy road we drove the first day we arrived in Tanzania!)
We arrived at our lodge at 5:30, received our official certificates, and said good-bye to Bona and Juma, our Guides.
And then, I found something very ironic in that even though we’d just climbed a mountain, these women carried our luggage to our room for us ON THEIR HEADS!
We enjoyed the luxury of a little cottage room with running water. We reorganized our stuff. I got a massage. We had a late dinner. And we collapsed into bed.
What a day it’s been. What a week it’s been! How far we’ve traveled….
The climb may be complete, but our trip is not over! Next stop…. RWANDA AND THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS!