Day 1

*TREKKING KILIMANJARO*

Day 1/7 | Lemosho Route

I met Rose the morning of the hike. An elderly woman who is part of the trip. I had landed from London the night before at 11pm and wasn't sure what time the departure time was the next morning. Rose introduced me to her friend Vanessa and I learned that Vanessa and Cyril are an Irish couple living in Connecticut. I also met Dan, a young father from India and living in New Zealand. He's taking some "me" time to climb a mountain for one week to fulfill his dream on a 3 month family trip. The guides Leon and Mody read off a gear list and made sure I had what I needed. It was a very last-minute decision for me to sign up with Habari Adventures (with 3 days' notice) after reading a post on the Kilimanjaro Hiking Facebook group. I had been holding on to signing up with a tour company due to the high costs offered. I also wasn't pleased with a low-budget tour company that had reached out. Habari met my expectations and I asked no questions of them.

Stan, the owner introduced us to the rest of the team who are coming with us. There were about 14 staff total including 2 cooks: Jimmy, and Daniel and 11 porters. We took a few awkward group photos and were on our way.

The trek was beautiful and the trails were well maintained. I learned that Rose will be 72 years old this year and started running at the age of 48. Since then, she has completed 116 marathons. I learned about her family, travels and before I knew it, we had arrived at our first camp.

While my group was slowly (pole pole in Swahili) ascending the mountain...the porters set up the tents for us. Our guide Mody explained how to use the private toilet that's been setup for us and I asked him if he could also show us where his tent is. There is a spacious tent where mats are laid out and a section of it is intended for cooking. Unlike what I'm used to in California, "ultralight" isn't really what the team is striving for. I saw jugs of oil, bags of Ugali (made with corn), and bags of tomato. Magic has already begun.

Inside my tent are my 40L backpack, my sleeping bag, and a sleeping mat. A bucket of warm water was brought for us inside the tent and we were invited to some tea and snacks.

At dinner time, we were shocked at the quality and presentation of the food. The five of us bonded very quickly. Rose was shocked to learn that we had just met the same day. Our guides provided a detailed briefing for tomorrow. It's going to be a long day. Heart rate and oximeter measured. Time for bed.

Under the African sky. We slept like mountain babies.

Day 1

3.75 miles 1660 ft+

Lemosho gate 2383m to Mti Mkubma Camp 2980m