Mt. Kilimanjaro - The Final Descent

The final descent was just what we needed, an easy, soft dirt trail with a steady, gentle grade down. We dropped the final 1,515 vertical meters / 5,000’ in about 2 hours. When a woman in flip-flops with a little kid at her side appeared, it was a sight for sore eyes. We knew we were close.

Once down we were accosted with the mobs of people shilling shirts, hats and a ton of stuff we didn’t need. Chuck seemed compelled to buy from them. It was one time he couldn’t please everyone as there were an endless number of merchants all selling the same stuff. Simon asked for Chuck’s hiking poles and to my dismay he gave them to him. My guess is they probably went for sale at the next day’s hike.

Pulling out of the park, we relaxed on cushioned seats until we were snapped back to reality as we passed a freshly flipped car with wet blood dripping down the windshield. Our laissez-faire attitude abruptly changed and we strapped our safety belts on quickly.

Back in town, people approached us continually. They all tried to pretend we had spoke before. It was an interesting angle to get you talking. Of course, this led to a discussion of how we should buy Tanzanite from them. My response should have been, “Oh yes, I remember you, where is the $10 you owe me from yesterday?”

The story continues...