Memories of Tanzania

David Captur kept a diary of his Kilimanjaro Challenge in Tanzania, climbing the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and the highest point in Africa. His diary can be read at Ian's Travels, a travel site kept by Ian Cremona:

..8 months of planning went down the drain when we saw that the road we were supposed to take to reach the first camp was closed down due the mud as a result of the heavy rain on the previous day. We finally got to a rendez-vous point at around 17:30 and walked for 2 hours in cold rain. None of us saw it coming. We were prepared for summer weather...We were all quite miserable, but porters and guides were very nice and helpful and we managed to quite our stuff relatively warm and dry. That night, we ate and slept well...The weather cleared up a bit now, but there are still many clouds anywhere. I have a gut feeling that its going to be raining very much, just my instinct talking to me. Our moods are much better now, also thanks to the incredible scenes we are witnessing here...It is peaceful here, thought-free. The sun has gone down here, but there is still a lot of redness in the sky. Coupled with the scenery around us, it really is a sight.

..So ends this chapter in my life, I guess. The Kilimanjaro Challenge III. I wonder how my life will be now, without this love-hate 8-month story. It has certainly changed me. For starters, I go back home convinced that I am not ordinary, I am special. But I also return home with less angry & irrational pride. You see I needed help at a point in time, on my own, I may well not have made it. That does not diminish what I did in any way, it just makes me smile, because it feels like losing a burden, being able to relax and rely on someone. I guess I finally figured, I don’t have to do it all on my own. It feels good J...