The Climb Day One: I Guess We’re Really Doing This?

I’m told that today was the easy day. Now that I’ve finally seen the mountain in daytime framed by a clear blue sky, I can believe that.

After an astonishingly terrible nights sleep, Carrie and I were dressed, packed, fed, and ready for our 8:00 pick up. When we boarded the tour company’s bus (a significantly larger one than the day before) we found it was nearly completely full with about a dozen young men and one lone woman who was likely in her 20’s. Erik and Prosper, our guides from the day before (yes I finally learned his name I’m not a monster) were seated near the driver in front and greeted us warmly, but with the business like efficiency of two people eager to get going.

“This is the team,” they announced when they noticed us looking at the assembled crowd in surprise. Several of the men smiled at us like they’d been briefed on us in some detail, and the one young woman gave a shy little wave from the very back.

“Hiiiiiiiii…..” I said as I raised my hand in response. A mumbled chorus of “jambo jambo” the traditional greeting in Tanzania, bounced melodically around the bus.

Carrie quickly counted heads and gave a little laugh in disbelief. It was a team of thirteen. “All of them?” She asked, scanning the crowd. We were just two people going to climb a mountain, and though…