Mt Kilimanjaro

We survived the trek! Our guide said we could tell people we conquered Kili, but honestly it pretty much kicked our butts, so I think survived is more accurate!!

You can probably imagine what it was like . . . four and a half days of walking uphill and a day and a half to walk down. I'll spare you the details and just hit the highlights in my Academy Awards style speech . . .

I would like to thank . . .

• my mom and dad for not tying me down and refusing to let me on an airplane to Africa like they threatened, or I would have missed out on one miserable and five fantastic days on Kilimanjaro!
• the makers of Snickers, grape Gatorade, and Clif bars for powering my trek.
• the many airport and airline employees who got our bags to us an hour before our trek began (close call!) so we didn't have to hike naked, especially since my SPF 50 sunscreen was in my luggage.
• my friend Cheryl for arranging this adventure (you can bet I'll never let her talk me into anything crazy like this again!!)
• the sixteen English schoolboys who were on the same route we were and kept us entertained with random comments like, "I could draw you a trajectory of your odds of rolling a five or a one" while playing a dice game and "You Americans may drive on the right side of the road, but we British drive on the correct side of the road."
• the English, Australian, and South African men who managed to make us feel attractive, despite not having showered for days.
• to Cheryl (again), for not puking on me or even expecting me to hold her hair back or anything that would put me remotely near the puke when she puked eight times (at least) on the way to the summit.
• and last but not least, to Joachim, best Kili guide ever, for pushing, pulling, and dragging me up the last half hour or so, just so I could say I made it to the top of Kilimanjaro!

I've got tons of pictures and can give the long story to anyone who wants to hear it when I get back. For now I'm ready to get a good night's sleep before leaving for the safari tomorrow morning!