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Last call for water for washing . . .
Our last early rise woken by water for washing. I think the whole group would agree that this is a good thing, we are all focused on getting back to the springlands hotel for a wash as its now day 5 of being a minger.
So after the usual breakfast, I don't think ill ever forget the local oatmeal concocksion with a serving of fruit and eggs and not forgetting the sausages, whatever they are! We stand outside where we get a group pic of our team of porters and cooks and guides. We are prettu sure they have added friends to the porter list for us to pay more tips when we get back down the hill, so we laugh about this and watch as the guys put on a sing song for us and a dance. It has to be said I'm pleased I'm headed down today. Its sunny but is very cloudy.
So off we go where on the way down I walk ahead and join other groups asking about their exeperiences and hacving chit chats then stopping and waiting for my group. We see a woman on a stretcher on one wheel with a few poerters holding on taking the woman down the bumpy road. Conditions become a lot worse as it starts to rain and rain and rain, as the mud path becomes extremly slippery, how the he'll the porters are managing with the stretcher is beyond me. Tthey just seem to be plunging down the hill with the woman hoping for the best. She must be seriously ill as if anything goes wrong she could gain some horrendous damage.
So it rains and it pours to the point where our path becomes a stream and we are all stepping on the rocks poking through. Except every now and then the rock you choose moves, so I gave in and just plodded through the water, which everyone does as our stream turns to a river, so the journey is split between walking in the river or in the marsh land beside the path. I did take the odd pic but not at the worst bits as I was worried I may slip and it would not be worth it for my photography skills!
So 3hours later give or take a bit of time, we arrive at our very first hut where we stop for a hot dinner. As we all slowly strip off our layers to dry a bit, I discover that my water proof jacket is in actual fact not water proof in the slightest, I'm soaked through to the skin.
We wait a little while for our food where I start shivering and we all say how we just want to get down and aren't bothered about food. So we watch thr monkey that's hanging round the site and I get talking to some lads from london who I had seen run past us earlier, madness running down in these conditions although probably the easiest way. They ask if we had heard about the two deaths. It turns out like chinese whispers as when I get talking to others, the rumour goes that a porter died the night before we reached the summit by carrying too much to the crater for camping and fell in the crater. The night I we climbed the summit, a tourist had died, there are various stories, but it has something to do with he was very very ill but wanted to make the top so the porters helped him to the top but on the way back down died from a blood clot or something. But people were saying he was frothing at the mouth etc, but how true this is I don't know.
People were still feeling grotty so barely ate so I dug into the potatoe stew. I just feel a tad bad for everyone as I've been fine the whole climb and eating everyones left overs. But hey we all all achieved what we wanted to outta this climb. What mine was I'm not too sure as I never gave it a thought when I booked it or after I booked it. Thanks goes to clare for me making me buy proper walking boots and sexy thermal leggings.
So as soon as we eat we head down for our final 3hour climb. Judy and roy take the rescue car back down as they are exhausted.
So the rain has stopped and as we are amongst the forest now the trees have sheltered the path so irt is still fairly muddy in places but we aren't walking in a river anymore.
Racking our brains trying to remember how much further we have to go. And then, from somewhere, we are there, me judy and bruce with the others somewhere behind us. It is sweltering hot so I strip off and grab a drink til the others join us and we queue up to sign the signing in and out book to say I'm still alive and to record my time. You sign the book at every hut so they can keep check on everyone.
However, as shermin tried to join the queue with us the guy behind me was kicking right off, I said you have rto sign as a group, but he wasn't haven't any of it, so he pushed infront of shermin, and I may of made a loud comment or two about peoples behaviour.
So after signing we were waiting around wondering where the guides etc were as we all just wanted to get to moshi for a wash. So I don't know what time but we got on our bus and rode back. Where I was back ti sharing a room with stephan, a much much bigger room this time we had three single beds and plenty room.
So I jumped in the shower and hand washed gear I would need for the safari and put my manky clothes tied up in bags to be washed at a later date.
I had climbed the mountain injury free except getyting a few blisters when my boots got wet, but my worst injury, was when I was attaching my washing line string to the light fittings, and coz I was wearing my parrot dress which goes to my knees and is very restricting, as I was stepping off the bed backwards, the bed was rather high and I fell bashing my right knee off the bed frame, obtaining a rather nasty and painful bruise.
So hung up the washing, then we all met up at at 6ish and were late for the 6.15pm meeting to sort out the tips for the team which took forever. What a chore, but once it was done, we had our certificates and went for tea. The buffet isn't bad here after you've lived on pretty much the same food for 5days progressingly getting worse as it goes off!
So after tea I was so sleep deprived I went to retire to bed first. Just as I had gotten into bed stephan returned as everyone else was knackered and were having early nights.
So being beyond the point of exhaustion and having the lived the last few days in an outta body experienced way it was taking a while to get to kip. Just as I was about to nod off at 3hours, I jump up in shock, as I'm greeted with stephan just a mosiquito net parting us, in my face going 'vicky vicky vicky', I'm like, 'what's wrong?', thinking oh god what's happened, then I hear, 'can I crawl into bed and cuddle you as I cant sleep?', my response to that,was that of a relief that that was all the drama was about, so I popped my head back down and responded with 'no', so stephan scurries back into bed apologising and asking me to promise not to tell anyone.
So then I lkie there for half an hour thinking about what had just happened in my head. Eventually managing to go to sleep with a bit help from my ipod.xx
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