Last Saturday Matthew and I set out
upon what turned out to be one of my most epic hiking expeditions in
recent memory. During our week or so in Mzumbe, we were in constant
awe of an amazing panorama of mountains, taunting us with their
gorgeous peaks and the views we knew they held for those willing to
blaze a trail. We sought out potential guides in preparation for the
journey, and by Saturday we had recruited two young men, Edison and
Able, who had been translating for us, as well as three younger boys
who Matthew had befriended. The plan was an 8am departure Saturday
morning, with an anticipated 3 hour hike awaiting us. As is typical
for the World Race (and life I guess, for that matter), things rarely
work out exactly as you expect them to. As our greatest mistake of
the day, we are equipped with little more than 2 one-liter water
bottles and a few bananas. I wouldn’t recommend it.
9:00am – After taking roughly an hour
trying to gather our hiking crew, we set out and spent at least the
next hour traversing farmland in anticipation of the first foothills,
with the mountains still taunting us off in the distance. Morale and
excitement are growing exponentially with each step, as we are
treating to vivid colors and gorgeous landscapes as far as the eye
can see.
10:00am – We soon begin our ascent,
staying to a reasonably well-traveled road and passing through a
well-established village, being greeted with the expected stares and
shouts. We dodge between an oncoming crowd of individuals of every
age with large banana-filled baskets weighing upon their heads,
apparently following the latest harvest. We take a break and rinse
off in a gorgeous brook below a bridge, the first of many creek stops
that were a definite highlight of my day.
10:30am – After we’re cooled off and
rejuvenated for the climb, morale higher than ever, we attempt to
pass through the next small town. As it seems as though we are
leaving, we are beckoned back to a small storefront. A large, unhappy
man has called us aside, and begins a rather intense conversation
with our friends/guides/translators. We soon learn we are in the
presence of the chairman of the village, and he is seemingly upset
that we have attempted to pass through his village without getting
permission. It seems quite likely that he is largely attempting to
facilitate a bribe, though our guides refuse to consider such an
option, and we soon find ourselves walking out the way we came in,
spirits effectively squashed.
11:00am – We are hiking back down the
road, getting no shortage of questions by the individuals who called
after us a mere half-hour ago. Our companions are open in explaining
our predicament, which seems to pay off as we pass by a house with a
couple well-dressed men out front. It is here that we are greeted in
fantastic English by John, who our guides tell us is the “Chairman
of the Worldâ€� – said entirely seriously, which apparently is
sufficient to say he is of higher authority than the village chairman
we were having issues with. John gives us his hand-written note of
permission to pass through, which should solve all our problems to
continue on our journey. We turn back around with renewed spirits,
eager to resume the expedition.
12:30pm – Things did not go as
smoothly as anticipated. For whatever reason, the hand-written
permission of the Chairman of the World is not sufficient to get our
crew up the mountain without forking over some shillings (1505
Tanzanian shillings to $1USD, if you were wondering). It takes a very
exciting hour and a half to conclude that we will not be able to
ascend the mountain by this route, during which we sat…and got a
soda…yup.
12:45pm – We descend from the town
for the second time, and stop at a small waterfall up the creek from
where we last rinsed off. Everyone is quite down-trodden, considering
what other potential options might be available to experience the
mountains. While the others continue to wade around, I meander up a
small path, desiring a closer look towards an intriguing rock
formation and overhanging tree. While I’m exploring, the others come
and join, at which point we find a path leading up this hill and
farther into the woods beyond.
1:00pm – After a very brief time on
this newly found path, we step up into a clearing to an incredible
view of the mountains and valleys. We simultaneously realize that
this day’s adventures are far from over. We begin the true hike of
the day.
2:00pm – The mountain lies ahead, and
our ascent is evidently about to increase in intensity. Some of our
companions are getting hungry and begin thinking we’re crazy,
seemingly expecting us to propose a return. We press onward.
3:45pm – Following a grueling last
stretch of thick underbrush on a very sharp incline, we reach our
peak for the day. I stand with Matthew and Edison, admiring the
impressive path lying in our wake, snaking down the mountain and
foothills. We celebrate with a banana and the rest of our water,
which all run out far too quickly.
4:00pm – We pull out the phone, at
which point 4 text messages from between 12 and 1:00 all show up at
once from the girls, expressing concern about our return. A phone
call offers some relief, and doesn’t yield quite the frustration they
would’ve been justified in having. Our guide tells us we should be
back home in about an hour. For some reason, we weren’t convinced. We
begin our descent.
7:00pm – We arrive safe and sound
back at the hotel, to the most refreshing 1.5 liters of water and the
best plate of rice and beans I’ve ever had, as well as the great
relief of our female teammates.
I was going to reflect upon the incredible spiritual parallels to this journey that we have traversed, but judging the already excessive length of this blog, I think it’ll wait for next time. Try to contain your excitement.
