Adventures in Africa: Descending Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Needless to say, descending from Kibo Hut is much easier than ascending Kilimanjaro! I was alone in my room when I woke up at 7:00, my only roommate having woken up in the middle of the night to summit. I had been in bed for 11 hours, and while I had been very cold all night I managed quite a bit of sleep and felt much better this morning than I had last night.

I saw this graffiti on the bunk above me and could really appreciate the sentiment. Summiting Kilimanjaro is not easy and it felt great to be done. 

I tried to eat breakfast (my appetite was still minimal) and around 8:00 Dennis and I began walking back to Horombo Hut. Again the day was gorgeous and we had the trail largely to ourselves.

At about 10:00 we got to Horombo Hut. As on Mt Meru, Dennis recommended we take the "ambulance" down from here. Unfortunately this meant quite a long wait (more than a couple of hours) and in the end I wondered if we should have just hiked down. But, we waited, and too many people to count loaded up in this SUV for the ride down to the hospital. 

At the hospital we had to wait again for a ride to Marangu Gate. We got there eventually and signed out. The woman checked with Dennis to confirm the dates of our climb, apparently impressed that we had gone up and down in three days, so that made me feel good.

We drove back to Moshi and had a few logistical pieces to finalize--tipping ($300 USD), of course, and returning rental gear. Then Dennis left me at the Keys Hotel to shower, change, and relax. He came back later in the evening for me to give him a bag of various things I no longer wanted to travel with but that he and others might appreciate. Foremost among these were my boots, which served me very well, and I will miss. I hope they get to climb Kilimanjaro again on someone else's feet.