Four to the Summit

(Photo: Bruce (chief guide), Living (assistant guide), Phil, Jeremiah, Ajay, Jen, Hamasi (assistant guide)

Sung to the tune of "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie:"

When the sun comes up tomorrow,
We'll be standing on Kiliman-jar-o, tomorrow,
when there's sun.
Just thinking about tomorrow, Kiliman-jar-o, when there's sun!
Tomorrow, Kilimanjaro,
Tomorrow, Kilimanjaro,
You're only a step away.

It seems as if a novel could have been writen about summit day alone. In the beginning, there was suspense, anxiety, and uncertainty. During the climb itself, there were tears, frustration, determination, and cannibalism. OK, no cannibalism, but it would make a good novel. In the end, the four of us, Jen, Ajay, Jeremiah, and I all summited together, reaching Uhuru peak (19340/5895m), after a 8 hour summit climb in -15 degrees celsius temperature (wind chill not included) around 7:30 am (Tanzania time) on February 6, 2006.

We've got a million pictures and stories between the 4 of us and hope to share them with you soon.

For now, it's Kili (beer) time.