Kilimanjaro Climb Day 6: Last Day on the Mountain

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We awoke, had breakfast, and hiked the remaining distance down to the gate where our group would be picked up and transported back to the Key's Hotel.

The previous night was fun, after the long 4 hour hike to our last camp, many of us talked in the mess tent about the exhilaration of summiting. We talked about how sore our bodies were, how we couldn't wait to shower, and many said they were looking forward to some barbeque once they got home. I on the other hand was very excited about the safari. I had mentally prepared for the mountain in a way that I had no focus on the safari, and now that our mission was complete, my attention shifted and I could not wait.

I hiked at the front of the group and was down a good 35 minutes before Shoshanna. There were two official books we had to sign into, and I signed both of us in. When I saw Shoshanna at the top of the hill I ran up to meet her. She was not carrying her day-pack again and was limping very badly. Her knee had given out about 30 minutes prior and she said if shew as any further away from the finish she would had to have been carried off. Her knee was swollen, and I hoped that it would get better, descending can be very hard on the knees because you are constantly exerting them to brace yourself as you come down.

We got to the back of the truck right away so she could sit and take pressure off of it. We had a young child clean our boots for the negotiated fee of $1 for the two pair, and then after completion paid $2 for good measure. Besides, he did an excellent job!

After arriving at the Key's Hotel we were given our room key and valuables (passport and airline tickets), and each took the nicest, hottest shower ever. 😊

It felt good to be clean, and we gave the hotel some clothes to launder.

We had our final meeting with our guides, we had lunch and were each presented with a certificate for reaching the peak, sans Ron, but he was very gracious and happy for us.

Shoshanna, Kim, Steve, and myself went into town to shop for gifts, and we discussed safari and expressed how excited we were. With the mountain now out of the way, the relaxing part of our vacation was about to commence, and with dinner that night we all enjoyed some frosty beers.

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