20 Mile Hike to Livingstonia

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July 10th
Malawi

I expected this safari trip to be more active. That is not the case. Our typical daily routine entails: wake up, eat breakfast, sit in truck for 4 hours, stop, eat lunch, get back on truck, arrive at desitination, eat dinner, sleep. Okay, that is the drive days which are about twice a week, but still our routine is set and it is hard to squeeze in exercise when you are on a group schedule.

When I heard of the option to go on a mountain hike in Malawi, I jumped on the opportunity. We began at 6am and began our hike to Livingstonia, which is 20 miles round trip. The hike was so pretty. The entire way, we could see views of Lake Malawi. I loved hiking up. The hike was on rocky paths with shortcut switchbacks that were steep and rocky. I felt like I was testing out hiking shoes on REI’s hiking test path. Ten of us went on the hike.

When we finally reached the top, we arrived to a town called Livingstonia. The founder, David Livingstone, was a missionary from Scotland who spread Christianity throughout parts of Africa and setup Livingstonia. Here, there are families, schools, colleges, and a big church. We got to take a quick tour of the church, which I loved. Stepping into the church and seeing the pews, stained glass and all, made me feel comforted and at home. We got to climb up the scary, steep staircase in the bell tower. It reminded me of The Sound of Music when the boy rings the bell by hanging and pulling on the big rope. I was so tempted to pull the rope…but I didn’t.

As our group hiked up the mountain, we gave the names “Team A” for the people up front and “Team B” for the slower hikers behind. I was in “Team A” on the way up, loving that I get to finally be active…I had a lot of energy! On the way down however, I was in my own category: “Team C”. My knee was bothering me so much that I was dead last and had to side step my way down the mountain because of the pain. It was all worth it though!

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Comments

[Sharmone']

You're so funny Team C!!! I giggle every time I read your entries!!! We miss you!!!!