The following is an excerpt from my Kilimanjaro travel journal, written June 12, 2010
Legs refreshed after a long night of sleep, we awoke at 6 a.m. for breakfast and planned an early departure for the Marangu Gate.
After breakfast, we were treated to a dance and sing-a-long by the porters. Then we broke camp at 7:30 and began our final 19.7-kilometer hike out of the park. Along the way, we passed through a rainforest and spotted a colobus monkey perched on a branch, practically posing for us like it was on a catwalk.
Later, we spotted about a half dozen blue monkeys darting across the branches overhead.
At about 1 p.m., we reached the Marangu Gate, signed out and received our certificates of achievement — the gold ones for reaching Uhuru Peak rather than the green ones for making it only to Stella or Gillman’s Point.
From there, we hopped back onto the safari bus and headed to Moshi for cheeseburgers at Chrisburger Snacks, Ltd., before making the 90-minute drive back to Arusha where hot showers and cold beers awaited.
Chris Wristen 