Arriving a Mount Meru Hotel:
We arrived at the hotel with perfectly trimmed lawns and beautiful flowers. We would stay there for two nights. It was as beautiful inside as it was outside. We went up to our rooms, which were not connecting. I liked these rooms, even though they were not related. We had to get ready for Kilimanjaro. We all met in the lobby to get lunch. We went out to the deck and ordered some food. They had gluten-free pasta, so I ordered that. Well waiting for the food to come, we kids went out to the back lawn and played tag. That did not last long. So I decided to climb a tree. There were many trees, but one looked especially lovely to climb. I did some climbing, but mom called me back to the table. The people from Climbing Kilimanjaro, the company we had chosen for climbing Kilimanjaro, needed to talk to us. The first part was about medicine and what happens if someone gets sick. They also said they needed to see our stuff and check if we had the right things. Mom told us to go to our rooms and lay out our property. I unpacked all the things I needed and laid them on the bed.
Soon the head guide, Thomas, came to check my stuff. He looked over it and checked off the things I had in a notebook. He said I was only missing a few things. They said we would leave the day after tomorrow. We were to go to a rental store tomorrow. I just chilled the rest of the day.
Dinner was good. Mom said we were not allowed to get pasta again, so I got tomato soup and chicken wings. I devoured the food, wanting to go to bed. I went up to the room to get ready for bed. Today I did not have a spastic time. I had to wake up, but I still woke up at about 7:30 AM. I got ready, and then Zeb got up. I wanted to go to breakfast, but KB came in. She said Emmy was still sleeping. We went down to breakfast, and I got some hot chocolate. Mom and dad soon came down. I was finished with breakfast, so I went back to my room. The girls were working on blowing, so mom took Zeb and me to shop for snacks and rentals, Dad got an uber for us to ride in, and Thomas came too. We drove a little bit looking for a good supermarket or something like that. First, we went to this small place, but it did not have what we needed. Next, we went to a big business that had everything we needed. We got a bunch of snacks and then went to a rental shop. We got a lot of clothes there, and I got a giant sleeping bag. We headed back with our prizes. Mom sent me the stuff for me. We got six rental duffels to put all our stuff in at the shop, so I started packing them. When I was done, I got my swimsuit and went to the pool with Zeb. The water was cold, so I did not stay in for long. I went out into the yard and played in the sprinklers. I got tired of that and went to my room to change. I got into nice warm clothes and went down to lunch. I got some chicken wings and mango juice.
Soon it was dinner time, and I went to the restaurant. We decided to sit outside, and I ordered the creamy mushroom pasta. I was excited for tomorrow because we were leaving. When I went to sleep, I was jittery.
Leaving to climb Kilimanjaro:
Today was the day we left to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. We put all the things we did not need in our suitcases. It was a 4hr to the entrance—we put all the things we did not need in our suitcases. I hauled my duffel out of the door and to the lobby. The giant bus was outside, and the porters loaded it with the bags. I went to breakfast and stuffed in some last-minute food. I went out and chose a seat on the bus. We did a group photo with all the porters and then set off.
The long drive to the trailhead:
We kept straight on for about 2 hours and then stopped. We went inside a supermarket. Mom got some potato chips to share, and we each got an ice cream bar. We all got back on the bus and went on. Finally, we arrived at the trailhead. There were so many people! We got out and had some lunch. We then walked up to the check-in. We had to wait one hour, and then finally we walked up a little path.
Our First Hike:
The first thing I did was 5 seconds; I fell and skinned my knee. I was okay, but it hurt. We signed a “going up” book. We started up the trailhead. The hike would be about 2 hours until we got to the first camp. I was a faster hiker than the others, so I went ahead of them. I passed a couple of groups. Emmy came up with me, but I went ahead again. Soon I came upon some porters telling me the first camp was close. I went a little farther and arrived at the first camp. I sat downed and waited for the others. Emmy came next, then Zeb. A porter who was with our group showed us where our tents were. Soon the whole family was there. We chose our tents, me and Zeb were in one, and Emmy and KB were in the other. We waited for the food to be ready and went into the mess tent. When the food was prepared, we went in. I had some hot cocoa. The food was not that good. I was exhausted from the hike, so I went to bed early.
A Long Hike and Dehydrated Sadness:
Today I woke up feeling hungry. I got ready for hiking clothes and went out of my tent. I got some breakfast with the others. We started a 4-6 hour hike. This hike was much more challenging than the last one. It was exhausting, and two of us ran out of water. When we arrived at the next camp Emmy, Zeb, KB, and mom were all feeling terrible. They said that we would have lunch, but we did not. We all rested until dinner. Mom and Zeb both did not come out for dinner. They thought that it was moms birthday and even baked her a cake.
The Hurled-up Dinner:
Mom came out and tried to eat a little food. Zeb came to the mess tent looking terrible. He tried to eat some rice but ended up hurling it back up. My dad and I were still feeling okay, so that was good.
The Day We Turned Back:
In the morning, no one was feeling any better, and the parents decided that we could go no farther at breakfast. They told Thomas that we were too sick to keep going. My dad and I were okay, but we did not want to split up the group. I packed up all of my things, and so did the others. I did not want to leave, but I did not have much choice.
Leaving All the Porters:
We were soon all packed up, but we still had to tip the porters. We got them gathered, and we divided out the money. I was sad to leave, but we had to go down so the others would feel better. Thomas would take us to a pickup point where a rescue car would pick us up. All the porters sang before we left. I loved it. I said bye to all the porters, and some wanted to get a picture with me. They would say, “Goodbye, Masai.
The Hike to the Rescue Point:
The hike to the pick up point would be about one hour. The walk felt long, but I was always looking for the weaving grass, so the time flew by. We came upon a dirt road and some restrooms; finally, we had arrived. The car was not here yet, so we had to wait. I sat around, and then dad asked me if I was interested in doing a three-day climb to the summit. I thought about it for a while but answered yes. But right then, the rescue car came zooming up the road. A guy got out and started yelling at us to get in. There were already three people in the back end and another three in the driver, passenger, and middle seat. Thomas was coming with us in the car, so we had to fit another seven people into a six-person car.
The Treacherous Ride Down In the Rescue Car:
I had to sit on dads lap and KB on moms. Zeb was buried under arms and legs, and Emmy was no better. If I was not sick coming off the mountain, I was when I got out of the car. We had to sign paperwork saying we were coming off the hill, but they wanted us to get back in the car and drive an hour. My mom said, “No.” She figured out how to get a bus to come and pick us up and take us down.
Coming back to the hotel:
Mom and the others felt better when we got to the hotel. We would stay at the menu for one more night before leaving for Zanzibar. I slept very well that night.
Leaving the Meru Hotel:
I got all my clothes from the rental bag into my roller in the morning. I put everything I rented in a pile in my parent’s room. I had my mom help me bring it down to the lobby. I went to breakfast and got some hot chocolate. We left in a taxi for the 1-hour drive to the airport.
The Airport:
When we arrived at the airport, the first thing I noticed I noticed how small it was. We unloaded all our bags from the van and put them through the scanner. We showed our boarding passes and passports, and they let us through. After security, there was this spot where we waited for our plane. There were shops and a bunch of seats in the middle. I looked around in the shops but did not get anything. Our plane number was called, and we got in line to board.