Corporatemonk

CONTINUED FROM (PART ONE) – “There is a sharp pain in my knee “, he said”  

Shane was carrying an old army injury, a knee injury that has plagued him since tearing it open on a star picket on a grenade assault course. He was in a lot a pain and the thought raced through my mind that our adventure may end as quickly as it had started.

It was always in the back of our minds that Shane’s knee could be a problem on the ‘7 Summits’. Thankfully, there is not much that can hold Shane back. He is the best mate you want by your side when the chips are down. In the mountaineering environment, with the many challenges and dangers that await us, teamwork is essential. You need to know that you can trust your team-mate with your life. Shane and I have no doubt this trust exists between us. We’ve got each other’s back covered, not just on the ‘7 Summits’ journey, but in life.

We pushed higher. Hesitantly, I said to Shane “how does the knee feel now?”.

He replied: “It is starting to feel much better the steeper the track gets”. We both had a laugh as that outcome seemed illogical – a sense of relief came over us. Shane was not out of the woods yet, but there were signs the pain in the knee was easing.

Not too far up the track we came across a group of local children, high on life. They were laughing and smiling, and only too willing to pose for a quick snap. It was obvious they had limited means, but their contentment and loyal bond as friends and family was obvious. It was a great reminder of the happiness that can be found in the small joys in life.

The track became steeper and steeper and it was not long before we were leaning forward, scrambling up the slope on all fours. There was not too much to see during this first part of the climb, the terrain was mostly dense rainforest. The rainforest thrives on Kilimanjaro between 3,300 feet and 9,000 feet.         

Mountaineering is not just the physical challenge of climbing a mountain. It is also a test of one’s mental spirit and determination. Sir Edmond Hilary coined the words “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”. As humans, we need a sense of personal growth in our lives. Personal growth is sometimes the most obvious when you have overcome adversity, or challenged yourself and achieved a goal that we may have thought was beyond our physical or mental reach.

We had been walking for about five hours and the sun was starting to settle when we came across a clearing. Emmanuel our guide told us that this was our first camp site. We were now 9,400 feet above sea level at the Umbwe Cave camp site, a great spot for a meal and a hot brew.

We were having a look around the camp site when Emmanuel  pointed to some flattened scrub. He explained that a Jungle Leopard most likely attacked a buffalo here, taking it down the hill. Shane and I were not totally convinced, but what were we to know?  We went along with the story. Leopards are common in the dense jungle at these heights and the Swahili name for the leopard is chui chui.

It was dark and I was sitting in the outhouse when I heard the guys shout, “chui chui!”  They were only joking, just trying to scare me as I sat on the loo in complete jungle darkness. At this stage, we did not know that chui chui would be adopted as the calling sign for our team for the remainder of the expedition.

It was a beautiful night as we sat around and got to know each other better. We were miles from civilisation, sitting around a small fire on the side of the highest mountain in Africa. None of us had a worry in the world. Some people cannot understand why people embark on these adventures. But until you have, it is difficult to explain the calming and peaceful feeling that overcomes you. It is in these moments that you feel fully connected to nature and your forefathers that may have lived and hunted off the land in years gone by.

The rise of information technology and multi-media entertainment is anchoring more and more people to the lounge room or home office. As humans, we have evolved over millions of years and there is a deep inner sense of connection with nature and the sense of freedom and peace it creates within us. People are drawn to the mountains and it is not hard to see why. Climbing a mountain is the perfect way to reconnect with nature and re-test your physical and mental boundaries.

We settled in for the night and drifted off to sleep, taking in the beautiful jungle noises. Our thoughts turned to tomorrow’s tough trek to Barranco Huts, almost 13,200 feet above sea level. It was a day that would not turn out as expected.

TO BE CONTINUED….. (Make sure you subscribe by email or RSS feed to receive the rest of the series)

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