Day 2: Meet the Guides

We are here in Arusha, Tanzania after our long days of travel doing last-minute checks and safety briefs as well as meeting our guides before we head out for the big climb.

Thankfully, Kally arrived this morning after quite an ordeal of delays, unhelpful airport personnel and lots of anxiety of wondering if she was going to make it.  This Kilimanjaro trip has been 8 years in the making for us, and the idea that we may not be able to do it together because of airport incompetence was quite depressing.   I knew this trip with My daughter Kally was important to me, but I was surprised at the depth of loss I felt with the idea of not being able to share it with her

I'm so graeful that didn’t happen, and we are on this journey together.  Anticipation and anxiety about the days ahead circle the minds of our team. Even with that, I feel this incredible sense of relief that we are together.   I know the trip will bring its struggles, but I’m just so thankful we get to experience them as a team. Climbing Kilimanjaro has always been an idea and dream of Kally’s, but somewhere over the years of making this trip reality for us, it has become quite important for me as well.

I’m looking forward to this next week of ups and downs, the physical and mental challenges, and the new deep relationships that we will make.  But the thing I’m most thankful for is that we finally made it here, and we get to do it together as Father and Daughter!

Rodney Huffty