Day 9: Climb to Mweka Gate
Our climbers are waking up to their last day on the mountain. They’ll have their last breakfast in the mess tent and then start their trek. They’ll descend through the rainforest past towering trees and lush ferns to a hot lunch at Mweka Gate – where they’ll end their adventure on Mount Kilimanjaro.
MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS
Starting elevation 13,000 feet
Ending elevation 6,000 feet
Elevation gain 7,000 feet
Distance hiked 7 miles
Average hiking time 5 hours
Post for today
Friends, that was insane. I’m still trying to process what just happened. It was by far one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced. I know God was right there next to me. In times of doubt, I knew I could do it because He was by my side. My steps weren’t very big, but I kept on going, one foot in front of the other. Sometimes with each step I’d echo Papa Deo’s words in my head, “Praise you Jesus, Thank you Jesus”. Then I switched to, “You are strong, You are strong”. Towards the end, I was just saying, “God help me, please help me!”
We woke up at 11:00pm. My body wouldn’t let me fall asleep with the anticipation of the unknown ahead. When we left base camp at midnight, the winds were already blowing hard, it was cold, and of course dark. It was just going to get worse the higher we went. I couldn’t use my hiking poles because my fingers were freezing outside of my pockets. One step at a time, we all helped one another. Whenever we stopped, Frank always came to my side to lean on. Whenever I’d pause for too long between steps, someone behind me would give me a friendly tap to encourage me to keep on going. I remember when the sun started to peak out. The sunrise was breathtaking, a real picture perfect moment that I will never forget, but there was no way I was going to take my gloves off or use energy to take the camera out of my pocket! More importantly in that moment, the sunrise meant we were closer to our goal, and it meant warmth.
When we reached Stella Point, I collapsed. Thank God for a break, only one hour left! Our guide, John, soon pulled me up and said, “we have to go”. I remember being disoriented, I don’t know how long I sat there. I asked John, “where is everyone?” He said, “they kept going, no break.” That was a crushing moment, but I got up and kept on. I couldn’t have done it without John by my side. I soon reached the summit and was lifted up by cheers from my new family. We reached the summit at about 7:20am. Oh…and nobody talks about how hard it is going down! What an experience, a challenge, and an accomplishment.
I have experienced a lot of pain in my life recently. I believe that those experiences are what gave me the mental strength to this climb. God uses pain for growth. I know that this trip will have given us all new perspective, spiritual and mental growth that we will take home with us forever.
Thank you to everyone who helped get me here.
When I get home, I look forward to seeing the big smile on my daughter’s face and hearing her little voice call out “Mommy!” as I walk in the door.
~ Emily Scott