Day 12: Descend to Mweka Gate and farewell dinner

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

JOURNAL ENTRY BY KASEY BOST

Hello!

Today we hiked a little in the morning with the motivation of a nice warm shower when we finally got done! The hike ended with a long gravel road until we all saw the sign “Congratulations”. We all celebrated and felt excited to be finished but also sad that this experience is coming to a close. Afterwards we all had nice long hot showers we had one final dinner. Everyone from the climb and safari gathered around one table and shared what they’re taking home from the trip. Some of us said how we cannot do this life on our own, much like we couldn’t climb that mountain on our own. The father and son duos shared how special of an experience it was to have with each other and how this strengthened their relationships. We finished by Johnny and I made up superlatives for everyone as we handed out the certificates from the climb! Tonight was an incredible end to a trip that is only the start of something great for each of us. We all learned, grew, and experienced FULL life here in Africa. We are all forever grateful for Tanzania and the group of people we got to live alongside these past couple weeks.