Mt. Kili Trek via Lemosho Route-Day One

"The city is a flood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled in the dust
I'll show you a place
High on the desert plain
Where the streets have no name"
Where The Streets Have No Name lyrics by U2

It's 7:30 am on the morning of my trek. I still have yet to meet my trekking guide or mates. I make my way to the hotel courtyard at Springsland Hotel in search of my trek coordinator. He's standing attentively with a clipboard and pen in hand directing the guides, staff, and clients.

"Excuse me, Where is the meeting point for the Lemosho Route hiking group?" I asked

"Lemosho route. You are with Coleman. Have you checked in with him?" replied the coordinator.

"No, I returned from safari late last night and missed the debriefing meeting," I answered.

"Oh, you went with Atanas on safari," he remarked with a knowing smile. It was evident to me the hotel staff knew of a solo woman traveler on a multi-day safari trek. From the looks of it, I was the subject. I knew I had to be extra attentive.


 "Hakuna Matata. Wait there, and I'll let him know you are here," he answered reassuringly and scurried off.

As I waited patiently, the courtyard was a beehive of activity. The guides, trekkers, drivers were organizing bags, loading the buses, shouting directions, and chatting loudly and excitedly.

"Are you Yolla?', asked a calm, confident, unassuming Tanzanian man.

"Yes," I replied.

"I am Coleman. I'm your guide. Welcome to Springsland. How was your safari?" he asked.

"Hi, Coleman. Nice to meet you. The safari was excellent." I replied confidently.

"Good. Is your bag ready and have you met other group?" he inquired

"Yes, my bag and gear are packed. I returned from safari late last night and missed the meeting."

"Hakuna Matata. Your group will meet here. Stay here." he advised.

"uhh, ok," I quickly retorted.

I hung around patiently in the courtyard amusing myself by snapping pictures of the pretty tropical foliage. Within a few minutes, I was joined by other group members. There were a total of eight trekkers in this group. One retired couple from Australia in their late 60s early 70s; four friends in their late 20s, of which three were from the UK and one from NYC; one middle-aged married man from Chicago; and myself. It was an eclectic group of trekkers representing all ages and generations. I immediately struck up a conversation with my fellow Americans. We chatted about where we had been, our past trekking experience, and this upcoming trek. Our discussion was a familiar and comforting balm in an environment that felt so foreign and exotic.

Thirty minutes had finally passed, and our trekking team finally boarded the bus and headed to the foot of the mountain. The birth of Mt. Kilimanjaro stems from the early formation of the Rift Valley, approximately 150-200MM years ago. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest African mountain and one of the highest volcanos in the world. The volcanic activity is located at three summit points-Shira, Kibo, and Mawenzi. All three summits are above 5000meters. Only Kibo remains inactive whereas the other two peaks are extinct.

The origin of the name Kilimanjaro remains a mystery. Whether its etymology is of Chagga or Masaii origin, its root is hotly debatable. In Swahili, Kili means "small hill," and njaro means "white or greatness." Combined, it would translate to " small white/shining hill." It is an ironic nomenclature for the world tallest free-standing mountain. It is, however, more plausible than the Arabic interpretation. In Arabic, Kili means "to eat"; man means "from," and jaro refers to "neighbor." In sum, Kilimanjaro would translate "To eat from your neighbor." Although Tanzania has a long history of Omani/Arab influence, I'm confident this was not the name interpretation East African natives had in mind to describe their most prized national monument.

We drove past acres of coffee and banana plantations fertile and pregnant from the heavy rainfall and rich, ferrous soil. The kids and local farmers stood by the roadside waving at our bus as we sped by. After 2.5hours, we stopped at the Londrossi Gate to register our names for the trek and then shuttled to the end of the dirt off-road. Excited and focused, we exited the bus, strapped our day packs on our backs, and began the hike to our first camp at 2829m (9281ft).