January 20: EPILOG -- Nursing my wounds, and savoring the glow.

January 20: EPILOG -- Nursing my wounds, and savoring the glow.

I've waited two weeks to write the epilog, simply to give me a bit of perspective. The trip back was amazingly easy, and flying west at night away from the sun, the night was 14 hours long. I took advantage of that extended darkness to catch up on sleep, and of course the last 4 episodes of season 8 of the "walking dead." Damn, Negan finally got his "Just Desserts."

I've got several key observations from the trip.

First, my Climbing partner Leighanne was awesome. For someone who has never really climbed a big, alpine style peak, Kilimanjaro was a big step. She persevered and was victorious. Kudos to her.

Second, my "Bionic Knee," repaired following multiple surgeries after my near fatal accident on Ararat, held up brilliantly. In fact, three weeks, on its one of the few body parts that is NOT sore. Especially on the downhill, where the quad and knee strain was extreme, the quad muscle graph/pin and tendon allographs (zombie tendons) held up at least equal to my real knee. Thanks to Dr. Stanton Davis and his staff at The Huntsville Orthopedic Center (THC) for the bangup job they did.

Third, in spite of our President's proclamations, Africa in general and Tanzania in specific are not "S-holes." Tanzania is a vibrant and rich culture, with a hard-working and enterprising people. The physical climbing skills and endurance of the mountain guides and porters was amazing. Our guides were intelligent, thoughtful, experienced, and highly skilled. Their knowledge of mountain sicknesses equaled any MD I've ever met. I the interest of international unity, I'm resisting writing the truly disparaging things I want to write about our "great" president and his right wing entourage. So I'll play nice today.

Finally, my African experience was completely different than my previous international climbing experiences.  The Tanzanian phrase “pole-pole” (take it easy) was truly a working motto. This approach stood in stark contrast to the Macho attitudes of climbers in the Andes; or the suspicious, non welcoming attitudes of the climbers and guides in Turkey. Of course my attitude towards climbing Ararat was obviously colored by the fact that I nearly died on the trip. Coming back in one piece certainly helps to generate rose colored memories.

Just got back from a scramble up Ecker Hill in Park City. The new snow was deep and dense. The final half mile to the summit was deep unbroken trail. Took me a half hour to finish that part. In any other circumstance, that scramble but have been adventurous. But having just returned from Kilimanjaro, the experience was — well — rather banal!

Logging out, Jan. 2019. See you on Mt. Kenya, February 2020!