The stats:

• 8 km from the main gate to the Mandara Camp through the beautiful rainforest.
• 4 hours and 15 minutes, from 12:30pm until 4:45pm.
• We gained 1000m and are now at 2700m/9000 feet ASL.
• Easy hike, no problems.

Our feet hit the trail at 12:30pm, just after our lunch break. The first section of the trail is through the rain forest. This is our first time seeing a rain forest and we are in love. It is right at the end of the rainy season so everything is so green and full. It is a beautiful day, but the sun is not able to penetrate the tree canopy. Instead, we have a pathway covered in cool shadows and light features. Everywhere we looked, it was interesting. We saw a few monkeys, the tail end of a deer and heard so many birds. Their voices kept us company throughout the whole day.

The rain forest, while absolutely lush and beautiful, is also awfully humid. We were sweating! It didn’t take more than 15 minutes for us to need a costume change. And by us, I mean Jason and me. One of our layers had to be peeled off. I feel it necessary to point out that our guides kept their jackets on the whole time. Wow. I guess we weren’t working hard enough for them to work up a sweat.

Speaking of our pace, Ola and Charles were diligent in keeping us comfortable on the hike. The trail itself wasn’t difficult, it was well marked, cleared and easy to hike but we still walked quite slowly. It did become a bit more difficult as the day went on, lots of boulders and uneven ground to navigate. Still very doable, we just had to watch where our feet were going. It would suck to twist an ankle this soon in! Since we were doing a lot of climbing, it felt like a workout and our guides had to make sure that we never walked so fast that we tired ourselves out. As a result, we were never breathless, nor did we need to stop to recover. Steady on. Pole pole (polay, polay) was the word of the day. Slowly, slowly.

As it is the slow season, there weren’t very many people on the trail at all. It was glorious! There is something to be said about having the trail to yourself. We did see three separate groups on their way back down the mountain and we felt bad for them that their adventure was coming to an end. I also tried to read their faces to see how they felt about what they just did. Mostly, I just saw fatigue, and a bit of relief. We jokingly asked if we were almost at the top. “Just around the corner!”

We stopped for snacks at an actual picnic site – complete with bathrooms with flushing toilets!! How very civilized. Here we met some of our amazing porters and watched them walk off with all of the gear piled high. They seemed very unbothered by the 40kg of weight on their head and shoulders. I refused to be bothered by my tiny daypack.

Before we knew it (Okay, we knew it – hiking is not our thing!) we arrived at the first camp, The Mandara Camp. This was our first view of the huts we would be staying in, and we were in awe. They are even better than we could have imagined. The pictures did not do them justice. Or maybe, we were so grateful to finally be there that they seemed more palatial and welcoming than they really were?

Each hut sleeps 4. They are tiny. Just the two of us with our gear filled it up. During high season, they fill the huts and you may get paired up with someone you don’t even know. And then you have to navigate where to put all of your gear. Seriously, there wasn’t enough room to swing a cat! One more reason to do this during low season.

As we were organizing our stuff, our porters were setting up our own personal latrine just outside our door. This seems like a very princess luxury, but I personally, was so grateful to have it so close. Truth be told, the washrooms at camp were very clean and functional – flushing toilets!! – and we very easily could have done without our own toilet. However, if those washrooms were being used by hundreds of people, that would be a very different story. Pro tip: if you’re going during high season, GET A TOILET!

As good as the washrooms were, they did not, of course, have showers. Nope. Jason and I got to learn how to get clean with a bucket of hot (very hot – it was so nice!) water and a small bar of soap. Not being campers, this was a skill set that we didn’t come with. Pits and bits, anything else was a bonus. How do you do this without getting water everywhere?

Afternoon snack was tea and popcorn. It was such a nice treat to have this waiting for us in the mess hall and it really was the perfect snack. Then supper was ready. Ooh boy. We had no idea what to expect; PB&J? Hot dogs? Seriously, what do you get fed on a mountain?

Well, there is a reason a chef is part of your crew. It is the best investment! Our first meal was such a surprise. Juma, our porter turned server extraordinaire, took great care of us as he served us each course. Yes, there were multiple courses! As he plated each one, we got very insistent instructions to eat everything because we would need the calories for the climb. You see, as we get higher our appetite will decrease so we had to ‘bank’ the calories. You can’t imagine how much food got put in front of us.

First course was an amazing avocado salad, almost like a chunky guacamole. Each serving was almost two cups. That’s a lot of avocado. It was followed by a hot cucumber soup. I know what you’re thinking, but trust me when I say, it was so good. I had two full bowls. Mostly because we were instructed to finish the pot and because I thought that was our meal.

Nope, third course was the main event. Steaks (yes, more than one each), roasted potatoes and saucy veggies. We’re not quite finished. Now comes fruit for dessert. OMG. How are we going to keep this up? How do you gain weight climbing a mountain? Juma’s face when we couldn’t finish everything was hilarious. A mix of disbelief, disappointment and compassion. He gave us a lecture with the biggest smile that we promised to try harder next meal.

Our guides then came to debrief with us and give us the plan for the following day. I love the organization and planning that they do. It is also mandatory to take our vitals to make sure our pulse and oxygen levels are good to keep going up. We passed with flying colours. But it is early days yet.

Back in our hut, we check on the clothes we’ve hung to dry. Huh. I don’t think that is going to happen seeing how humid it is. Everything we have is damp. Ugh. At least it is not cold, right?

We are in bed and asleep before 9:00pm.