The adventure- Day 1, Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut

The three of us at the gate

This is the first day of our Kilimanjaro climb. It takes thirty five minutes to get things sorted out at the gate (elevation: 6164 ft.), and then we're off. At first it is drizzling, but it quickly stops. After all, we are in the rainforest. Today's hike is not supposed to be that steep, and it should only take us four hours to get to the hut. It is very foggy in the forest. Lunch is eaten at a relatively flat point in the trail, and then we head on. I make the mistake of not finishing my lunch, and as a result, I start to feel very nauseous. The rest of our group seems to be doing just fine. As we get higher, the forest changes.  We see many beautiful waterfalls and streams, such as this one below. It gets steeper towards the end, and I don't know why I'm suffering so much. In the end, of course, we get to Mandara Hut (8923 ft.). We sleep in the original hut, called the "White House." Dinner is very nice, and is served in many courses. It is so cold at dinner that we all have our winter coats and hats on. We use our headlamps to get back to the white house, and then we try and get some rest inside our pitch-black room. Tomorrow we hike five miles to get to Horombo Hut, and we'll need all the rest we can get.

The Mandara Hut sign

Up we go

The sights of the rainforest