The beginning and the end!

Good evening to all of you...well....mmmm...where do I begin...I left off by telling you all that I was planning to climb Mt. Cameroon..well, we began our journey up the mountain at about 6:30 in the evening on Friday night. It was the porter, the mountain guide, Amadou and my dear friend Elvis. So here you go....me and 3 african men....well, we started in the forest part of the mountain..it is absolutely beautiful. Then in about an hours time...we needed to use "torches" or as we call them flashlights.....it was so dark but, the african sky was incredible....climbing up was very challenging...it is beyond steep...rocky and muddy and slippery...I had on my tennis shoes....I really needed my hiking boots...but, we kept going....we stopped at HUT 1. We took a break and I flashed my light into the hut and a bat came flying at me....ahhhhhh....well, we rested for a brief time and the guide said that it was time to move on...We continued and it began to cool down. The 3 africans were all dressed and here was I ....with just 2 tshirts on....I was not that cold....it is all what you are used to....Well, by the time we reached HUT 2...which is where we were to stay for the night...it was 11:45. I was quite exhausted...you should see how we had to sleep for the night...on wooden slabs with mice and mountain rats...!!!!!! I am NOT joking....I began to put my sleeping bag out and a mouse scurried by....so, guess what...I was awake the entire night...there were rats underneath the wooden bed and I kept hitting the wood to scare off the unpleasant creatures.....I did not want them to get into my food....It was a creepy night and it was SOOOOOOOO cold.....I did not have enough clothes...I froze all night and waited for the creatures to come near me......!!!!!
By 7 am on Saturday...Amadou called to me that it was time to start up and again. Amadou and I were the only ones to continue. Elvis was ill and the porter was going to rest for the while. So here we go again...me and Amadou...up to HUT 3. The wind and the steepness were very challenging....it got colder and colder and windier and windier.....I was holding a walking stick and my hand was frozen....the wind was knocking me over and my lungs were being strained due to the altitude....Amadou kept checking in with me...we got to a certain point of the mountain and he said that at this point was where you either failed or succeeded....he called it the medical check up point...if you had any illness ...this is where you would no longer be able to continue the climb...well, you know me....I said...you could take that as a challenge or as a threat....I chose to challenge myself....we continued and my chest continued to crush inside of me...but, I was determined....Amadou told me that I was a very couragous woman...I told him that it was part of my heritage...Norwegians are tough...and extremely stubborn.....he laughed...Well, we reached HUT 3....and it was cold and blustery and miserable...we sat and ate and drank for abit...he told me that we were about 360 meters from the summit....I contemplated and told him that I was not up to the rest....the clouds were low, visibility was almost zero and the winds were brutal...I figured that there would not be much to see....I was tapped.. We turned around and trekked back to HUT 2. We got back to HUT 2 by about 12:30. Coming down is so much harder than going up....it is rocky and slippery and incredibly hard on the knees....so, we rested for about 1/2 hour and then started our descent....oh my...I struggled...I fell so many times and hurt myself....it was so hard...at one point I just got so teary eyed...I just wanted to be on the bottom of the mountain...I was frustrated and sore and tired and blisters...etc...etc....etc......We finally made it to the bottom at 6 pm.
I could barely walk.....I felt sooooo beat up....I returned home and I had several guests at the house to give me a homecoming...it was so wonderful...they went out and bought beers and toasted to me...I drank the beer and it went all to my head...I could barely walk....you should see the blisters...and the bruises.....it was an incredible experience but I would never climb it again....I have to say that Mt. Cameroon is beautiful...it has many different terrains...forest...savannnah...rocky, volcanic areas...unbelievable....It was hard but a good thing....!!!!
Today I went to class...or I should say hobbled to class....I love my kids and will miss them dearly...they all keep handing me notes and expressing their love for me....it is so touching...I am off to a "send off" party for me!!! The school is hosting a party to wish me off....I feel so sad to leave...this is home to me now...I love it here. I leave tomorrow for the long journey home....It will be exhausting....I am excited to see everyone at home but sad to leave my second home.....I hope that everyone is relaxing and ready to enjoy Thanksgiving. I will hope to see all of you when time permits....the transistion back to Wheaton will be a challenging one....I thank all of you for supporting me and following my journey here in Cameroon....It has opened my heart and my mind....I will begin a new course of my life....and I believe that Cameroon will inspire me to do more traveling and visit new cultures throughout my lifetime....it has been such a transforming experience. Thank you God for this remarkable opportunity.
I will see you all when I arrive back to Chicago...until then...my love to all and a very Happy Thanksgiving...be thankful for everything....those are my sentiments to all who live in the United States......
Love, Nancy