Jimmy Kaufman - Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Chapter 35: Day Ten

THE LAST DAY…..

….. BREAKFAST IS DONE …..

….. THEY SENSE A SENSE OF LONGING …..

….. AND THE TANZANIANS BREAK OUT INTO SONG …..

….. WHICH THEY DID ON THE FIRST MORNING …..

….. AND IN BETWEEN AS WELL WHEN WE ARRIVED IN CAMP SOME DAYS …..

THEY SOUND GOOD ….. ALL THE BASE IS THERE:)))))

THEY SOUND PROFESSIONAL …..

IT’S GOOD TO HAVE SINGING IN YUR SOUL ….. :)))))

I DON’T KNOW HIS NAME ….. I WISH I DID ….. IF ANY OF YOU TREKKERS KNOW ….. TELL ME:)))))

….. THIS GUY IS THE QUARTERBACK:)))))

….. THIS GUY IN THE GREY FLEECE …. IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY …. LEADING THE BAND:))))

BRAVO TO YOU BUDDY ….. AWESOME:)))))))

SHAKE DAT TING ….. :)))))

….. MAN ….. I MISS THIS STUFF ….. :)))))

….. I HAVE DANCED ….. :) ….. BEFORE ….. ON THIS JOURNEY ….. IN A STATE OF FREEDOM GIVEN BY THE TANZANIANS ….. ….. AND MY FELLOW TREKKERS:))))) ….. AND IT WAS FUN ….. :)

….. DRUMROLL ….. :) ….. BABY ….. DRUMROLL …..:)))))

….. WISH YOU COULD HEAR THE SOUND ….. ENERGY GOIN’ UP … UP … UP ….. :)))))

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA …..:)))))

….. THIS WAS A MULTIPLE CAMERA DEAL ….. :))))))

….. BIG BUDGET ….. :)))))

….. ON THE LEFT ….. THOSE GUYS SEEM DISTRACTED ….. YA ….. THEY’RE PLAYIN’ FOR TERRY’S CAMERA …..

….. THE RYTHYM’S SINKIN’ IN ….. :)))))

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ….. :)))))

….. GOOD CAMERA WORK NICO …..

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ….. :)))))

LIBERATI TAKES IT ON ….. :)))))

….. THESE GUYS ARE REALLY SUAVE …..

….. THEY KNOW HOW TA DANCE ….. :)))))

….. AND MAYBE IT’S CONTAGIOUS ….. AND MAN … ARE MY HANDS DIRTY OR WHAT ….. :))))) ….. AND BEING DIRTY IS OK HERE ….. :)))))

….. WE ARE AT 10,000 FEET ….. WE ARE TREKKING DOWN TO 5000 FEET …..

….. IN A FEW MINUTES …..

….. CONSERVING ENERGY IS A THING OF THE PAST ….. YAAAAAAAAAA :)))))

….. ROCK ‘N ROLL :)))))

….. WELL HERE WE GO ….. :)))))

….. A QUICK ‘BY THE WAY’ …..

….. WHEN I TAKE A PIC ….. I FEEL ….. ‘WHY’ …..

….. SINCE I DIDN’T TAKE THESE PICS ….. OF ME DANCIN’ ….. I DON’T HAVE A ….. WHY:)))))

….. SO ….. WITHOUT A WHY ….. THERE ARE NO NOTES ….. :)))))

….. SO FOR THIS SET OF PICS WE ARE IN NOW ….. IT’S JUST THAT ….. A PIC IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS …..

….. FROM YOUR IMAGINATION …..

….. I AM IN THE MOMENT ….. SO THANKFULLY ….. AND WITH THE SPIRIT AND GOOD WILL OF THIS CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD …..

….. SUPPORTING ME BEYOND ANY LOW LEVELS OF OXYGEN AND PREDICTABILITY ….. :)))))

….. WELL ….. LET’S DANCE AND HAVE FUN ….. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA:))))))

THANKS DANIEL ….. FOR TAKING MY CAMERA ….. AND LETTING ME RELIVE THIS …..

….. FOR ANY TIME THE TANK NEEDS TO BE REFILLED ….. :)))))

….. BY THE WAY ….. THE NOW WELL KNOWN ‘DOUBLE J’ CAP ….. WELL ….. I AM ABOUT TO TAKE IT OFF …..

….. HI JEFFREY AND JEREMY ….. ALL THE TANZANIANS KNOW YOUR STORIES ….. THEY ALL KNOW THE WHY’S OF THE DOUBLE J …..

….. WE’RE ALL DANCIN’ WITH ALL OUR GOOD THOUGHTS IN MIND ….. :))))))) ….. WITH YOUR GREAT SPIRITS PUSHIN’ US ON :)))))

….. AND WITH YER HAT ON ‘THE MAN’ ….. :)))))

….. 10,000 FEET IS TALKIN’ TO ME ….. OXYGIN PLEASE ….. :))))) ….. AND I MEAN OXYGIN:)))))

….. MAN O’ MAN ….. ‘DA MAN’ IS ….. HAVIN’ FUN:))))))))) ….. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA :)))))

….. THIS IS PART LOVE ….. AND PART HANGIN’ ON FER MORE OXYGIN ….. :)))))

….. A FRIEND ASKED ME VERY SOON AFTER COMIN’ BACK ….. ‘DID THIS JOURNEY CHANGE YUR LIFE’ …..

….. I THOUGHT HOW COULD ANYTHING CHANGE MY LIFE ….. SOMETIMES AT A CERTAIN AGE YA TINK …..

….. WHAT THE F COULD CHANGE MY LIFE ….. BUT THAT’S DUMB …..

….. IT HADN’T SUNK IN ….. BUT RELIVING EVERY DAY WITH YOU GUYS …..

….. YUP ….. IT HAS ….. I DON’T KNOW HOW …..

….. ONE TRULY UNBELIEVABLE JOURNEY THAT STARTED LAST SEPTEMBER ….. YA NEVER KNOW:)))))

….. OXYGEN ….. OXYGEN …. OXYGIN ….. :)))))

….. I HEARD A STORY ON THE CLIMB THAT A TANZANIAN GUY RAN UP THE MOUNTAIN TO THE TOP AND BACK DOWN IN 9 HOURS …..

….. WOW …..

….. OXYGIN ….. OXYGIN …. OXYGIN ….. :)))))

WAIT TILL YA HEAR DA MUSIC ….. :)))))

….. OK ….. NOW FOR SOMETHIN’ COMPLETELY DIFFERENT …..:)))))

….. THE THOUGHT WAS ….. LET’S GET A SHOT OF SEVEN ‘NEW’ BEARDS ….. WE LINED UP …..

WE SALUTE MATURITY ….. AND OUR BEARDS:))))

….. WE HAVE BECOME A FAMILY ….. SILLY AND OUT OF SYNC ….. TONGUE WISE ….. :)))))

….. MAN ….. EVERYONE AT THE SAME TIME ….. MAYBE ….. :)))))

….. WE’RE ALL WONDERIN’ ….. IF WE GOT THE TONGUE SHOT RIGHT ….. :)))))

….. READY ….. ONE ….. TWO ….. THREE …..

….. BEST YET ….. :)))))

….. HOPIN’ FER GOOD NEWS ….. :))))) 7 TONGUES IN SYNC ….. :)))))

….. AND WE’RE ON OUR WAY DOWN ….. THE LAST STEPS ….. FOR THE NEXT ….. FEW HOURS ….. GOIN’ FROM 10,000 FEET TO 5000 FEET ……

….. HEY ….. THERE GOES THE TOILET!!!!! …..

….. WE’RE GONNA MISS THAT ….. :)))))

….. SOME OF US DESCENDED IN CHATTER ….. :))))) ….. WHICH WAS UPLIFTING:)))))

….. SOME OF US DESCENDED IN QUIET ….. WHICH WAS UPLIFTING …..

….. TERRY, OUR LEADER SINCE SEPTEMBER …. WHO’S CLIMBED KILIMANJARO 5 TIMES, ….. AND MANY OTHER TREKS, WHO SPRAINED HIS ANKLE ON DAY 2, AND WHO STAY WITH US RIGHT TO THE TOP AND DOWN ….. ….. THANK YOU TERRY ….. FOR ME ….. YOU ARE ….. WERE ….. WILL BE ….. A KEY INGREDIENT TO ALL PAST AND FUTURE TREKS ….. :))))) ….. AND FRIENDSHIP:))))) ….. REMEMBER THAT AUSTRIAN ARMY VEHICLE ….. WITH THE BULLET HOLES COVERED UP:))))) ….. IT’S BACK:))))) ….. THUMBS UP ….. :))))) YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA:))))) ….. IT DIDN’T FEEL TOO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN DAY 1 ….. THE TRUCK ….. BUT A LOT HAD CHANGED FOR US ….. :))))) ….. WE ALL WERE GRABBIN’ MEMORIES ….. SHOOTIN’ EVERY LAST MEMORY WE COULD ….. :))))) ….. ALL THOSE TOES LASTED THE WHOLE NINE YARDS ….. 45 MILES ….. AND THEY WERE IN GOOD HANDS NOW ….. ….. A SMILE OF JOY AND ACCOMPLISHMENT ….. YAAA JASON:))))) ….. GOOD THOUGHTS ….. ….. GOOD THOUGHTS ….. ….. GOOD PEOPLE ….. ….. AFTER 10 DAYS OF POLI ….. POLI ….. WE HAVE A RUN 4 UR LIFE …..:))))) ….. IN FRONT OF US ….. ….. ALRIGHT ….. :))))) I’M UP 4 DA UNPREDICTABLE ….. :)))))