Home safe from Mount Mulanje

I am home after a peaceful and strenuous trek up Mount Mulanje. We set off from a village where many children chased after our car to greet us before we started the ascent. The children fun to joke around with and extremely excited to see pictures of themselves. They are so very similar to the poverty stricken children that I have been blessed with many times in my life. They were amazing.

We paid 4 men to carry our food and supplies up the mountain. I felt very strange about this, but they were very happy that we had come and this is the only income that they have, and we definitely could not have made the trip with out them. We arrived at our hut in the Shire Valley (where Tolkien apparently got his inspiration) after climbing many stone steps, jumping across rivers, and seeing several waterfalls. It was breathtakingly beautiful. We spent our first night taking a much needed dip in a small waterfall and water pool about a half hour hike from our hut. The hut was positioned in between 2 peaks of Mount Mulanje (apparently there are around 52 peaks). We slept out on the porch beneath the milky way and very unfamiliar constellations.

This morning (Sunday) I made the rather unwise decision to climb to the top of Namesile (8,779 ft). Only half of the group decided to undertake this voyage. The peak is not well travelled (only 3-4 groups make the hike each year), so we were trail blazers. We went through groves of aloe plants, strange trees, and wonderful smells. We scaled rocks and jumped across deep crevaces. We reached the top just when the clouds rolled in and obscured our view of the Shire valley. We got a few peaks through the clouds as they rolled quickly through the valley and up the mountains. It was fantastic, but the trip down was a bit more than I bargained for. By the time that I got to the car I was sure that my legs would give out. I am already sore. I am tired and should rest, but I will try to post pictures tomorrow.