From the very start of the climb, our guide kept saying “pole pole,” meaning “slowly” in Swahili. Every day, he set the pace of our trek, making sure that we saved energy for the days ahead and gave our bodies time to acclimatize. At the time, I was frustrated. I almost felt as though he was deliberately slowing us down. I didn’t understand why we had to walk so slowly when I felt perfectly capable of going faster.
The first few days of walking had been pretty easy, which probably didn’t help. We were getting higher each day, but I still felt good. There was plenty of time get used to being on the mountain. After four days of hiking, we reached the final camp before our summit trek.
But then came the climb to the summit. What followed was one of the hardest things I have ever done. We began in the middle of the night, in the freezing cold. My toes went numb. After several hours of climbing, I developed a headache from the altitude. By then, I wasn’t thinking about our pace anymore. I was exhausted and wanted to turn back.
Our guide and the porters kept encouraging me, offering me oxygen and giving me energy bars. I didn’t think I would be able to make it, but they kept reassuring me. By that point, I needed their help, even with things as simple as eating something and continuing to walk. Without them, I would never have made it..
Reaching the top was an incredible feeling. I climbed the tallest mountain of Africa! I had wanted to turn back so many times, and now I was actually there. I was proud of myself, but also very grateful to the people who had stayed with me throughout the night. They did an incredible job.
One thing that the climb taught me is that I don’t always have to work everything out for myself. Sometimes, someone else knows better, even when I don’t understand their reasons at first. Trusting our guide meant letting him set the pace and accepting help when I needed it. That’s something I want to remember when I face other challenges.Start with one or two sentences that set the scene: where you went, and what made the trip special. Replace this text with your own.
