I LOVE AFRICA.
I arrived in Moshi, Tanzania at about noon on March 11th, after approximately 30 hours in transit.  After picking up my stuff and taking a cab to the hotel, checking in, I promptly laid down on my bed and just passed right out until 4. Then I just laid by the pool with my book and relaxed until dinner, when I ate and then went straight to bed.  Dad came in around midnight, so I got up, it was great to see him after a little more than a month away. We skyped with my mum, and then went back to bed at around 1. After a very lazy morning, we got up and took the shuttle into town where we were rushed at by several locals all trying to sell their goods.  It was pretty crazy to see.  After touring around town for a while we came back to the hotel and went to the orphanage just down the road and gave them the pencils and notepads.  We came back to the hotel to meet our group. We had 9 people including me and my dad, and then 2 more came with us, as they were doing the same trek as were did.  We had Kim from East coast Canada, Katie from D.C., Fleur from the Netherlands, Allen, absolutely wild coincidence, is from Guelph, Caroline from Sydney, Vanessa from Sydney, and Conor from Ireland.  The two that joined us were Frank and Amy from the UK, also trekking as a father/daughter duo.
So, Day 1 was harder than I planned, we were told it was a gradual grade, but some parts seemed very steep. We covered 18 km in just about 5 hours.  Vanessa's luggage was late arriving, so we started without her, but she got to camp only about 20 minutes after us, so she must have been gunning it. I have so much respect for the porters after today, seeing them carry everyone's luggage.  It turned out that everyone was syrprised at the steepness of today's climb though, which made me feel a little better.  I'm a little worried for tomorrow though, because the guides say it is very steep.  So I'm thinking if I thought today was bad, tomorrow will be hell.  After about 15 km I was thinking "And I thought this was a good idea because...", but then I reached the Moorland, out of the rainforest , and the views are just stunning.  I saw the beginning of the peak today and it was magnificent. The altitude of our first camp is 3000m ASL and the peak is 5895 ASL, so after Day 1, we are halfway there.  I can't wait to see what day 2 brings.
Day 2: It seems I have caught some sort of "bug" up here, I'm having trouble keeping anything down. It started after dinner last night and continued on to today.  I'm not sure whether the altitude is having a hand in that though, or if it's just me.  My cough that had cleared up down in Barcelona has come back to haunt me as well, only it's much more difficult to get a good breath in order to cough.  So, needless to say, today was tough.  They weren't joking when they said it would be steep. It was: we only hiked 6km today, but nearly 1 km up in altitude. We left camp this morning at 8:30am and arrived at camp by about 2 or 2:30, so we have been relaxing all afternoon.  Our guide, Edwin, has taken everyone out to the caves, but unfortunately, I sat up and my heart-rate skyrocketed and I felt I was going to be sick, so I'm still back at camp while everyone is exploring caves.  I went over on my ankle today as well, so it's probably smarter for me to just stay and chill anyway.
Day 3: Today I felt much better.  Very fatigued due to lack of calories the day before, and maybe 1-2 hours of sleep last night, but overall much better.  However, we climbed just short of 1km in altitude, so that was tough.  We started at about 3800m and climbed to the Lava Tower at 4600. That was very difficult.  And then we started to descend, that was slow going due to the pressure on my knees and ankle. We walked through the Barranco Valley and have just stopped at about 3900m, so hoping tonight will be a better sleep.  The Barranco Valley is just beautiful, lots of little mice scurrying everywhere.  We have stopped at the ominous "Wall." It is the Barranco Wall and will be the most technical part of the climb. However, it is just after 7pm and everyone is going to bed because tomorrow will be a very long day.
Day 4: Today was rough.  It said at the beginning that people with sore throats or chest infections should not go above 3000 m. Naturally, I ignored that warning, and my cough has gotten much worse, but we are at base camp now. Today we trudged up and down, up and down, and it was not easy on my knees or ankle. We walked up the Barranco Wall (which was really awesome) and down the Karango Valley. We are now stationed at the Barafu huts at about 4500m. We are here only to rest and eat though, as we start the final ascent at midnight. The end is near, and let me tell you, it feels kind of good. Everything you do winds you up here, even just walking to the toilets. It's just about 6pm as I'm writing this, so in about 6 hours we begin the daunting task of 5895m.
Day 5: We got woken up at 11pm and got ready. For me, that meant 2 pairs of pants, 4 layers inside my coat (along with a 5th inside my day pack), a balaclava, a headband around my ears and a hat. We departed base camp of 4500m, ready to make the climb to 5895m at midnight, officially St. Patty's Day. Little did I know this would be the most taxing ordeal of my life. After about 2 hours, the altitude and fatigue were so bad for me that I had to pass my pack along to a guide. As if the nausea wasn't bad enough, my coordination was way off as well. I felt as if I was just hammered and couldn't walk or see straight. It was awful. However, if it weren't for my dad being with me and a constant support, I probably wouldn't have made it. As it was, I made it up to Stella Point for the sun rise, which was absolutely breathtaking. We then made the final trek up to Uhuru Point. It was such a rewarding experience, and I think the fact that I struggled so much just made it that much better. After a few photos we began the trek down. Seeing the slope we climbed up in the day light made me feel a little better about my struggles going up. It was so steep, and so far. Finally we made it back to camp where we all practically fell into our tents because we were all so exhausted. We slept for a little over an hour before we started our descent. All exhausted, we left again and walked for about 4 hour straight downhill from 4500m to 3100m. It was such a long day, we walked for probably 14 hours. Very rough, yet rewarding.
Day 6: Still a very steep downhill grade, we walked for only 3 hours today and made it back to the hotel by about noon. The shower I had was amazing. It was so good to go 6 days without one just so you realize how much we shouldn't take it for granted. Overall, it was just an incredible experience, and I would definitely push anyone considering doing it to just do it.