You know that quote that athletes and older experienced people tend to always say,
“Its not about the destination, it’s about the journey you embark to get to that destination.”
Well I can now officially confirm that! The only thing I wanted to do when I got to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro was to get down. I was tired, drained and my head felt like it was going to explode.
I mean don’t get me wrong, we celebrated and cried our eyes out! After all that, all that…. We made it to the top! It wasn’t a conscious celebration where we did flips, danced and screamed… it was a shock, hug, cry, and walk like zombie kind of celebration.
The walk from Stella point to Uhuru Peak was a daze and confuse… our team had been there already 30 minutes or so when we reached the peak and got to take a picture with them. On our way to the peak, we passed the really cheerful people that were singing, playing in the snow, taking pictures, and so on.
But we were silent. It was an internal celebration for us. I was happy about making it to the top but the reaction I had was not what I would have imagined for myself, not to say that I had an expectation, I didn’t.
I had a revelation at the top, a revelation that I could only get going through the experience of getting to the top. I realized in those few minutes up there that this whole trip was not about the top!
I know, I know! The whole time from the beginning of the climb to the last minutes of the climb -reaching the top is all you can think of – it’s the peak of the hike, of the mountain and of your experience.
But when we got there it was so short, it wasn’t as painful or as glorious as the actual climb that you couldn’t help but think, “That’s it!”
I have always wondered why we get this feeling during the so-called important moments of our lives…. you know, you spend days planning what you are going to wear to the prom or how your wedding is going to be… and then when the time comes it only last a couple of hours.
When you reach the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro you are only allowed to stay up there about 15 minutes and maybe 30 minutes tops for those really athletic. The lack of oxygen can begin to really affect the body.
The climb is really about the journey… and the journey doesn’t end after you reach the top, you still have to go down. But the point is that you don’t appreciate or understand the significance of that till you have reached the top. The fact that Pedro and I went through all the things we did on the journey made us appreciate each other all the more and we shared in an incredible experience together that we will never forget.
I have to say that the view at the top was spectacular of course! How many people see glacier snow in the midst of clouds… and in Africa!!! It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen and of course that was also because it cost me to get there.
But you know I’m glad it wasn’t easy for us and that it was an adventure because I enjoyed every moment of it, not just reaching the end goal.
