Ol Doinyo Lengai

It's Maasai for "mountain of God." About a 6 hour drive from Arusha, it's an active volcano that actively erupts about every 20 years. It's currently bubbling and spewing lava and rocks, so what better place to go for a weekend camping?

The temperatures out there were over 100 degrees. I can't even begin to describe the heat, the never-ending wind, and the dust that swirled constantly. Ava's always asking, "are we in the bush?" and the answer was most definitely, "yes!" This is classic Maasai land, and words can't describe how desolate and dry everything was. Within a kilometer or so of the campground was a large creek that provided water, but it's obvious how far people/animals would have to travel to get that water. This particular cattle herd was several hundred--you can see how far back the line stretches!

We hiked up the river until the scrambling started to freak me out with Ava clinging to a rock above the creek, then turned back while Max, Gina, and Cameron went up to the waterfall. We retired by the little swimming pool, a surprising bit of heaven in the middle of nowhere! Goats, sheep, donkeys, and baboons all wandered in and out, giving Ava lots to do as she tried (successfully as you can see) to catch a kid!

The big goal, of course, was climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai. We heard it was steep and knew we would start about midnight and climb all night. We hired 2 guides, one to carry Ava or help part of the group turn back if needed. We knew it was going to be really tough.

Ha! Here's a word not in the Swahili vocabulary--switchback. And, while the guides mentioned it would be a "little" cold, they lied. It was freezing. And windy. And unbelievably steep. So, after about an hour, Max and Gina forged ahead with one guide while the Hillmans stayed together. After about another hour, we realized that this was not going to be a family adventure, but we were stuck--Mark couldn't go ahead without a guide, and I couldn't go back with the kids without one. Aside from the very real possibility of being lost out there, there are leopards about. So the unfortunate choice was to all head back down to the car. Along the way, Mark decided that this mountain was a metaphor for all the challenges he's faced in Tanzania and by God he was not going to quit. So we got back to the car about 3:00 am and he turned around and went back up with the guide.

We were told it takes about 6 hours to climb. Max and Gina reached the summit at about 4:45 am (about 5 hours) and huddled in a tunnel soaking up volcanic fumes until sunrise. Just at that point, about 6:00 am, Mark showed up. Yep, he made the climb in only 3 hours. What a horse! Poor Max had been throwing up all the way up, Gina was spattered with lava, Mark was exhausted, but they all watched the sunrise from a place they all swear they will never go again! :-) It was good that even Cameron turned back, as the trail grew progressively steeper and more difficult near the top. The volcanic dust and the hard rock underneath made it almost impossible to grab any traction and very very difficult to come down.

The kids and I promptly fell asleep in the car until 6:30, ate some cereal, and marveled at the fact that no matter how far we looked, we seemed to be the only people in the world. The views were amazing--the mountain steaming, the escarpment rising from the plains below, the tiny dots of white (goats) and the solitary red dot (the Maasai) far in the distance. We anxiously awaited the return of the hiking heroes, and greeted everyone that came down. After the 3 hours up and down, none of us considered it a failing that we stopped early!

As we packed up, we were disgusted by how EVERYTHING was COVERED in dust--even things inside bags. There was just no escaping it but thrilled at the experience. We were actually surprised by how many tourists there were there). There's always talk of things being "colonial" and I suppose an upscale bush camp out there qualifies. But in an area where electricity is unobtainable, where supplies are scare, water is iffy, and everything must be trucked in, how logical is it to put in hotels or lodges, big buildings that are heavy/wastefull uses of desperately precious resources? A bush camp--canvas tents with beds/nets and hot solar showers, a small bar with great food and (warm) drinks--really is a great way to go. Yes, the idea was developed by the first Europeans who came out and hunted and explored and wanted to bring some of the comforts of home along. But we brought over 100 liters of water and ran out so having a bit of something out there was a necessity! Without ice we had to rely on foods that don't spoil and hope that others don't mold. It was much different experience than camping in the States!

Yet what a privilege to be able to see such a remote part of the world! To quote a comedian, if it's not the end of the world, we could see it from there. I felt like I was living a photo spread from National Geographic. All of us continue to develop such a respect for people that can live in such harsh conditions--watching them, knowing that they are basically unchanged for hundreds of years, was humbling. Amazing.