Kilimanjaro diary - homecoming

This evening all the members of the 1st for Women Kilimanjaro expedition are safely back home.   Not quite unscathed (hot tea, spilt on the Air Tanzania flight back to Joburg, burnt Andy quite badly) but being back home and pampered by loved ones will definitely help to minimise the hardships of the past week although it will take a while before the muscles stop aching and the affects of high altitude wear off.

Today, on the car ride from the airport to her home, Deshun reflected on the past week:

"I was thrilled and, frankly, amazed at how well the 1st for Women team did on the mountain.   I was the only female "mountaineer" on the team and Allie had previously been to around 5200m on Kili but most of the other women had never even worn hiking boots.   Some of the team are raising families or with grown up children - all are working women leading extremely busy lives but , even so, all volunteered for this expedition knowing that it would be a tremendous challenge that few dare to take on.   Their inner strength and sheer tenacity on that mountain showed repeatedly the calibre of South African women and I was honoured to climb Kilimanjaro with them.   Each of the women on the 1st for Women team , whether they stood on the top of the mountain or not, should be extremely proud of their achievements - and so should everyone who knows them!
Then there were the 3 guys: Jan (expedition cameraman and previous Kili summitteer), Hannes (sponsor representative ) and Derek who had never been near a mountain before and who joined the expedition in his private capacity to support Allie, his wife, in her climb and to give the mountain his best shot.     Each one of them not only faced their own challenges in climbing "shining mountain" but also managed to offer support and encouragement to the rest of the team along the way.   Jan and I have been on many mountains together and I know what a valuable climbing companion he is.   Derek was a wonderful support, not only to Allie (who must be so proud of her man) but also to others on the team.    And then there's Hannes who, in all respects, is one of the strongest climbers I have met.   Somehow he is not only able to get himself up the mountain but also to offer support (and incredible encouragement) to anyone who is going through a bad patch, adding their backpack to his own load, and even assisting them physically if that is what was needed.    He seemed to be Superman - or should that be Superwomen (given that it was the 1st for Women expedition and he, too, was wearing their pink & white colours!).
I can honestly say that i would not have made it to the summit were it not for him.   Having got to Gilman's Point in that appalling weather I truly felt that I just could not make it to Uhuru Peak.   I had, in fact, turned around and descended about 150m in altitude when Hannes mentioned "we'll bring you back to Kilimanjaro to fly the 1st for Women flag from the summit". I thought "WHAT???  That means I'll have to climb this mountain all over again!    Perhaps I should head for Uhuru Peak and see if I can make it".     I wasn't feeling at all good and, in retrospect, it was definitely not the sensible or safe thing to do.   I'd always vowed I wouldn't purposely put myself at risk and now I was possibly doing just that.   Anyway, with Hannes accompanying me, I climbed back up to the crater and we headed for Uhuru.   It took us 3 hours to get there, instead of the usual 2, but we made it, I summitted the 2nd of my 7 Summits and it's in no small part due to Hannes and his incredible support and motivational ability.   Also to Augustin, our guide (who lied to me on several occasions!   "Only 10 more minutes!"   "Only another 20metres!")
In the snow and rain and sleet Augustin took a photo of Hannes and I with the 1st for Women banner and then we started the 3hr slog back to the edge of the crater from where we could begin the 5hr descent to Horombo camp....and sleep!
This is the 3rd time I've been to Kili.   The first was in 1995 during the selection process for the 1st SA  Everest Expedition in 1996 and then I also saw in the millenium New Year on Kili from where we anxiously watched the lights on the plains below to see whether or not "Y2K" would plunge the world into darkness.   They were wonderful experiences, milestones in my life, but so, too, was this 1st for Women expedition and I believe that all of us have returned home forever changed, and made stronger, by the experience."