Lesson 8: Climb Every Mountain



So, you know that cool mountain thing here in Mbale? Mt. Wanale? Yeah, I climbed that.  It was pretty awesome.  The not-so-awesome-part was waking up at 5:45 AM to get ready for our hike.  An early start time is very necessary, as this allowed us to ascend the mountain in the shade.  Otherwise, you’re climbing in the heat of the day on the equator. Not advisable. 

We followed a main road up quite a distance toward Mt. Wanale.  It was a little intimidating, marching towards this huge chunk of rock sticking seemingly straight up into the air.  There’s no switch-backing on the foot paths; you just go up.  The paths start sloping up gradually, so we stopped to take a breather on top of a large rock before the hiking got very intense.  Even from the base of Wanale, you can look west and see all of Mbale laid out before you.  The town of Mbale is at about 1161 meters (about 3700 feet); Mt. Wanale’s elevation is about 2320 meters (about 7300 feet). 

The paths go right by houses and through fields.  The people who live in these houses on the mountain are incredible.  While I was huffing and puffing to climb up the paths, they were passing me carrying huge loads of bananas or jackfruit balanced precariously on top of their heads.  Walking up the mountain is no problem for them.  Me…well, I was traveling “pole pole,” or “slowly, slowly” in Swahili.  No matter, I made it to the top, and we had a great time relaxing in the pools by the waterfalls in the shade of the eucalyptus trees.  We sat on a rock outcropping and took a bunch of pictures before beginning our descent.



I do not like coming back down.  When you’re going up, your goal is always in sight.  Even if you’re tired, you can pump yourself up by saying, “Every step I take brings me closer to the top!” Coming down means putting more distance between you and the awesomeness you just achieved.  Going up, you are not thinking about how far you could fall.  On the return trip, you’re constantly peering down the steep incline and pondering exactly how far down you could slide. Also, you encounter some interesting obstacles.

    This is a ladder.  It was made by cramming a bunch of sticks together in order to climb a twenty foot section of rock.  We climbed down slowly and nervously, one by one.  The Bugisu people climbed up two or three at a time, balancing matooke, sacks of onions and bundles of sticks on their heads. Very impressive to watch.

    The other fun part of the descent was sliding down paths covered by gravel and loose dirt.  Our approach was to sit down on our butts and alternate scootching and sliding down the paths, much to the amusement of the Bugisu onlookers. 

    Eventually we reached the bottom of the mountain and made it back home, where we enjoyed hot showers and a cold Coke.  A Friday morning well spent!