Our trek started after lunch at 7752ft at the trailhead and we would spend the night at Forest Camp at 9,222ft. The half day hike would be a warm-up for the more strenuous days to come and would let the Kiliwarriors understand our abilities. The afternoon took us through montagne forest and mild elevation gains. The steepest slope challenges were the downhill parts that were slippery from recent rains. Thankfully it didn’t rain during the hike. In fact we didn’t have any significant rain during the whole trek. We’d stop every hour or so along the way for everyone to catch up and drink some water.
The forest was as lush and green as you would imagine it, with many different plants and vines and many colorful but very small flowers. We saw relatives of our garden begonias and impatiens. There were blue and colobus monkeys in the trees but they usually fled after the first in our group passed through. Since Trish and George and I were in the back I didn’ t see them that day.
I was surprised at not having seen a mosquito since we had arrived. It must have been some combination of weather and the 100% Deet repellent we were all wearing. I over-dressed in long sleeves and a repellent-soaked neck scarf fearing clouds of mosquitoes that never materialized. The pictures from this part of the hike make me look like some ancient African explorer.
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