Nico and I celebrate our success with two ice cold Cokes while Charles attends to the paperwork required to obtain the official certificates signifying we have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

At 4:30PM we reach the end of our 7-day journey at the Marangu gate.

As we stopped for lunch we were fortunate to come across a troop of a half dozen monkeys. They foraged through the trees and brush for perhaps 15 minutes before moving out of sight.

Charles with assistant guide Lasti, the strongest person I have ever met. I told Lasti that he either helped save my life and/or gave me the greatest thrill ride ever on our tandem scree descent. Nico and I will never forget these guys along with Zeblon our third guide who had desceneded ahead of us on this day.

This Impatiens Kilimanjari can only be found on Kilimanjaro. It stores water in the curved structure below the petals.

This flower has been petrified by fire and captures Nico’s attention.

It may be the lingering effects of high altitude on my perceptions, but I really believe that Nicolai looks more like a man today then when we started.

There is much beauty to admire on the way down and despite our intense desire to reach the hot showers that will be waiting for us at our hotel, we pause frequently to take it all in.

With the exception of wind burned faces and this small blister, we both have managed to avoid any serious injuries. I am still not feeling 100% and am beginning to wonder if my ataxia (loss of balance) at the top was due to an allergic reaction to a Diamox pill I had taken twenty minutes earlier. It was my first dose ever of this drug which is supposed to improve the bloods ability to carry oxygen at high altitude. In the end it does not matter, Charles made the correct decision to send me down as continuing to ascend would have been life threatening in either scenario (AMS or Diamox reaction).

Nico started the climb with a brand new set of crutches donated to him by the Walk Easy Company. By the end of day six they looked like they had been through a war zone. The new shock absorbing tips he used made a big difference because they reduced the wear and tear on his hands and they articulated very well giving him much better purchase on uneven rocks.

When we wake up this morning we will have both slept for over 12 hours which is a good thing as we still have 19 kilometers between us and the Marangu gate which will take us 9 hours to reach.

Nicolai returns to our Kibo base camp after a rapid two hour descent expecting to find me there. Because I have descended via the Barafu route (designated for emergency use because it is the fastest way off the top) I am on a different side of the mountain. Each of us will have to descend for another three hours before we are reunited at the Horombo Huts camp at about 6PM.

Nico pauses for a rest before another round of scree running as he descends. Click on the photo for a good look at the small volcanic rocks that constitute scree. The trick, while sliding down the slope on the equivalent of a field of marbles, is to avoiding collisions with the larger rocks like the one on which Nico is sitting.

At 11:18AM Nicolai stands at the summit of Kilimanjaro having achieved his dream and demonstrated the passion, determination, and grit that define his character. It will be several hours before I learn of his success, at which time I nearly burst with pride and admiration for my son who went up the mountain a boy and came down a man.