Saturday, April 21, 2012

Picking up the gauntlet

A clap of thunder tore through the charged atmosphere like a starter's pistol.

It was quickly followed by the irregular, staccato beat of a dozen heavy raindrops clattering against the thin, tin roof of the climbers’ shelter.  A few seconds later an unremitting arsenal of liquefied bullets hammered down on the corrugated roof, threatening to distort its smooth undulations into a ragged, dimpled finish.

At this point, we had not even passed through the gate into Kilimanjaro National Park, but already the mountain was squaring up to us.

Kibo, the summit of Kilimanjaro, from Shira Plateau

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