Well...if a couple are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary...what would be the appropriate thing to do?

Roses?

Romantic candle lit dinner?

Cosy weekend in the forest in front of a fire?

Make a three day trek up Tanzania's 2nd highest mountain?

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

View from the bottom gate.

Well...apparently we decided the first three were weak options and decided to do the fourth...will we do that again?...we'll let you know for our 20th anniversary!!

After leaving the kids in the care two good friends of ours, we left at 8am for the Arusha National Park.  We weighed in our luggage, argued that there really wasn't any extra luggage hiding in the bushes - we honestly do travel light (porters are allowed a maximum of 20kgs each and we took only 16kgs for the both of us).

On the way...it seemed so easy!

After waiting around until midday, we finally departed under the care of our ranger 'Frances' and guide 'Joseph', a couple from Spain who had flown in only 12 hours previous and a Canadian.  The first day we both felt was difficult (neither of us have done any exercise for our year of living in Tz) ...looking back it was sooooooooo easy!!!  We started out flat looking at Buffalo, zebra's and various other animals...then it got steep.  But again...not too steep now we've done the whole thing! 

We arrived at Marikamba Huts around 5pm and had a quick wash out of a plastic bowl, ate a scrumptious filling meal, then tucked into our bunks in our little wooden cabin.

Day two we were up at dawn...got some gorgeous pictures of where we heading.  Day 1 looked mild now in comparison to Day 2!  We hike up steps...then some more steps....then some more steps.  My mind was trying to not think about what it would be like coming down!  Needless to say, we reached Saddle Hut around midday.  Darran chose to rest up for the afternoon, I decided to make the one hour climb up 'Little Meru' to get the beautiful view...and it was lovely.  After an early dinner, we slept around 8pm...only to wake -

At midnight - we rose, had some hot tea and dry biscuits, donned our back packs and prepared to summit.  It was eerie hiking in the dark, but somehow easier...you couldn't see what was ahead so it was one foot in front of the other for one...two...three...four...five hours.  We nibbled on chocolate and nuts to fight the nausea from hunger pains.  When our guide finally said - 'THERE'S THE PEAK!' we felt a rush of relief...well...that was before we saw that the peak was actually a vertical rock climb up about 6 stories! 

Were we actually serious??

We fought our tears and pain, did the climb and received the joy of reaching the top, popping a bottle of champagne for our anniversary and resting - not too long because then our toes and fingers started to freeze with the below zero temperatures!!!!

We started the trek back down the mountain at 7:30am, finally arriving back at Merikamba around 3pm to catch a car back down to the gate...I was utterly, completely exhausted and the prospect of doing that final stretch would have pushed me over the edge!

The bumpy ride back saw me car sick and having stop to relieve my stomach of the few contents that I'd pushed in there at midnight...at the gate I rested for half an hour, then we arrived home around an hour to excited children, a hot bath and an amazing bed!

Thanks for all of your congratulations and best wishes...despite the difficulty of it we now laugh!  It was definitely a memory making trip and there was no better way to share the celebration of marriage together...

Day 1...getting steep.

Day 1...steeper...

Day 1...contemplation...what have we done...

Day 1 scenery

Cabins for both nights were similar...

Dawn Day 2...looking up at Mt Meru

Looking up at Mt Meru from look out at the cabins...

Another beautiful dawn picture of Meru

Mt Kilimanjaro at Dawn...

Day 2...setting off.

The path...the scenery...all so beautiful.

Beautiful countryside.

Much needed rest...few and far between...

Steps steps and more steps

Top of Little Meru - looking across at Big Meru

Day Two walking with Kilimanjaro Views.

Top of Little Meru

End of Day 2...at the base of little Meru...feeling tired.

We have to hike up there tonight?

Looking down from Little Meru - second huts.

The last stretch before the peak...sigh...

On top of the world with our guide Joseph

At the top!

Mt Meru named Socialist Peak (good ol politics)

On top of the world...and cold!!!

Just arrived...still darkish but sun coming up...COLD!

Incredible shadow of the mountain over the valley.

Relief...oh! We have to head down now???

The moon shaped bluey white thing is ice...

Heading down...hard to believe we walked this at night...

Looking down into the crater...

Amazing scenery...so hard to walk on...

We had to follow the painted green rocks...up...up...up...

Well...if you've looked at the photos all the way until the end you deserve to see the video of us celebrating at the peak!!!!  I know it should be of scenery etc but...oh well...maybe another time another day!