The Place That Cannot Be Found

Having slept for only three hours the night before I was feeling surprisingly strong and ready to attempt the assault up Mount Mulanje and Sapitwa Peak.  Standing at 3,004 meters (9,849 ft.) Sapitwa Peak is the highest point in Malawi and the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.  We met our guide just outside Chiradzulu in what I thought was a very small town consisting of one main road.  I wasn’t convinced that the man standing in front of us was our guide because he had on a collared button down shirt, pleated slacks and a pair of dress shoes.  Indeed he was.  He said that because he was to meet us in the ‘city’ he felt the need to get dressed up and present himself well downtown.  So humble are the people born and raised in the villages.  We climbed into the mini-bus destined for the base of the mountain with our sleeping bags, food, cold weather gear and water in tow.  Sleeping 'in', travelling to the meeting point, gathering last minute items and being at the mercy of public transportation meant that we started off late at around 2:30 p.m.  Even with a cloudy head and despicable math skills I was able to deduce that we would be hiking in the dark in order to reach base camp five hours up the mountain.  No regrets.  Dancing the night away was well worth having to hike in darkness.  

At the beginning of our trek we walked past small villages where children came rushing out to wave, dance and yell out the all too familiar chant of ‘Mzungu’.  During the climb we marched into densely wooded forests, over granite boulders, under canopies of trees, through tall overhead grasses and up trickling waterfalls.  Daylight ran out and we hiked on by the light of the full moon and the small torches we had with us.  By torches, I mean flashlights (it seems that English English has inundated my vocabulary).  Hour after hour of demanding exercise drenched my hair with sweat and sent a wave of exhaustion through my body challenging my physical and mental toughness (as all worthwhile climbs do).  After all, no great accomplishment is ever painless.  I forced my brain to stop pondering the two Malawian job offers I received earlier in the week and concentrate solely on my breathing.   

Steve, Melvin and Me

After the steepest accent was over we arrived at a flatter section of trail.  The moonlight reflecting off of the white granite rocks surrounding us made the final portion of our walk quite peaceful.  My legs were trembling and it was a struggle just to put one leg in front of the other but by the time we reached the hut and the smell of cedar and campfire filled my lungs I was smiling and reveling at the day’s accomplishment.  We were spoiled with a basin of hot water to wash up and a huge heap of spaghetti before being sent to sleep with fresh cold air sweeping through the one room hut. 

I awoke the next morning with chilled bones and tight hips but I was ready to eat the hard-boiled eggs and peanut butter toast waiting for me.  To see the mountain’s peak in the morning light brought about a new sense of purpose and excitement to the hike.  We filled our water bottles straight from the cascading stream alongside the trail and were on our way.  Before my second wind kicked in my breathing was heavy, my heart pounded and I fought to keep pace with our guide.  My calves yearned for a flat surface but there was no reprieve from the steep granite slabs until we hit the rocky trail.  We traversed through caves and over large rocks until we reached the tippy top.  At that elevation there was a noticeable climate change sending a brisk chill through the air.  In the clearing beyond the rocks was a 360-degree view of the vast valley below us.  The contrast of the blue sky and the white billowing clouds made for a perfect scene from which to view the summit.  We had reached the top of Sapitwa Peak, translation the place that cannot be found.  Locals believe the peak is haunted by spirits that prohibit climbers from reaching the summit.  Not only did we reach the top but we also returned in one piece.  That is after we rejuvenated with a high carb lunch and a nap nestled amongst the green grasses.    

A wise businessman had lugged a crate of beers up to base camp and when we returned from our strenuous hike the sight of cold beer delighted my eyes.  A 33 percent price markup was a small price to pay for enjoying happy hour on the deck of a cedar wood cabin while staring at the view of the villages and valley below at sunset.  After dinner the weight of my eyelids sent me crawling into my sleeping bag beside the firelight.  Never mind that it was only 7:30 p.m.  On the mountain rules of time don’t apply, you sleep when you are tired and you eat when you are hungry.  Come 5:02 a.m. we were up, stretching our sore muscles and saying farewell to the watchman and his son who stay on the mountain full time.  Another five hours of knee torturing descent down the mountain and we returned successful and triumphant.  We celebrated the conquering of Mount Mulanje with the sacrifice of a local chicken served boiled with slabs of nsima.  We hitched a ride in the bed of a pick up truck and meandered back to town alongside tidy rows of tea plants flourishing on the base of the mountain. 

Mulanje Tea Plantation

As wonderful as the climb and the views were it could not compare to the news I received on the bus ride home.  As the sun was setting and the full moon was already looming on the horizon my phone rang.  “Pig?” “Pig!”  Cody McBride Swine Amason Flores on the other end of the line, on the other side of the world gave me the news that she is pregnant with their second child!  My heart lifted up in my chest and I could not deny the perma-grin that took over my face.  Thomas is to be a brother!  I love you Pig, can’t wait to cuddle with that belly of yours.

Dome’s Favorites:  Packed away in my suitcase from the States were small ‘grow capsules’ that resembled large medicine pills but were something magically different.  Once placed in warm water these capsules transform into small sponges in the shape of 16 various farm animals.  A good friend gave me these unique gifts so I could pass them along to children in camp.  What she or I did not expect was the amazement these capsules would provide to all the adults in camp.  After using them with the children word spread that I was in possession of ‘growing animals’ so everyone demanded a demonstration.  Before our staff meeting this past Friday we gathered around a small Tupperware of hot water and I took bets as to what animal might possibly emerge from the compressed capsule.  Fingers pointed, stakes were claimed and everyone was overly enthusiastic to get in on the action.  I made a selection and dropped the enlarged pill into the water as15 pairs of eyes looked on in awe as the gel began to dissolve.  Slowly the spongy innards began to push against the walls of the pill until animal parts began to take shape.  “It’s a horse”, “I think it’s the sheep”, “What is it?” “Wait, wait…”  The smiles turned to laughs, the hoots became hollers and the cheering grew more and more boisterous.   I looked around and saw every adult in the office engulfed in a euphoric sense of childish play.  And finally…“It’s a DUCK!”  (Queue applause).  Note to self: Grow capsules=AMAZING fun for ALL ages!