There was no feeling of exhiliration on reaching the top and I attribute that to our confusion on whether we were really at the top or not. During our brief 10 minute stay we took many photographs. Actually, Brian took nearly all the photos (except for my panorama camera) and I did the videotaping. We agreed on these arrangements before the tour began and exchanged copies afterwards. Alot of the photographs were taken so that we could enjoy them later when we were feeling better at a lower altitude. If I had been feeling good, I probably would have stayed here as long as possible to enjoy my accomplishment. But since I was feeling lousy, I wanted to leave as soon as possible - and we did.

The sun was now high above the horizon and reflecting brightly in the snow. I walked carefully in some of the steeper sections of the snow trail to make sure I did not fall. We had at least 2 rest stops before stopping at Gilmans Point for another break. I noticed I was breathing a little easier and hiking downhill was probably a big help.

We left Gilmans Point after a brief stop of about 10 minutes to enjoy the view and then descended down a steep zigzagging trail to the scree. This trail, quite obvious in the light, was not the one we climbed in the dark and would have made the hike up to Gilmans Point alot easier. From our vantage point above the scree, we could now see the endless zigzagging trail of switchbacks that we somehow hiked up in the dark. At this point I realized the advantage of hiking this section in the dark.

Instead of hiking down on the trail, we took a straight path directly down the mountain. This path was very steep but the scree absorbed the impact of each step, thus slowing us down and making this steep descent safer . We seemed to be skiing down the scree and we descended very quickly. I decided to take a slower pace because I did not want my knees to give out.

About an hour after departing Gilmans Point, we reached the half way point at Hans Meyer Cave where we enjoyed a 15 minute break. I used the time to empty about a handful of gravel from my boots and socks (your boots really do sink quite deeply into the scree). We also discovered some icicles in the cave.

During my descent down the scree, I noticed my vision was a little blurry. Brian determined I was suffering from a mild case of snow blindness, and I agreed, since my sun glasses did not have any side protection.

The rest of the way back to Kibo Hut I kept my pace slow to protect my knees. Richard remained with me while Brian forged way ahead.

2 hours after departing the cave, I made it back to Kibo Hut (11 AM). John met me here, looking a little better, and told me to rest an hour before breakfast and our descent to Horombo Hut. I then realized I was the last one back as everyone else was now resting in their beds.

I made a little noise as I prepared for bed, to get even with the German group for earlier this morning, but not too much so as not to wake Brian. Inside the hut it was dead quiet (except for me) and freezing. I was physically tired and sore but could not fall asleep. At 12 noon we were all given a wake up call.

The Germans departed for Horombo Hut immediately while Brian and I were given 30 minutes to pack before breakfast and then our descent to Horombo. My vision was still blurry, so Brian gave me his glacier glasses to wear.

The hike to Horombo Hut was very easy on a gradual decline, and, since I was already acclimated to the elevation, breathing was no problem. We tackled this portion of the hike in about 2 and a half hours.

Along the way, we came across several hikers on their way up who asked us about the final climb to the summit. They may have been a little dismayed to see our grim faces and to hear that we had a difficult time. We also told them that it was very important to take your time. This advice sounded exactly the same as what we heard the previous day. It was only after experiencing the climb that this advice made alot of sense. Oh well, they would eventually find it out for themselves.

Again, I kept a slow pace as soon as we exited Kibo Saddle and onto a slightly steeper section. My knees were starting to ache again and I did not want them to give out. Richard stayed with me (to make sure I did not need any assistance) and Brian eventually disappeared way ahead of me.

By 4:30 PM, I arrived at Horombo Hut where John met me and said that dinner would be ready shortly. I immediately bought a coke and then was escorted to my hut by Felix. Climbing the 3 or more steps to the hut was quite painful and inside Brian was already sprawled on his bunk. The next half hour was spent relaxing and drinking an ice cold coke. Afterwards, I departed to buy another softdrink for dinner and wait for Brian at the dining hut.

Outside the dining hut, I saw someone staring at my UC Davis sweatshirt so I started a conversation with him. Charles, was a fellow American from Washington State who is teaching mountain climbing at the university in Nairobi. I learned that this attempt at climbing Kilimanjaro was his second - he turned back early on his first try because he felt his health was at risk if he tried to push any further. He seemed very happy to talk to a fellow American and gave me his number in Nairobi so that we could possibly hook up later for dinner or something.

Dinner began around 6 PM with a large pot of steaming soup. On previous dinners, the soup was mostly broth with some noodles or veggies. However, tonights soup was the best yet and was filled with lots of noodles and veggies. I had 2 bowl fulls. My appetite was much better but I think my stomach might have shrunk because I could only manage a couple slices of lamb of the main course.

After dinner, John told us what to expect for tomorrow and about tipping the porters. He said that the owners of the Dik Dik Hotel, who were very serious about not tipping too much, had never climbed Kilimanjaro and therefore did not know how much work the porters performed. He recommended that we take these facts under consideration when we tipped them.

A short time later, I went back to my hut because I was feeling very tired. However, once I got into my sleeping bag, I still could not fall asleep. When Brian returned at 8 PM, we discussed rearranging our tipping strategy before calling it a night around 9 PM. Basically, we decided to give Richard a bigger tip, since he led us to the top, and Felix and Steve a slightly larger tip (than the other porters) for being so nice to us.

I think I fell asleep for a couple of hours before waking up at 12 midnight. I did not fall asleep for another 3 hours and ended up thinking about the climbers who were just beginning their very long day to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro.