Simien Mountains Day 1

A couple of days earlier, we met two guys, Adrian and Paul, from England. They originally hail from New Zealand and Australia. They looked like Crocodile Dundee with their long hair, but they were actually just two archaeologists. They were really eager to find some trekking buddies so we could share the costs for the car, guide, cook, guard, and pack donkeys. It’s mandatory to have a guy with a gun when visiting the national park. He’s supposed to protect us from wild animals—uh, like which ones? It costs about 220 kr per day per person. We were picked up at 6 AM in a jeep. Ahead of us lay four days in the Simien Mountains, located north of Gondor. It takes about four hours to drive to Debark, where the entrance to the national park is. Luckily, we don’t have to carry our own luggage; the cute little donkeys do that for us. Still, it was a tough trek. We were constantly going up and down. But the hardest part for us was the breathing. We were gasping for air. The air is really thin up here. The heat is just right. Because of the altitude, the sun doesn’t warm up too much. But it’s still incredibly strong. Especially our ears, hands, and lips are hard to protect from the harsh sun. We had lunch by a river. Phew, the break was much needed. We were served a boiled egg, a boiled potato, and a samosa filled with lentils. It tasted great. Around 4 PM, we reached the camp Gitch, where we would spend the night. We were greeted with tea sweetened with lots of sugar upon our arrival. It was nice to get a little extra energy. The toilet is down the mountain slope, so you really think twice about whether you need to go before heading down there. You end up puffing and panting for breath. Plus, the toilets/pits aren’t exactly clean. I pull my shirt up over my nose before going in. Many locals also find the toilets less than pleasant, so they just squat on the edge. This means we really have to watch where we step... At 6:30 PM, the sun sets. Then it gets really cold—down to 0 degrees. Good thing we have our long woolen underwear, hats, and gloves with us. For dinner, we were served vegetable soup, spaghetti, and veggies. Then the campfire is lit, and we all gather around to warm up before heading to bed around 8 or 9 PM.