Here is a continuation of Mt. Impossible. It is Day 6 and 7 of Brooke’s journal.
Day 6:
I change into zip-off trekking pants, a full sleeved shirt, and a fleece jacket. Today, we will go through the heath and rainforest zone (we will stop in the rainforest zone at about 6,000 ft). I grab my hat and backpack, and stop for some coffee in the FT. Today, we will go back under the clouds, and back into the rainforest zone, which is my favorite zone. I love all the animals and colorful birds and flowers. Up ahead, there is a forest of lobelias. We take pictures of the cool-looking plants swaying in the wind. After about 5 minutes we move on. It’s funny how we stop at one spot to take pictures, and then when we move on we totally forget about it! It’s getting warmer, so I zip off the bottom part of my pants, turning them into shorts. Mira does the same, and so do some other team members. In the distance, I spot a bright red flower. It is a red-hot poker! Red-hot pokers are rare in N.C. I look up. I can see the clouds right above. They seem so close that I can touch them, but they’re not that close. I look around. There is a lot more vegetation now. We’re in the rainforest zone. It is so beautiful that we stop at least 20 times to take pictures! It gets darker, and in 2 hours of hiking, we reach the campsite.
Day 7:
I change into shorts, and a short-sleeved T-shirt. We are very close to the cultivated areas zone, which is at the bottom. I am really excited to get to the bottom! The first thing I’m going to do is take a long, hot shower! We leave right after we get pictures. It’s really warm now, compared to the top. It feels like we were at the top a year ago, now that it’s really warm! The descent is not that steep anymore. It’s more flat since we are in crop and grassland area now. About an hour of “trekking” later, we are FINALLY (!!!) at the bottom! I am so exhausted, that I feel like dropping down and sleeping. I say goodbye to Bess and we exchange e-mails. Mira and I take long, hot showers. After that, we drive to the place where our safari is in the jeep that Mira rented. We laugh and talk as we enjoy the wilderness. Then I head back to the hotel to sleep. The next day, I have a flight -that connects in Amsterdam- back to Charlotte on KLM airlines. I can’t wait to tell my parents and my sister about my trip!