A short introduction usually goes here: last week I wrote about the first day of my Raleigh falls trip, so without further ado the adventure continues.
At last, on top of the Voltz mountain.
After the long wet and cold day before, we needed to get up early the next morning, because we had another long day ahead of us on the second day. I don't remember how early we needed to get out of bed, but it was definitely still dark out. If the day before was testing our nerves, this day would truly be a test of our endurance. All because we were going to attempt to climb the granite Voltzberg, which is 240m. high, which wasn't even the hardest part of the journey.
First we had to get into those canoes again. Fortunately not for long - because it was only a few minutes away from Fungu island (our main base) - and then the real physical test started. Before reaching the foot of the mountain, you'll have to walk, climb, crawl and a whole lot more, through the jungle for four hours and after that you'll have to climb and crawl the mountain for an hour before reaching the top. That's of course a rough estimate, based on the fastest most athletic people.
The hike through the jungle.
Knowing that I'm not the most athletic person in the group, I was fairly silent the whole trail and knowing me a friend had asked if I was alright. I said "yes, I'm preserving my energy" π. The fastest amongst us were at the front right behind the guide. We still had to pause a fair amount of times though, because the trail was overgrown and wasn't maintained for awhile - due to you've already guessed it - which lengthened the travel time.
I was a bit in the middle and adjusted my tempo to what I could've handled - didn't overexert myself and didn't keep myself back - which resulted in me walking with different groups along the way. There were times where I doubted my abilities though and thought "what did I get myself into?", but focusing on reaching the top helped me a lot.
Voltz mountain behind me; maybe halfway of the journey.
That's where I saw the power of putting your mind unto something and reaching it. Concentration, listening to my body (taking breaks when I needed it), staying hydrated and eating lightly (sandwiches and an apple) were key and also not thinking about the time and how much further, especially on the way back. Also, not thinking about the overall estimated time of eight to nine travel hours (there and back). Pivotal was to focus on reaching the top first and not worrying about the travel back down. We'll get to that when we needed to.
