Chenek here I come! Thanks to Jan and Filip I decided to extend my trek by a day and head to Chenek instead of back to Buyit Ras. Dashaw said the best views would be today, and right he was! It was so cold when I woke up it felt more like I was in Nepal on the Annapurna Circuit rather than in the Simien Mountains. The landscape seemed to match except that there was no snow. As the sun was barely up I walked a few hundred metres to the community lodge where I got pancakes with honey and a cup of coffee. What a novelty to order food out here! My tent was then packed up, my water pouches were full, my mule was set, and off we were. Toward Imet Gogo we walked and with the sun up it warmed up dramatically. After walking for more than an hour and climbing up several sets of rocks I had the most amazing African vista!
As another addition to my "Travel CV" the view is up there with the best I've ever seen! I'm so glad I opted to carry on today! The landscape looks similar to Zion without the colour or perhaps the Grand Canyon. Put a blindfold on me and I'd think I'm somewhere in the American Southwest. The scouts kept telling me not to go so close to the edge since it's at least a 500 metre drop in most places. Ethiopia's former name is Abyssinia, and there sure are many abysses as I peer into an Abyssinian abyss.
This particular pose is on the inspiration of my good friend Sara Wall. She's a good friend who's a perpetual traveller, and she posed like this on the summit of Mt. Fuji. Jan, Filip, and Dashaw all inspired me to continue today. The former two are Polish with hiking poles, therefore they are walking Poles with walking poles. Turning back from that extraordinary view atop Imet Gogo, it was a long uphill stretch. Though not as tough as Inca Trail, the Simiens are still high enough that it gets very cold and the oxygen is noticably thinner. It was chilly today due to the cloud cover. Mornings have been cloudless and by afternoon there are isolated clouds. We stopped for lunch at the summit of our climb, and whilst I didn't eat I soaked up the spectacular view.
Anne is a French girl living in Kinshasa whom I've been chatting to. She noted that I'm not eating but I find it tough to pack lunch whilst trekking, so I figured I'd eat at Chenek. Local village children hang out along the trail with mules for hire and souvenirs for sale. I thought about getting a hat but I felt it wouldn't keep my head warm enough and I'd have to carry it the entire time I'm in Ethiopia. The walk from then on was mostly downhill and we passed many more bleeding heart baboons. After a steep descent, I lay over a precipice to get a glimpse of the rare walia ibex: a member of the wild goat family. I was tired and ready to eat but I had to walk up yet another steep hill. The landscape at Chenek is so surreal! It looks like Zion but without all the infrastructure.
At 3,620 metres it gets bitterly cold at night. Why? This is Africa! It's not supposed to be cold! Quickly I set up my tent and then chatted to Paul & Laura, from England (though Paul is originally from near Wellington). Tonight I was in the mood for something with loads of garlic so I made spaghetti topped with tomato, onion, and heaps and heaps of garlic, but it didn't fill me up. When I walked across to the community lodge I ordered shiro but they made it far too spicy, so I gave it to a local. As quickly as the sun went down it got extremely cold! I have no hat, no extra blanket, and not enough warm clothes. All of my socks are filthy and my shoes are shot. My toes were so cold tonight they were hurting so I went to my tent to warm up before the campfire was started. Ethiopia is starting to test my nerves a bit. Children chase me asking for money and candy, there's little in terms of variety to eat besides meat (I'm not a huge meat eater), and I feel I didn't prepare enough for this trek. Sitting by the fire I chatted with an older couple from England, who've been travelling on and off for the past 20 years. They've been trekking in many places: Nepal, Patagonia, New Zealand, Mexico, etc. It's always a joy hearing about others' travels and suggesting new places. When I suggested the Inca Trail they said they couldn't be bothered to book ahead. A few great treks I have on my bucket list are (in no particular order): Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, the Kokoda Track, and the Shackleton Walk (the toughest). Only the fire and a cuppa would keep me warm on this bitterly cold night, and as I lay in my tent I couldn't keep my feet warm. Tomorrow I'm either taking a vehicle out or beginning the long trek along the road to Sankaber. The former would save me a day and in the latter I'd be walking along the road for eight hours. If I had more time I'd opt to continue further and climb Ras Dashen. It's a starry but frigid night, and I'll try to sleep as best I can.
