1/6/12

R.A. Dickey - In the Presence of the Mountain





I just sat down at my computer after what was irrefutably the hardest travel day of my life. A 1-hour-45-minute flight to Detroit from Nashville was followed by a 7-hour-25-minute flight to Amsterdam and an 8-hour-25-minute flight to the Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania.

Somewhere over Africa I began to feel badly about being annoyed with my children perpetually asking, “Are we there yet?” on our long family drives. On top of that, there is an eight-hour time difference between the East Coast of the United States and Kilimanjaro. I feel as if I lost a day of my life. That being said, when we finally touched down, I felt invigorated knowing that I was near the challenge of the mountain. It was 9:45 p.m. in Kilimanjaro when we landed, so the darkness prevented any potential view of the mountain. But I could feel its presence, like a giant beast lurking in the shadows. Only time will tell if this beast will be friend or foe.

The rest...  http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/in-the-presence-of-the-mountain/#more-55933

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