Taking a Break: a Moment in Time

A Story in Which I Enjoy a Break

            I got sick, rather violently, on the rock after lunch. I knew I was going to, so I stayed back after the others headed off. I was so sick from altitude, I was given an alternate, lower altitude route. Three guides, James Bond, Julius, and Hassan, accompanied my descent. Any time I sped up, feeling better, they would reign me in, “pole pole” they’d say, and I’d reply, “hapana haraka, hakuna matata” (no hurry, no worries). We took long breaks, and I finished off my water two thirds of the way to camp. I was lucky they were willing to share.

            Eventually we wandered around a bend and could see Barranco Camp, a sandy, rock laden terrace with lots of open space, and plenty of cliffs to fling a Frisbee off or into. After running out of water, the river that ran by the dry camp was a precious gift, and I felt like I had found Atlantis. This was the second day in a row I had run out of water during my pokey puppy streak. I happily refueled and checked who my roomie was for the night. Poor Andrew was also sick. Feeling about seventy percent, as compared to forty percent during the hike, I took a seat on the sun beat rocks. They were still cool, despite the glare of the sun on the black slabs. The sky glowed, and I had to squint to see anything at all.

            Someone asked for the Frisbee, and I fetched it from my bag. We had each volunteered to carry certain items up the mountain, and this was my contribution. I tossed it to Joe, who passed it to Hannah, and slowly our game gathered more participants. At first it was only members of our traveling group, but as people tired and new people hopped in, it diversified. A couple of fellow climbers, marines on the fast track up the mountain, joined us. A guide, Sam. A couple porters. I sat back on the rocks, enjoying the view. It was the first time we had played a game that wasn’t along the lines of 20 questions. It was the first time we had played a game that included members who weren’t in our party. It was also the first time our afternoon break had involved anything more active than walking.

Above the circle of Frisbee flingers, Kili seemed to float on a pillow of clouds, as if she too were taking a break. Even the wind lessened at Barranco Camp while we took an active break at the bottom of a wall. Guides, porters, and travelers lounged on the cool black stones, while Konguru hopped among them. The Frisbee sliced the air of the insular little camp, full of wide spaces, sheer drops, and sheer walls encasing this moment in time.