An Homage to Kristi



After a late breakfast and a short trip into town this morning, followed by a small lunch, Gerrit and I decided to take a hike into the hills above the lodge.

I haven’t had too many grief episodes during the trip; the worst of it was actually when I boarded the first plane to leave Fresno. But this trip has been good, and today was definitely an homage to Kristi. I thought about her a lot along the hike, and I knew she was with us. In fact, I brought her backpack again on this hike.


The round-trip hike took us about two and a half hours, and I estimate we covered three to four miles—much of it uphill on the first leg and downhill on the last. The elevation gain was about 400 feet. We actually had two destinations. The first stop was a small waterfall, which at this time of year was an even smaller waterfall and not that exciting.

The second goal was to reach a baobab tree. Baobabs are among Africa’s most iconic trees, instantly recognizable by their massive, swollen trunks and stout branches that look like roots reaching into the sky—earning them the nickname “the upside-down tree.” They can live for over a thousand years, grow to enormous girth, and store thousands of liters of water in their trunks to survive the dry season. Their large white flowers bloom at night, and their fruit, rich in vitamin C, is prized across southern Africa.




The tree was fantastic—a sign near it said it was about 600 years old. Near it was a lookout on a rock where we could see the lodge below us and the city in the far distance. Gerrit was even able to call Jos on his phone to let them know that if they looked up from the lodge, they might be able to spot us. In fact, they did, and they managed to take a picture.



We also saw plenty of evidence of wildlife along the way. We came across several different types of scat that indicated bushpig, along with some other we couldn’t positively identify. We saw tracks from two different sizes of antelope, probably duiker and bushbuck. We also found a feather, likely from a guineafowl. And I think the best find was a porcupine quill.


We finished up with drinks and dinner before heading to bed. We’re headed out to our next stop tomorrow. All in all, it was a great day!




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