They have been working so hard all year, increasing the number of km they run each week, going on group runs, and growing in unity toward the goal of climbing Mt. Cameroon at the end of January. However, due to various concerns, it was decided that the Running Club should embark on an alternate trip this year.
So it was that this year’s Running Club was the first ever to climb 2 “mountains” closer to home. In fact, the first of the 2 they climbed was close enough to home that on a clear day it’s visible from the school parking lot!
Once dropped off Thursday morning at the base of Mt. Eloumden, Ron led as the Running Club members up the front side, and down the back side. From there they walked over to the base of Mt. Nkolbissan where a van met them with their overnight camping packs and picked up Ron.
The running club climbed and camped overnight on top of that 2nd mountain. Apparently Mt. Nkolbissan has become the destination for spiritual pilgrimages of all sorts — they were not alone up there. Another group began the evening singing, got quiet and meditative just long enough for our group to fall asleep only to be woken up with very loud prayers, chants and I-don’t-know-what-all! Not much sleep for the hikers that night.
Next day, Friday, they were met at the bottom of the mountain by a van to collect their camping packs and off they went on a scavenger hunt through town.
They walked several km through the city in search of things like the biggest leaf you can find, as many ATM receipts as you can find (picture them gathering up the paper slips from the ground and trash cans near ATMs!) and much more. The final destination of that hike was one of the nicest hotels in the city, with a pool! After getting freshened up they had supper at a very nice restaurant.
Saturday they had the option to get up very early in the morning to participate in a Run for Impact, a 10 km run / 4 km walk sponsored by CABTAL, (Cameroon national Bible translation and literacy organization), in the city to raise funds and awareness for Bible translation. They all contributed the entrance fee and got the T-shirt but only a few had the energy to get up early to run.
By noon on Saturday they’d arrived at the French Club in Yaounde for more fun in the sun at the pool. Ron and I decided to join them for lunch, partly because we would have been with them on the originally planned trip, partly for fun in the sun with them.
To our (and their) great surprise, there was a camera crew and journalists set up recording a TV program that would be aired on Sunday. Besides journalists speaking on various subjects, there was a singer with back up dancers. We discovered who the hams were — the singer danced his way over to the running club kids by the pool and got them to join in the dancing.. that was recorded… and played on national television !!
To wrap up the alternate weekend trip we all went over to a new ice cream place in town, ci gusta! the Italian food experience.
All in all it was a very well planned alternate to the disappointment of canceling the original trip. This trip will be remembered for years to come, not only for the unique location, but all the unexpected adventures that happened.
Afterward — Sunday afternoon at Young’s house…
