Bintumaniacs

Climbing the second highest mountain in West Africa during the rainy season without a tent or a plan didn't seem like the brightest idea. I went into the trip with a healthy dose of pessimism, but we did indeed scale Mount Bintumani (6,000 feet) -- bottom to top in one long day.

Five of us guys hired a beastly old Nissan Patrol to power us along the "road" from the northern town of Kabala to Sinikoro village near the base of the mountain. Over two rivers and through the woods, the 60-mile journey took us five hours.

We reached the village and slept in the chief's house. Below, Jared presents the chief with some tea and small money to keep him happy. All agreed that our brief stay there was rather surreal.

Four village boys scored jobs as guides and porters for us, and we hit the trail. Though I had a relatively small backpack, it was maybe the most difficult hike of my life. Straight up for five hours. Finally we burst out of the dense jungle and into a grassy savanna that seemed like heaven.

My victory dance after the upward march.

Then some dudes were waiting for us on top of a big rock, and one of them, 'The Director,' was the only one who knew the way to the summit. Yes it was a scam, but we were in a race against the sun so we followed him up and away.

I spent most of that night huddled by the fire with a bunch of strangers under a hut, trying desperately to keep warm enough to sleep through the howling winds. Note to self: bring warm stuff to mountain. But we returned unscathed in the end, albeit with very sore knees.

The next weekend I went to the National Stadium in Freetown to watch the Sierra Leone national soccer team (the Leone Stars) pull off a shocking upset of South Africa (1-0). The best part was after the game: we hitched a ride in the bed of a police pickup truck and ended up right in front of the team's motorcade, speeding through the streets filled with screaming fans.