Africa on foot

In five years venturing to 54 countries, traversing 10,000 trail miles and climbing 50 peaks, Francis Tapon provided these encounters:

Malaria: “I got malaria six times, including in 2015 when my fever reached a level that was life-threatening. We had just climbed Death Mountain, the highest mountain in Nigeria. The fever, nausea started coming in waves. In the hospital, there was no air conditioning, (my eventual wife) Rejoice put wet towels on my forehead to try and cool me down. I slowly came out of it. Truth is, Rejoice helped save my life.”

Wilderness spectacle: “In the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, it’s like a John Muir Trail, less than 500 miles, that descends into the Atlantic Ocean. The highest point is Mount Toubkal (13,671 feet).”

The people: “The mountain villages, there were just a hundred people or so. I was greeted like an alien descending from Mars, with curiosity and trepidation. Most had never seen someone from America.”

Alone, satisfied: “It took 10 days to drive across the Sahara Desert to the base of the highest mountain in Libya, Bikku Bitti. Then it’s a threeday hike, but not one drop of water. Only a handful of people have ever been here. More people have been on the moon than on the top of Bikku Bitti.”

Danger, redemption: “In Chad, with Rejoice and her brother, Mustapha, we went to the top of a dormant volcano, Emi Koussi (11,302 feet), a 60-mile trek. We got spread out and then all three of us went different directions, and I suddenly realized I was alone. I woke up and started looking for them, and I only had a small amount of water. At 8 a.m., I went back up, found Mustapha an hour later. I cried out again, and in the distance, I heard her voice. It was Rejoice. She had shivered all night in a cave, with no water. They could have both been dead. I’ve never been so happy.”

Info/contact: www.francistapon.com