We started our day with a cozy breakfast of crepe-style quiches and Nutella sandwiches at our accommodations. The drive to site was slow and foggy—we could barely see more than a few car lengths ahead. For the first time this trip, we had to break out the rain gear thanks to some early morning showers.
When we got to site, we kicked things off with dancing, singing, and games. One highlight was teaching the local crew the chicken dance—lots of laughs all around! After that, Caleb, Abby, and Patrick led training on harness safety, potential hazards, and how to use the rescue ladder in case of an emergency.
With safety covered, Abby assigned tasks and the team got to work. Crispin led a crew repairing the clay stairs using a hoe. Rick and Ashley focused on clamping the adjustable abutment cables while Ashley also handled surveying to ensure everything was lined up. Ashley, Patrick, Caleb, and Abby began installing the crossbeam swings from the higher abutment, while on the fixed side, Abby, Caleb, Eddie, and Justin launched swings to the lowest point of the span.
Meanwhile, Justin, Eddie, Crispin, and Rick helped the local team fill in the lower abutment with stones—this continued well into the afternoon. Crispin later joined Patrick to help tie knots along the swing line, ensuring everything met up perfectly at the middle. After a tea break with pancakes and chicken salad sandwiches, we resumed swing installation. Lunch followed with rice, plantains, pea stew, and fresh fruit.
Post-lunch, decking installation got underway. Ashley, Crispin, and a few local villagers geared up with double yo-yo harnesses to get up on the cables and place decking on the higher abutment. On the other side, Abby, Caleb, Justin, and Eddie mirrored the process. Justin later jumped over to the higher side to help stage materials, and the team spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up decking.
On the way back, we stopped for ice cream and a few snacks. During our evening debrief, we gave Caleb a well-earned shoutout for being the “decking master” and showing off some impressive Kinyarwanda language skills. We wrapped up the night with a dinner of rice, potatoes, fish, veggies, and pea stew, followed by some euchre and “Up and Down the River” card games.
Another day of great progress!
