I took a break from visiting offices at the Nigerian Federal Civil Service HQ in Abuja one Saturday. A friend of mine had invited me to join his group Mantrek for a hike. We hiked the Mabushi hills, a neighborhood in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. The theme was raising awareness on domestic violence. Two groups- AmberAlert4SocialJustice and Mantrek organized the "expedition".

We got to the meeting place a little after 7 in the morning. Then when most of the hikers arrived we headed off into the woods shortly before 8. We were about 20 minutes into the hike when we got to the first stop. It was a flat surface on a hill. We saw signs indicating some people used the hilltop as their place of worship. There were crosses and writings encouraging us to repent because Jesus was returning soon. 

We rested on the hill top for less than 10 minutes then moved on. As we continued the hike, it started drizzling a bit. We paid no mind to the light rain and kept on moving. Getting into thicker bushes on our way up another hill, the rain poured down heavily on us. I had told my friend previously that I had all the essential supplies and more in my backpack. I also mentioned bringing an umbrella along. 

As the rain poured down, my friend reminded me I had an umbrella. Seeing no one else with any protection from the rain I hesitated but later decided to use it. I brought out my umbrella and shielded myself from the rain as we made our way up the hill. Soon, the trail leaders announced that the hike had been cut short because of the persistent rain. We made our way downhill and through newly formed puddles.

On the way down, we passed by other hikers who remarked that I came prepared with the umbrella. I noticed no one else had an umbrella or a rain coat or any meaningful form of protection from the rain. Considering we were in the middle of the rainy season with multiple rain episodes every week, it did not occur to me that people would go anywhere without some form of cover. 

A couple of hikers asked me if I was a girl scout because I was "always prepared". Long story short, my friend and some other hikers made jokes about my preparedness in the great outdoors of Abuja. Let's say next time I will be less prepared!

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