How Africa Gave Me Back to Myself

Turning fifty felt like a milestone I wanted to honor with intention — not with a party, not with a dinner, but with a journey that meant something. Ever since I was fourteen years old, sitting cross‑legged on the floor watching Gorillas in the Mist, I dreamed of trekking into the Rwandan mountains to see the gorillas. That dream stayed with me through every chapter of my life — the joyful ones, the complicated ones, and the heartbreaking ones.

In 2021, my world cracked open. I lost my mom. My marriage ended. I packed up my life in Soldotna, Alaska and moved across the country to Charleston, South Carolina. And just before my 50th birthday trip, I made yet another move — this time to Jackson, Michigan — where I promptly came down with a terrible bout of pneumonia. Six weeks of being sick, exhausted, and unsure if I’d even be able to travel. It felt like life was testing me right up to the moment I was supposed to reclaim myself.

But I made it. And Africa met me with open arms.

~Carrie Henson