The roof of Africa. Mount Kilimanjaro is the world’s tallest
free standing mountain and the highest point on the African continent. It
emerges from the ground and reaches its final peak at 5,895m (19,341 ft) above
sea level. It is considered to be one of the most accessible mountains for
trekkers with seven different routes that can bring you to the summit.
Kilimanjaro has been on my list for some time now and I had my chance this past
spring break with a group of incredibly motivated students.
We Are Leaders @ Kilimanjaro is part of the EBDA leadership
program that I run in Education City. This is the first year we have taken a
group of students to climb Kilimanjaro and this program is supposed to be the
capstone of the EBDA experience. We accepted 5 male and 5 female students to
join us in our quest to summit the mountain and our preparations began in
November of last year.
Training for Kilimanjaro is difficult. The biggest
challenges on the mountain are the altitude and the terrain, both of which are
difficult to simulate. As we prepared for the summit all we could do was work
on lung capacity and get the group to a comfortable level of fitness. We did
weekly training sessions as a group and most people were working out 3-5 times
per week in preparation. Regardless of how you prepare Kili is going to give
you challenges but we will get to those.
I am not sure what I expected from Kilimanjaro. I had heard
from others that it was difficult but with some training anyone can do it. I
had heard that summit day was intense but the rest of the time was quite
enjoyable. When we actually got to the mountain most of this was correct. Our
group took the Rongai route which is considered to be the easiest of the
Kilimanjaro routes. We spent the first 3 days acclimatizing to the high
altitudes and preparing our bodies for the grueling summit day. Our group opted
for a day summit instead of a night summit which allowed us more time to get up
the mountain and less time in below freezing temperatures. When we woke up for
summit day the group was in bad shape. Altitude was taking its toll on us and
some people hadn’t slept or had a proper meal in two days. On that morning I
was not very confident the whole group would make the summit but we were going
to try.
We set off at 5am in the dark for the summit. As we left
base camp we were cold, tired, but determined. The route was in 4 parts. Part 1
was from base camp to the main trail, part 2 was to the first summit at Gillman’s
point, part 3 was to the actual summit, and part 4 was getting down the
mountain to base camp. The real challenges came during part 2 as we worked up
steep inclines and rocky paths to reach our summit at Gillman’s point. By that
point most of the group had given everything they had yet we were 90 minutes
from the summit and hiking at nearly 6,000m. The first group to reach the
summit did so in just under 8 hours from when we left base camp. Miraculously,
all of the group eventually summited. There were 14 of us in total. Once we
summited and began to head back we began to feel exhausted and many of us
needed help off the mountain. I was part of the first group to return to camp
and it had taken us 12 hours in total, some others took up to 15 hours to
return to camp. Summit day was an incredible challenge but one of the most
powerful experiences I have had.
Going into the program I had my reservations about whether
the group would summit. We were in good shape but not great. You never know how
altitude will affect people. There were too many question marks. I can now
comfortably say that the resilience and will to succeed that the students
showed on summit day was one of the most amazing things I have seen. This also
could not have been done without the support of our tour group, Team
Kilimanjaro (http://www.teamkilimanjaro.com/).
The TK team were incredible professionals and I could not recommend them more
highly.
I could go on and on about the experience but I want to end
with just a few lessons learned. Kilimanjaro teaches you that you are capable
of far more than you could imagine. When you think you have nothing left you
are wrong, there is much more. The mountain humbles you and teaches you about
privilege. Our group of 14 was accompanied by 52 (yes…52) Tanzanian guides.
This included porters, guides, cooks, etc. All of these men were incredibly
gracious, kind, and supportive of our group even though their work is
incredibly challenging. When you think you have done a hard day’s work, imagine
climbing Kilimanjaro with a 25kg rucksack. That’s hard work. Finally,
Kilimanjaro teaches you about reaching your goals. You don’t immediately run
for the summit. You prepare, take things slowly (pole pole),and work towards
your goal. You must be patient and you must be resilient, but with time you
will make it.
It was such an honor to be part of this group and an
experience I am still processing myself. So a HUGE thank you to all those that made
it possible especially Maersk Oil who funded the program, Red Rock
International who planned the program, and most of all the students who made it
all possible.
The next adventure is returning to the US for some trainings
and conferences. As I write this I am at the airport getting ready for a 14
hour direct flight to Chicago! So let the good times roll and thanks for
checking in!
