It was the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done. It was much more difficult than any of us planned for. I was praying a bunch on the final summit. One friend in our group, a 28yr old doctor from Australia, had to be air lifted to the hospital after we all made it to the top. Helicopters won’t go up to the top so he had to be carried down to the helicopter pad which was almost all the way back at our base camp. The amazing porters literally dragged him down the mountain. The final summit day was over 4000ft elevation from base camp and we did it in 7 hours. We started at midnight and reached the peak a little after sunrise. So we hiked all night in the dark through clouds. Then the skies opened up when we finally climbed above the clouds. The sunrise was so magnificent that all my emotions were poured out there on Kilimanjaro. With the sun and the warmth came the realization that I was going to reach the top. Up until that time I wasn’t sure. It just gets colder as you climb higher and I started out with cold feet and hands. And the wind went through all my 5 layers. So I just wasn’t sure it was going to be safe all night. There are glaciers at the top where it maintains a below freezing temp year round. It was -25 degrees when we were at the peak. Besides the cold, I became dizzy a few times which really, really concerned me. So I decided to just go slower in order to acclimate to the altitude better. That meant the rest of the group except for one other went ahead without me. One of the porters stayed with me and I decided to not take any breaks in order to maybe catch the rest of the group eventually. It worked and 45 minutes before we reached the peak I rejoined the team “KiliSita”. We marched to the top practically arm in arm. We were all very emotional. Once at the top, adrenaline fixed everything and we were just glad to be there and that we were together. My friend, porter, and brother, Freddie who works for the tour company (G Adventures) stayed by my side and carried my pack for me when I was too weary. He looked after me, reminded me to drink when I wasn’t feeling like drinking, encouraged me when I was struggling, and rejoiced with me when I had victories. I will never forget him and I hope to see him again in this life. He is welcome in my home and family forever. The icing on the cake was being able to experience the entire physical, mental, and emotional journey with my closest friend from childhood. Aaron and I have been through many adventures together. This was the adventure of a lifetime. I will hold these 8 days in Tanzania on Mount Kilimanjaro near and dear to my heart, until my last breath.
Good route. Unfortunately did not see Kilimanjaro because of clouds
We did the 8-day Northern Circuit. The trail is stunning throughout, offering a view of all sides of Mount Kilimanjaro. After the third day, the Northern route diverges from the more popular routes and in some of the camps we stayed in we were completely alone. This was fantastic as we avoided the massive crowds and camps on the more popular routes, giving the hike a more personal feel. Summit night was challenging due to both lack of sleep and altitude, but with training it's very doable.
This trail is incredible, but it’s the hardest thing I have ever done physically and mentally! We trekked with Glady’s Adventures and I highly recommend them! We were so well supported and taken care of. Climbing Kilimanjaro is an immense undertaking that should not be taken lightly - I underestimated the difficulty but was able to summit! Although I wasn’t sure I was going to make it during the long, cold, dark early morning climbing hours on summit day. What an adventure!
Watch out for the Kilimanjaro bears!
Epic. We did an expedited, 2 and a half day trek instead of the usual 5 day. While hard, if you’re physically fit and have climbed a lot of mountains this shouldn’t be too difficult. Note, it’s still a challenge. Trek2Kili was the tour guide we used. They were awesome and we couldn’t have asked for a better team to guide us. If you’re considering doing Kilimanjaro, do it. This trail is hard, but worth it if you’re trying to go fast. We didn’t see another person until the wall camp.