Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world, one of the seven summits and still an active volcano. Here is my journey to ‘The Roof of Africa’. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
Kilimanjaro - A Mountain Top Experience There is really only one reason that a Hill Walker would find himself landing at Kilimanjaro international airport and ...
Day One - Lemosho Glades (7,838ft) to Big Tree Camp (Mount Mkubwa Camp) (9,137ft) I’m sitting writing this at the end of day one sitting ...
Day Two - Big Tree Camp (Mount Mkubwa Camp) (9,137ft) to Shira One Camp (11,496ft) Night one in the tent was a pretty restless one ...
Day Three - Shira One Camp (11,496ft) to Shira Huts Camp (12,779ft) via Shira Cathedral (12,671ft) We wake up to a freezing Shira One campsite ...
Day Four - Shira 2 - Shira Huts Camp (12,779ft) to Barranco Camp (13,077ft) via The Lava Tower (15,180ft) Since the start of the trek ...
Day Five - Barranco Camp (13,077ft) to Karanga Camp (13,235ft) Day five dawns bright and cold in the Barranco valley and my tiredness and somewhat ...
Day Six Karanga Camp (13,235ft) to Barafu Camp (15,295ft) Unzipping the tent after the 6.30am wake up call reveals a cold, damp and misty Karanga ...
Day Seven (Part 1) - Summit Day - Barafu Camp (15,295ft) to Uhuru Peak 19,341ft It's two minutes past midnight and we are 'pulling the ...
Day Seven (Part 2) - Summit Day - Uhuru Peak 19,341ft to Millennium Huts (12,556ft) Why men climb mountains is a question that has been ...
Day Eight Millennium Huts (12,556ft) to Mweka Gate (5,358ft) - The End Unsurprisingly I slept like a log, helped no doubt by the fact that ...
Day Seven (Part 2) – Summit Day – Uhuru Peak 19,341ft to Millennium Huts (12,556ft)
Why men climb mountains is a question that has been asked for as long as men and women have been climbing mountains. I guess the answer is as individual as the person who is asked. I’m sure Alex Honnold and Chris Bonington would give different, but not maybe too different answers. For me, walking satisfies a deep need. A need, not to achieve, or conquer but to find peace with myself. It gives me time to think and reflect, time to pray and settle my mind, time to consider and make decisions. Life and experience change us but the Mountains remain reassuringly the same. They provide a constancy in our lives and the mountains are always bigger than our own personal circumstances. So here I am on top of a Mount Kilimanjaro, filled with that immense sense of satisfaction that comes from doing something that is not easy, that takes something out of you but gives you so much more back in return.
Day Seven (Part 1) – Summit Day – Barafu Camp (15,295ft) to Uhuru Peak 19,341ft
It’s two minutes past midnight and we are ‘pulling the trigger’ on our summit bid as Joshua put it in his briefing. Another phrase that struck me in his pre-summit briefing was “give me the next six hours of your life and I’ll get you to the Roof of Africa”. I’ve dreamed of climbing Kilimanjaro for years, I’ve planned and prepared for this trip for nearly seven months, I’ve walked for six days to get to this point and now, all that remains is six hours, six hours to fulfill a dream.