Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro summit
October 17 - 25, 2014

Africa had always seemed huge and wondrous to me, a world vastly different from my own in the United States.  After summitting Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, Kilimanjaro seemed like the next logical step, in part because it would provide a needed break from the seemingly constant mountaineering training that had dominated my life for the past two years.

Aerial view of Mt. Kilimanjaro
source:  Wikipedia

Mt. Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, it is the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 19,341 feet (5,895 m).  Kilimanjaro would be an  interesting "climb" for me because I had become very accustomed to carrying my own loads on previous climbs, and this wouldn't be necessary on Kili as the local custom is to employ high altitude porters which scale most of the mountain carrying enormous piles of gear and supplies with ease.

This site includes my training plans - which are different from other peaks given the altitude of Kili and the reliance on porters - time on the mountain hiking the Northern Circuit route, and what I learned during the hike.

Enjoy!