Kilimanjaro- roof of Africa

Mount Kilimanjaro (Wikipedia, GNU 1.3, image by Chris 73)

Ever make a rash decision in life driven entirely by passion to prove something and with very little logic. How did that fare? You probably met with one of two outcomes –

1. you conquered it all. *woot woot.. *
2. you fell flat into the stinking mud, with a new layer about self, peeled.

Well this is my story, how I went from enjoying leisurely hikes at a Milton park to embarking in an insane journey up Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free- standing  mountain in the world. To help you grasp the stupidity lurking in my decision here are some facts:

Location of Kilimanjaro – Image by WherisKili

• Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania, a country in East Africa.
• The mountain stands at a height of 5,895m or 19,341 feet.
• The mountain is  roughly 750,000 years old.
• It is the highest mountain of Africa – often referred to as the  “Roof of Africa”
• Ranks in the list as one of the Seven Summits!!!
• Approximately 25,000 people attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro annually out of which, only two-thirds are successful.
• I have always struggled to stay fit my whole life.
• Warning: Germaphobes please take a deep breathe. There is no proper shower and bathroom facility. So you just embrace your BO….
• I have NO mountaineering experience, the closest thing I climbed was a ski hill *Please do not contain your laughter. I didn’t. I shall pause for you to pick yourself up, from hysterically laughing at my decision and preparation. Okay done!? Good, let’s continue.. 

Three brave women decided to embark on this hike to the summit. Individually we each had the desire to climb a summit, any, but just never got the courage or means to make it happen. It was during one of our summer hikes did the plan start brewing.

Then one cold winter day, September 2017, we took the plunge and booked our trip to Tanzania.

From then to January 30, 2018 is the time we had to train and build our physical strength.

There are seven designated routes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro – Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Shira, Rongai, Northern Circuit and Umbwe. Our troop decided to use the Machame route – the most popular and scenic path.

Photo by Tro-peaks

So this is my honest day by day tale of the next 6.5 days as I and my brave friends journey to the top of the mountain. Stay tuned to see if I tumbled down the hill, got picked up by a giant eagle targeting red heads or did sloth my way up to the Summit…

 

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