Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
We clambered out of the dusty vehicle to retrieve our backpacks from the roof. I ducked as a teammate swung his bag in my direction, narrowly avoiding the sharp ends of his trekking poles. Poking your eye out would not be a good way to begin an eight-day journey.
I had trained for months, and now was the time to put my fitness to the test. Seasoned climbing friends had referred to Mount Kilimanjaro as a “walkup,” while others said it was the hardest thing they had ever done. Which would it be? I just had to start walking and find out for myself.
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Category: International, Travel
We had a different experience on Kili. My husband and I climbed it in 2008 in a group raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada. We chose the Loshomo route…longer so we could acclimatize and increase our chances of success. Yes, it’s a grueling trek. It was the hardest thing I have done to date. Not because it’s dangerously steep, not because it’s scary, but because of altitude, thin air and the effects on our bodies.
We did not start our summit attempt at midnight. we enjoyed the sunrise from the base of the summit and saw the sun rise over mount mwenzi. We climbed during daylight and that was wonderful…..hard but wonderful. We also, because we had acclimatized properly, did not come straight down, but rather slept in the crater that night. What an experience!
Two things that helped tremendously to combat altitude sickness: taking pro-biotics (I was never sick nor nauseous) and 2) belly breathing…taking in more air in order to access more oxygen molecules. I focused on filling my lungs as much as I could all the time. Instead of “one foot in front of the other” as my mantra, it was “access the oxygen”….repeated constantly. I was the only one in our group of 9 that did not succumb to AMS. Being mindful of my body’s need for oxygen helped me stay focused on that….and certainly took my mind off the long trek.
Kili is still the hardest trek I’ve done to date. There were many tears and feelings like I could not go on…but I did.
This summer we did the Walker’s Haute Route in Switzerland. 200 km in 12 days up to 9000 ft. THAT was the scariest trek we’ve done. Harder than Kili in a different way. Kili tested my endurance. Haute Route tested my fears.
We can push ourselves in so many different ways. That’s what makes life exhilarating!