The hardest journey of my life - climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

The hardest journey of my life - climbing Mount Kilimanjaro:

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The hardest journey of my life.

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Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

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The tallest free-standing mountain in the world.

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Picture this.

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It’s 5 pm.

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The sun is out.

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But it’s windy.

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Gusty.

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Can barely hear the person next to you.

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You’re sitting in a dining tent.

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Everyone else has finished their medical check.

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But here you sit, by yourself.

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You and a few guides.

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You’re shivering.

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Actively shaking.

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They’re trying to check your blood oxygen levels and temperature.

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They tried 10 minutes ago.

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The first reading was 71%.

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If you were back home in Toronto, you’d be in the ICU.

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So they give you a warm water bottle.

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Ask you to warm up your hands.

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You try, but you can’t stop shaking.

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Can’t stop shivering.

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A few minutes go by, and they check again.

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72%.

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And your temperature?

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32.5 degrees Celsius.

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Anything below 35 degrees Celsius is hypothermia.

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So here you are shivering and not getting enough oxygen to your blood.

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Then they decide to give you oxygen.

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They put a nasal cannula on you.

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Only nothing is coming out.

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The oxygen is barely working.

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So you sit there.

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Deep breath in.

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Deep breath out.

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Again and again.

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For 10 minutes.

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Still shivering.

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Still shaking.

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They check again.

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No change.

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So they tell you to go back to your tent, get warm and they’ll come check again.

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Your tent is at the top of the camp.

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And you’re 4700M or 15k feet above sea level.

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The highest you had ever been before was 10k feet, and that was for less than half an hour.

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At this altitude, everything is a chore.

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Everything takes time.

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Everything takes effort.

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You are short of breath just moving.

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So you slowly make your way back to the tent.

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Get into your tent when you see your friend concerned.

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You’re still shaking.

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You tell him about what happened.

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By this point, it’s 6 pm.

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You need to sleep and be up in 4 hours, ready to hike through the night.

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So you put on your 4 layers, but you can’t stop shaking.

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Get into your sleeping bag, and no change.

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Can’t stop shivering.

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There’s no hot shower.

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No hot room.

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No reprieve from this cold.

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So you settle in but can’t stop shaking.

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An hour goes by.

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No change.

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The Raynaud’s in your hands and feet are finally starting to become a problem.

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Thankfully, you find a way to stop shivering by putting a hot water bottle at your feet.

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By this time, it’s 8 pm.

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So you fall asleep, but 2 hours later, you’re up.

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Freezing.

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Shivering.

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But it’s time.

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Time to hike the summit.

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To hike 9 hours straight in darkness with the temperature reaching -20 degrees Celsius.

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You get up.

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Get everything ready.

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Head to the tent.

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When they check your 02 levels again.

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71%.

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So they say to you, ‘We will be watching you the whole day.

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You’re not carrying your bag.

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Just follow the guide.

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Pole Pole (which means slow and steady).’

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At that moment, it hits you.

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What the f*** are you even doing here?

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You have almost zero hiking experience.

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You’ve never spent time at altitude.

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You’re hypoxic and probably have hypothermia.

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And yet six months ago you decided.

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After finishing the Ironman, you wanted another challenge.

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What better one than climbing the tallest free-standing mountain in the world with limited hiking experience?

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It seemed like a great idea on paper 6 months ago in the comfort of your own home.

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Now it was a very different reality.

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By now, you had been hiking for 4 days straight, anywhere between 6-10 hours a day with a 30 pound backpack.

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You’d been sleeping in a tent at 0 degrees Celsius.

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You have no wifi.

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No service.

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No shower.

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No comfortable bed.

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Been wearing the same clothes for days.

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And yet here you are.

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On the verge of altitude sickness, ready to hike for 9 hours straight up the tallest mountain in Africa.

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This is when self-doubt crept in.

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‘Can I really do this?

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Is this really possible?’

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And there was only one answer.

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Yes.

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I told myself at that moment, ‘I will be at the top of Kilimanjaro today.’

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And I kept repeating it.

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And repeating it.

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Manifesting it.

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Making it a reality.

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Anytime it got hard, I kept telling myself.

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‘I will be at the top of Kilimanjaro today.’

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Hours go by and I start fading.

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At one of our rest stops, I fell into the rocks and almost passed out.

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One of the guides had to grab me and lift me up.

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I got so tired, I shut my eyes briefly and dropped my tea.

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The one that had extra sugar for me to keep going.

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But I kept telling myself.

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‘I will be at the top of Kilimanjaro today.’

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There would be no quit.

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There was no chance in hell they would pull me off that mountain.

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I was going to be at the top.

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As Lao Tzu said, ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’

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That’s all I had to do.

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One foot in front of the other.

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Just keep doing that.

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Even when I was sucking air.

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Even when I had to pause multiple times.

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Just keep walking.

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Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

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No matter how good or bad life is going, just keep moving.

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One day you’ll wake up and appreciate how far you’ve come.

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All because you decided to put one foot in front of the other.

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So 9 hours later, after hiking for ~50 kilometres over the course of 4 days with a few thousand metres of elevation, we did it.

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We finally made it to the top.

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Not bad for a guy who barely hiked before with hypoxia and hypothermia.

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Just shows you what’s possible when you set your mind to something and never waver.

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Shout-out to Nick. Thank you my brother for being there with me every step of the way. So glad we got to share this experience together. I’ll cherish this week forever.

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P.S. for all those concerned, I am doing fine now that I am back home. Besides a cough/cold, I’m good. Thank you!

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***

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For those interested in climbing Kilimanjaro, I wanted to share a few tips/tricks from my trip:

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Altezza are EPIC!

If you’re gonna hike Kili, I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend using Altezza Travel. Heard great things about them before coming and they totally lived up to the expectations, if not exceeded them. Everyone as part of the organization was so nice, so helpful and just overall had a great vibe. They were singing the entire time up the mountain, always keeping the vibes high. If you do decide to go, feel free to ask for ‘Polite’. He was an incredible lead guide and has tons of experience guiding groups to the top, given he’s been doing it for almost 20 years. Has even brought Harrison Ford, Jimmy Chen and Jessica Biel to the top.

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Get an online Visa

Me and my friend made the mistake of getting a visa on arrival which cost us hours of our time. It’s $100 US online but will save you hours at the airport, and especially after a long travel day, the time you save is massive. 

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Don’t worry about packing too much

One of my big fears was not having enough equipment, especially as I’m not a hiker. Don’t worry as Altezza is amazing. They have everything you need. You just need to fill out a packing list prior to going and they will give you everything on arrival. They’re also super helpful as they have someone sit with you and go through a whole packing list prior to you going on your hike.

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The Altitude is REAL

Don’t underestimate the altitude. I HIGHLY recommend taking Diamox, which Altezza also has. Was probably a life saver. It will make you pee a bit more and may get some tingling in your fingers and toes, but overall was great. Everyone’s body handles altitude differently and my experience was rough. You’ll probably have a light headache, light nausea and not feel yourself, especially as you approach the summit, but this is all normal. Don’t be alarmed. The guides run multiple medical checks on you every day to make sure you’re ok, so don’t worry too much. That being said, take Diamox as it could be the difference between you reaching the top or not.

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Get ready to piss a lot

Given the Diamox, get ready to use the bathroom a lot, especially in the middle of the night. Make sure you have good shoes and keep your headlamp close to you, so you don’t trip in the middle of the night. One tip that helps you pee a bit less is to eat more salt. Add it to all your meals and even a spoon or two before you go to bed will help you sleep through the night.

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Drink LOTS of water and make sure you eat

Your body is in fight or flight, especially towards the top, so you HAVE to make sure you’re keeping up with your fluids. They recommend drinking at least 3L a day but I’d say it’s closer to 4-5L. Also bring extra electrolytes, especially the tabs, as they could be a real life saver (they were for me). They’re fantastic for the hikes.

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It’s cold, especially at night

Every night is freezing. One of the ladies at the beginning of the trip said the first night was the coldest, and we laughed it off. She wasn’t lying. Every night is about freezing so make sure to pack a lot of warm gear, especially thick socks and a fleece. Summit night is obviously freezing as it gets down to -20 degrees celsius, so you want to pack hand/feet warmers, but it’s cold throughout the week, even in peak summer.

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Rent the toilet

This might be TMI but you NEED to rent the toilet. It’s a little expensive but SO WORTH IT. Saves you from popping a squat at random points on the hike and gives you the peace of mind, especially at night. Also make sure to bring extra toilet wipes as it could be a lifesaver on the walks and at the camps.

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Bring a small pillow, eye mask and ear plugs

You won’t have a normal sleep the entire week but do want to make sure you’re as comfortable as you can be. The camp gets quite loud with all the porters walking around so having ear plugs and an eye mask is a life saver. Brought a small pillow for the sleeping bag and it was fantastic.

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Bring crocs/slip on shoes

Bring crocs/slip on shoes for the camp sites, especially for walking around at night. Easy to slip in and out of instead of using the heavy hiking boots and game changer for night time when you need to use the bathroom.

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Always have chapstick and sunscreen handy

Make sure you have chapstick and sunscreen on you at all times. You forget that you’re above the clouds at the equator so the sun is very strong and it’s super dry. Keep reapplying every few hours.

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Get used to long days

The days can be really long. The shortest hiking day you’ll probably have for a week long trip is 5 hours, with the longest being 15 hours on summit day. Be mentally ready for it.

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Pole Pole

This means slowly slowly in Swahili. There is no rush. Don’t worry about being fast. Worry about being safe. This was hard for someone like me who’s always on the go, but this is such great advice. Take your time!!

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Have fun and be present

Enjoy this journey. It’s such a privilege to be able to experience this as so many people around the world never get to. You’ll come away with a brand new perspective on life, especially after seeing what the porters go through to carry all your equipment up and down the mountain. It’s so rare to get a week completely disconnected and off the grid so make the most of it. Maybe you’ll have a moment like me where you just look around and start crying at how beautiful the world can be.

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