Posted bythirdeyemom
— 56 Comments

I did it! I made it all the way up to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro during seven grueling days and nights climbing, sleeping and living on this majestic mountain. The experience was surreal. I have so many stories to share about this amazing journey and the friends I met along the way. But for now I need to get home and rest.

On top of Uhuru Peak Mount Kilimanjaro Tanzania

I will leave you with this short video of our second night on Kilimanjaro, a view of sunset from outside my tent. It felt like we were floating high above the earth and clouds. If there is a heaven, I believe I saw it.

Stay tuned….

Author’s note: This post is part of a series on my recent trip and climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, to read all posts click here. 

56 comments

    1. Thanks Debbie! It was quite an adventure. Still recovering as I hurt my knee a bit before the climb and each day it is getting a little bit better. Can’t wait to get back to blogging!

      Reply

    1. What path are you taking? we did the machame 7-day and although I would have liked the 6 day, every one of us made it to the summit and i had no altitude sickness! it was such an amazing trip. I loved it. Let me know if you want any ideas/recs. I had a zero degree sleeping bag but I was still cold so would have preferred a warmer thicker bag.

      Reply

      1. Same route also 7 days, glad to hear of everyone’s success! I had planned on my lighter sleeping bag but I keep hearing how cold it is. I think I’ll bring my warmer heavier bag as I run cold! Was there anything you forgot or wished you had brought? Also we plan to donate to an orphanage and a village- what seemed to be the most needed? Thanks!!

      2. Good question. Pack light but pack smartly with lots of layering tops and bottoms. We lucked out and it was seasonably warm and for me being from Minnesota, only my feet were cold for about an hour of our ascent. It was probably about 10-15 F with no wind. I heard the guys before that it was crazy cold like -20F! so be prepared with a very warm jacket. I wore shorts the first two days hiking, then two pairs of hiking pants are enough. I didn’t need all I brought as I ended up wearing the same long sleeve t-shirt every day with a short sleeve one underneath. You really don;t sweat much so 3 pairs of socks is enough and only 3 tops. Just remember the layers. Having snacks is good as you get hungry and sometimes food isn’t ready. Camelback 3 L is critical as are nalgene refillable water bottles, headlamp, warm wool hat covering ears, ear plugs, and hiking shoes. We had a great gear list sent to us beforehand and it was great. I have an unlocked cell phone but never got email so best to get a sim card to use for texting only but even texting is hard at times. If you listen to podcasts or music, a solar charger is great. As for the orphanage, I’m not exactly sure so you may want to check with them. Otherwise school pens, crayons, paper are always nice and even simple things like balls, frisbees, etc are often truly appreciated.

      3. I’ll hope for unseasonably warm weather too:) We have a solar charger and a Delorme inReach that can send messages. Thank you for your tips!

  11. Congratulations Nicole, although I had no doubt you could do it! Wish altitude was not an issue for me. I would love to try to tackle this mountain. You must be on a high in so many ways! Looking forward to hearing more. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks LuAnn! Our entire team made it which was astounding because some had never ever done any hiking at all. We took 7 days and I think it truly helped with acclimatization. Three got sick but were fine once off the summit. I don;t get altitude sickness so far so I felt great. It really was an experience!

      Reply

      1. Maybe there is hope for me then. I would love to do something like this. Can’t wait to hear more. 🙂

      2. I have no issues with altitude so far, and I attribute this to my dad who does amazing at high altitude whereas my brother can’t do the mountains of Colorado. Three out of Ten of us were sick but the ascent about 15,000 to the summit and back down is normally done in enough time for people who develop severe altitude sickness to get down safely. You can also take Diamox but I never have and I’m not 100% sure it works. The key is going up slow. On the mountain, you go up, go back down, etc and start from the bottom ensuring a very high success rate whereas when you are in Peru and rest of the Andes, you land so high you don’t have much time to acclimatize. 🙂

  15. Congratulations Nicole. Just wonderful. The video is sensational. Thanks for sharing. Safe return home. Look forward to reading all about your adventure. Warm wishes 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks Andrew! I have a lot of catching up to do. It was such an amazing experience. Just pushing yourself like that feels so liberating. Looking forward to sharing my adventure and of course catching up on your beautiful blog. 🙂

      Reply
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  23. Congrats & well done! I knew you were doing this but haven’t had a lot of time for the blogosphere. Now I finally have a chance to catch up with your adventure.

    Reply

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