To the Summit of Kilimanjaro!

It has been an amazing and exhausting week in Tanzania. We started the hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro last Thursday, and got off the mountain today around 1 pm. The entire week of hiking was difficult, but each hike was very different from the next, so it kept everything very interesting. Monday night, at 10 pm, the guides woke all eight of us up, had a little breakfast, and began our final ascent to the summit at 11 pm. The full moon was so bright that Jack Oliver and I had our headlights off, and just used the shine of the moon to guide us up the mountain. There were a few casualties to altitude sickness on the way up, but I felt surprisingly fine all the way up to the summit. I unfortunately drank all of my 4 liters water on the way up, so I had no water for the walk down, which resulted in a major headache. A couple of people threw up on the way up, and I think everyone was quite delirious at 19,000+ feet, but everyone made it to the summit. Some made it quicker than others, but the most important thing is that everyone made it to the top! All of the guides were very encouraging for the entire seven-day trip, and they all made the hike amazing! It was truly amazing to summit Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa, on my birthday, under a full moon. It’s something I’ll never forget! Oh, and I shaved my bushy beard into a healthy goatee. Should be a nice look for my trip to Rwanda, which begins tomorrow. Another adventure begins!