Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

My nephew Patrick climbed Mount Kilimanjaro over the July fourth holiday, and gave me permission to show these photos on my blog and tell a little about his wonderful adventure!  In my last post I blogged about the safari he took when he arrived in Tanzania.

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in the country of Tanzania in Africa.  It is part of Kilimanjaro National Park, and the park website states:

"It is the highest peak on the African continent and it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 metres – to an imperious 5,895 metres (19,336 feet)."

The ascent of the mountain is a virtual climatic world tour, from the tropical to an Arctic climate.

The park web site states: "Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world. Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination."  

Although it is mainly a walking ascent up the mountain, according to this web site typically only 15% of climbers at any given time succeed to reach the summit attempt of Kilimanjaro.  My nephew trained for over a year, and experienced just a small amount of altitude sickness, which is the most common reason most climbers have to retreat.  Cerebral and pulmonary edema can occur if the climber is not allowed to acclimatize their body to adjust to the altitude.

The first European person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro was the German geologist, Hans Meyer, in 1889.

Kilimanjaro is not a peak you can climb on your own. It is mandatory to climb with a licensed guide and to pay porters to carry most of your equipment. This sustains the local economy and allows local people to reap the rewards of tourism.  The photo above includes the other climbers from around the world that were in my nephews group.

The group celebrating after a few days climb.

You can see the path leading up to Kibo peak in this photo.

Kilimanjaro is composed of three distinct volcanic cones and Kibo is the highest at 19,340 feet. Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo’s crater rim, and in English it means 'Freedom."

At this point my nephew was above the clouds for the rest of the climb!  He said it was an amazing feeling.

His sleeping tent on this day was close to a rim.  What a view!

Some of the guides taking a break and exploring caves that are along the way.

A beautiful sunrise over Tanzania as seen from Mount Kilimanjaro.

A cozy breakfast on the mountain.

According to this web site: "Kilimanjaro has 2.2 square kilometers of glacial ice and is losing it quickly due to global warming. The glaciers have shrunk 82% since 1912 and declined 33% since 1989. It may be ice free within 20 years, dramatically affecting local drinking water, crop irrigation, and hydroelectric power."

More glacial ice near the summit.

A close view of the glacial ice.

Patrick made it! Uhuru Peak!  Africa's highest point -- the world's highest free standing mountain!  We were so proud of him!

Patrick is a high school teacher and he will have a lot of stories to tell his students, when school resumes, about his climb and about pursuing a life dream through hard work and determination.

The entire group made it to the summit! 

As they walked around the rim of Kibo summit they saw the ash pits of former volcanic action.

According to this web site: "Kilimanjaro is a giant stratovolcano that began forming a million years ago when lava spilled from the Rift Valley zone. The mountain was built by successive lava flows. Two of its three peaks—Mawenzi and Shira—are extinct while Kibo, the highest peak is dormant and could erupt again. The last major eruption was 360,000 years ago, while the most recent activity was only 200 years ago."

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

~Edmund Hillary

I'm adding this post to "Outdoor Wednesday" event on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer.  Please visit Susan's blog today to see her outdoor post and the links of all the blogs participating.

I am also linking up with Jenny Matlock's blog Off On My Tangent, Alphabe Thursday. Today is "Alphabet Soup" and we can choose any letter of the alphabet.  I chose the letter "K," for Kilimanjaro! Please visit Jenny's blog to join in all the fun.