Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Are you always trying to top your last vacation? From a one week stint somewhere exotic to a month long tour in South America, or maybe you want to challenge yourself physically next time. One way to do so is by going on a hiking adventure to some of the world’s top mountain peaks. For some hikers, climbing to the top of the Fourteeners is a goal, others it’s climbing Mount Kilamanjaro or Base Camp of Mount Everest - here’s a little inspiration to leave you breathless, and you haven’t even left yet!

Mount Killamanjaro

What’s the best way to end a year and a half of traveling around the world? Well, a hike to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro of course! Or at least this is how RealTravelers The Hallgrens decided to top it off, followed by a four day safari.

Home to the highest mountain peak in Africa, Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro reaches over 15,000 feet high and will leave you breathless in no time. Trekking this mountain is an experience of a lifetime, from organizing your trip, to getting used to the altitude and extreme weather, to finally reaching the top, you’ll be on a high from this trip for a long time.

After almost 5 days of trekking The Hallgrens finally reached the summit of Uhuru Peak at 19,340, having started at midnight:

“SUMMIT. 100 yards from the sign marking the top of Africa, the sun broke over the horizon. Just in time to stop the frostbite that was knocking on the doors of my finger tips. It was exhilarating. The top of Africa. 19340 feet. The hardships of this climb would prove to be the most physically challenging endeavor that we had ever faced. Emotionally drained from the climb, I found new energies that I didn’t know existed. After a call to my father from the summit, the lead guide and me split from the other three to start our descent down the face of the mountain. We ran, taking large strides through the scree fields and loose gravel, and what had taken six hours to climb, we had reached in a little more than an hour on our descent. Probably not safe, but it was fun to find my childhood again.” (more…)

Useful Resources and inspiration for Planning your Trip:
Tanzania Travel Guide
Kilimanjaro World Heritage Site
Tanzania National Parks

Reaching great heights in the United States

If you live in or are visiting the United States, you may want to try and climb the fourteeners - mountain peaks that are over 14,000 feet high. Here are some states to visit that boast high mountain ranges:

Colorado has plenty of mountains to climb, with miles and miles of terrain to set your boots on! For a full list, visit:
14ers.com

The peak of California’s Mt Whitney is over 14,496 feet high, and is located in the John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia National Park. For ideas on when to go and how to prepare, visit:
Inyo National Park.com

Alaska also provides challenging hiking, including almost 20 fourteeners.

Useful Resources
Alaska Travel Guide
California Travel Guide
Colorado Travel Guide

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