Chapter 1: Planning My Trip

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”

(Sir Edmund Hillary)

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was the single most amazing experience of my life.  When I planning my Mount Kilimanjaro adventure I first researched all over the internet for any information about the majestic mountain.  I came across a ton of websites and videos  that former climbers posted online about their experience climbing Kili.  And of course, many articles and videos were more helpful than others.  However, after reading several articles and after watching hours of climbing videos online I was still hungry for more.  I really wanted to access online a comprehensive review of a climber’s Mount Kilimanjaro experience.  So I decided to create this blog, and my goal is to provide aspiring “Kili” climbers a comprehensive description of my Mount Kilimanjaro experience.  I hope after you read my blog that you have a better idea of what you are getting yourself into. So here it goes.

A few years ago, while I was online I came across  videos that some climbers posted regarding their successful summit of the tallest mountain on the African continent, Mount Kilimanjaro.  I watched one video, and then another, and then another.  I was immediately captivated by the beauty of the snow capped mountain. I was amazed at how hard climbers pushed themselves to make it to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, standing at 19,341 feet in elevation.  After seeing so many breath taking views of the gorgeous mountain I knew I had to climb Kili too.  After watching the videos I planned my trip immediately and everything fell into place perfectly.  Just kidding!  At first, I told my friends and family that that I wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I talked to them about it a lot.  And for months that’s all I did.  I just talked about it, but I never made one real actual step in making my dream a reality.  And then after several months of thinking about it, I decided to take a risk and try to make my dream come true. I first told my mother, and she thought I was losing my mind, but she also thought it was exciting and she became one of my biggest supporters.  I then told my sister and my dad and they too thought it was a great idea.  After gaining the moral support from my family and close friends I knew I had to climb this mountain.  I had no excuse not to do it.  However, I had no idea how to take the first step in planning my trip to climb a mountain halfway around the world.

I spent more than a year day dreaming of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro before I finally made my first step in planning my trip. And during this time I learned that there is a huge difference between a “dream” and a “Goal.”   Even though the dictionary defines a “Dream” as being similar to a goal, I think “dreams” and “goals” are two totally different things.

I’m sure many of you have heard the saying that a goal is just a dream with a deadline. The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “Dream” as “a strongly desired goal or purpose.” And it defines a “Goal” as “The end toward which effort is directed.” These are the accurate definition of those two words. I’m not disagreeing with the definitions, but I think I personally apply dreams and goals to my life in two totally different ways.

Turning a dream into a goal, and then turning the goal into a reality is not easy.  I think dreams and goals are different. If I had to define what a “dream” is I would say that a dream is a thought or a strong desired objective that someone wants to achieve, but does not have a plan “yet” to actually achieve that objective.  And a “goal” is something that a person wants to achieve, and he or she has created a specific detailed plan for the purposes of having a real chance of achieving his or her plan.  For me, turning my dream into a goal really took place when I decided to write my goal down on paper.  I’ve learned by experience that if I write my goals down on paper so I can visually see them then it helps me transition my dream into a tangible goal.

I have always been a goal-oriented person.  I set goals all the time.  Some goals I achieve, and some I don’t, but it wasn’t due to the lack of trying.  However, throughout the 37 years of my life thus far I have always been chasing a short-term or long-term goal.  I have always been chasing after something. Therefore, I decided that I would set the goal of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro within one year after finally making my non-refundable trip deposit. I made it a long term goal, because I knew I had a lot of different things to accomplish before I was even able to be in the position to actually attempt to climb the mountain. A few major things I needed to accomplish before my trip was to save up money to pay for my trip, and to get in better physical shape.  Although I was a cross country runner in college, I kind of “let myself go” the last several years.  I was in no way close to being physically fit in August of 2016.

The main questions I asked myself when I started planning my trip included the following main general questions: 1. When was I going to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?;  2. Who was going to guide me up the mountain? ; 3. What do I need to do to prepare for my trip?; 4. How was I going to get from my home in Huntington, West Virginia to Tanzania, Africa?  I will try my best to attempt to answer all of these questions below.

After deciding to climb Mount Kilimanjaro I had to actually plan my trip.  Therefore, I went straight to the internet to look up companies that provide guided climbs up Mount Kilimanjaro.  I ordered books about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro from the internet as well.  I tried to read and review as much information as possible.  And of course I read good reviews and bad reviews on just about every company I could find information on. I quickly grew overwhelmed and frustrated on several occasions.  However, after several evenings of scrolling the depths of the world wide web I thought about how I planned my trip to Honolulu, Hawaii in 2015.  I used a travel agency.  So I soon visited my agent and she gave me all the information I needed to contact the right company to help me climb the mountain.  Therefore, in May of 2016, and after several months of dreaming, talking, and annoying my family and friends, I called Thomson Treks, which is located out of Boston.

Soon after talking with a representative with Thomson, I decided I would definitely hire them as my guide service for my climb.  A few months after my first contact with Thomson, I paid my deposit in August, 2016 for reserving my spot for the July 2017 climb.  I decided to pay my deposit for a climb far in the future so I could properly budget my finances and also to have enough time to get in good physical shape for the 9 day climb.  A small part of me also admits that I made the down payment 11 months in advance to make my “dream” seem more real by making a financial commitment, and not just some idea I just think about on a daily basis, but not really act upon. This step helped me turn my “dream” into an actual “goal.”

In August of 2016 I paid my nonrefundable deposit, reserving my spot on the climb and safari for July 8, 2017 to July 23, 2017.  Therefore, I finally knew “when” I was going to Africa. Also, in making my reservation, I had to decide “How” I was going to hike up the mountain.  There are several different routes up Mount Kilimanjaro.  I decided that I was going to hike the Lemosho Route, which is known as the Western Approach. Climbing this route would take me seven days to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and two days to descend.  Therefore, I would be hiking for 9 straight days. Immediately after I completed my climb I was scheduled to enjoy a wonderful four day safari, with a few days of viewing wild animals in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and in the Serengeti  National Park.

Soon after I paid my deposit, in late August of 2016 I received my welcome packet in the mail from Thomson. It was at this very moment there was no turning back.  If I tried too, I’d lose my expensive non-refundable deposit.  I knew I was going to fly to Africa and climb the mountain one way or another.

Soon after I received my welcome packet I got even more excited.  However, I had a ton of paperwork to complete before I was ready to climb the mountain.  One of the first things I needed to do was apply for a temporary visa, and apply for my first passport.  I also needed to buy my plane ticket, which wasn’t cheap.  I also needed to start exercising.

It took me a few months to get all of my paperwork in order and filed with the proper government agencies before I could buy my plane ticket.  First, I had to file for a passport, then I have to file for a temporary visa with the Tanzania Government.  After I received confirmation that my visa application was accepted and received my US government issued passport, I finally bought my plane ticket to Tanzania.  I bought my plane ticket in December of 2016.  And believe me, the 27 hour flight wasn’t cheap.