Travel Tips

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro At Any Age

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHave you always wanted to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, but felt too intimidated by the climb? Contributing writer Joseph Seldner climbed the tallest peak in Africa in his 60s—with an artificial hip. Keep reading to find out how he trained for the climb, how he made it through to the summit, and tips he has for hikers of any age who want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. 

If you are the adventurous type, you’ve probably heard that at 19,340 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa, is the highest peak in the world that can be climbed by “anyone who can put one foot in front of the other.”

In theory, that is true. It isn’t a technical climb in the sense that you need ropes and crampons and maybe even oxygen.

But Kili is most certainly not an easy climb, and those who plan to make the journey need to be in good shape or they will be waving to their friends who make it to the summit—possibly from a hospital room.

When my brother and I—both in our 60s—made the successful climb to Kilimanjaro’s summit in June 2013, we were both in pretty good shape for a couple of old guys—and old guys with artificial hips to boot.

We took the Lemosho Route, an eight-day trek—six and a half days up, a day and a half down. There are risks along the way, but the biggest risk of this kind of climb is altitude sickness (anything above 18,000 feet is considered “extremely high altitude”), and there is a consensus in the medical and climbing communities that you can’t prevent altitude sickness or even know much in advance if you might get it, unless you have had it before.

As part of our training, my brother and I went to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado, a mere 14,100 feet, and were fine. But we knew that additional 5,000 feet plus on Kilimanjaro would be a real test, and we knew that just over half of those who attempt the climb make it to the summit.

So we put ourselves through a more intense training regimen. Starting about four months before the climb, we did stadium climbs up the steps of Palmer Stadium at Princeton University three days a week. Another three to four times a week, we went to the gym to be pushed by a personal trainer to do all sorts of things I thought I had given up after college football. (The sign of a good trainer, in my estimation, is wanting to kill him/her after each workout. I was plotting this guy’s undoing after every session, so I knew he was good.)

This would all pay off. Although the climb up Kilimanjaro was exhausting, and by the end of each day’s trek I barely had the energy to get my malaria pills out of my backpack, I don’t know if I would have made it without being in good shape.

What are the other risks beyond altitude sickness? Well, there are in fact many places where a wrong step will send you to your demise. It is steep, rocky, and icy, and I was very ,very tired most of the way, so alertness is paramount.

After the third day, I grew more confident I could make it to the summit, so my worries turned to other perils: the trails on Kilimanjaro are narrow, rocky, and dangerous. Few people die on the climb, and the guides and porters are unfailingly encouraging. But once the fear of altitude sickness fades, the fear of twisted ankles and wrenched knees emerges.

You have to watch the trail every step of the way. Every single time I looked up while I was walking to appreciate the stunning scenery, I tripped. Every time…and I’m not that clumsy. There are rocks and sticks and stumps and obstacles everywhere. I learned quickly that if I wanted to enjoy the view, and I did often, I would need to stop walking. The last thing I wanted was to make it within a few hundred feet of the top only to tear my knee cartilage.

Stretches of the climb are nothing short of grueling and treacherous. On the fifth day, you confront the Barranco Wall, a “scramble” climb, meaning you are using hands and feet and traversing some very difficult terrain.

Then there’s the summit climb. In his book, Kilimanjaro—The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain, Henry Stedman warns that no matter how easy or hard you think it’s been until now, the summit climb will rock your world (okay, he doesn’t use that phrase). But it will be tough. (Note: We used the tour guide company Team Kilimanjaro, which is run by Stedman.)

kilimanjaroThe summit climb is done at night, starting around midnight. The reasons commonly given for this starting time are: 1) the scree—loose gravel and dirt—that is everywhere on the steep slope toward the summit, is frozen at night and somewhat easier to navigate; and 2) if you leave around midnight you should (!) get to the summit just around sunrise, which would be beautiful.

Well, the first reason may or not be true, and the scree is extremely difficult to walk through without slipping knee deep into it. The second reason sounds lovely, but since we arrived at the summit around 9 a.m., we were well past sunrise.

I tend to go with another reason: the slope to the summit is utterly daunting, and if you see it too early on the summit climb, you might want to run back to camp. The nighttime climb is frightening. Lit only by tiny headlamps, the “trail” twists and turns and cuts back and forth, and every few minutes, you witness guides quickly escorting dazed climbers down the slope to alleviate the altitude sickness that obviously hit them hard.

Plus, there were several times in that darkness when our guide stopped and looked around as if to say to himself, “Do I know where I’m going?” He did. Although, along the way in that nine hour stretch, I have to say I was colder than I’ve ever been, my mind was cloudy, and I’m pretty sure I saw my dead grandmother.

When we did make it to that famous summit sign, the view, the exhilaration and the sense of accomplishment were spectacular.

So, a few words of advice about preparing to climb the highest mountain in Africa:

  • Be in the best shape you can be for your age. This isn’t Everest, but it is almost certain to be harder than you think.
  • Do some formal or at least regular intense training for three to four months in advance.
  • Read about the climb and particularly about the trail you have chosen. It will increase your confidence.
  • Get the best boots you can. You can skimp on other items—it really doesn’t matter if you get “wicking shirts” or $100 pants—but good boots are essential.
  • You can’t prepare for the possibility of altitude sickness, but be aware of the risks, the symptoms, and what to do if it hits you.
  • Expect not to sleep well. This is partly because of the thin air, but for me, also partly because I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking, “Holy crap, I’m actually climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.”
  • Finally, the biggest surprise for me was the cold. During the day, you hike in shorts and a t-shirt. By 5 p.m. you’ve got on a couple of layers. By sundown—the same time every night there on the Equator—it’s really cold even with five layers, gloves, hats, face coverings, etc. By 1 a.m. you’re wondering if the sunrise will EVER come? Be ready to be cold. Really cold.

If you do all this, the odds are good that you’ll make it to the top. If you do, it will have been well worth the effort.

For more tips on hiking and adventure travel, check out:

By Joseph Seldner for PeterGreenberg.com