Kilimanjaro
“If I had known how hard it would be, I never would have done it. But I’m really glad I did.” That was the most common response among the group of fifteen HBS alumni and friends who participated in the pre-safari optional adventure of climbing the highest peak in Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro. These athletic adventurers — the majority had run marathons — spent six days trekking through a variety of landscapes, weather conditions, and challenges to reach the summit at 19,340 feet.
At a slide show of the trek that climbers gave in Zanzibar, those of us who didn’t participate were able to get a sense of the challenge and camaraderie experienced by the group. In describing the increasing difficulty of the climb, many pointed out the contrast between the first day and the last. On day one, the hikers climbed for about six hours to 10,000 feet on a prepared path. They carried daypacks with water, cameras, and snacks (chocolate, in several cases). The temperature was mild, and the air was humid. Tired at the end of the day, they relaxed and ate dinner, getting to know each other. The summit, conversely, began several days later at midnight when the group left their tents and began their final climb in a misty rain. The temperature was 5 degrees; the winds were blowing at 30 miles per hour. By this point they all knew each other quite well. Most of the chocolate had already been consumed.
Canadian Graeme Johnson (MBA ’95) praised the power of the group when describing a moment on that last day when he was ready to give up. “I asked the others to leave me so that I could go back down, but they wouldn’t.” His fellow hikers offered various forms of support, be it sharing food or water or, in the case of Brian Redmond (MBA ’90), insisting on carrying his pack. “I rallied. I wouldn’t have made it without my teammates,” said Graeme. “That was the most important lesson I learned on the trip.”
Unfortunately, three members of the group did not make it up the mountain due to altitude sickness and fatigue. “At one point or another we all wanted to turn around and go back,” said hiker Linda Lubitz, a guest of Norman Boone (MBA ’77). “It was a really good experience for all of us,” added Norman. The pair, who organized the slide show, described the intensity of the adventure with an appreciation that was clear.
Accompanying the hikers were 41 porters, 4 chefs, and 4 guides. The porters carried about 35 pounds of supplies on their heads and backs. They scaled the mountain effortlessly, often wearing just flip-flops. “The awe and respect we felt for them was really quite overwhelming,” said Linda, who suffered from a touch of vertigo as the altitude increased. The lead guide, Augusti, held her hand for several hours during the final climb up the mountain. “He was my savior. There is no way I could have done it without him,” said Linda, who at the end of the climb gave him her brand-new sleeping bag to show her appreciation. (He in turn passed on the one he’d been using for ten years to another porter who didn’t have one.)
While our own awe and respect for the climbers was uniform, those of us who did not climb Kili had a variety of reactions to hearing about the trek. Some were certain that they would never be interested in experiencing such hardship, while others were anxious to take on such a challenge. Global Adrenaline’s Nancy Collins (MBA ’99), who has now made the climb two times, admits that “it’s not for everyone, but for some it can be one of the peak experiences of their life.”
