Kilimanjaro Summit

Sam Friday on 26 February 2016
In December 2015 I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro - the highest point in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The experience was both fun and exhausting, especially summit day, which was physically the hardest 24 hours of my life. The air at that altitude contains half the oxygen compared to sea-level, so your heart has to work overtime - even when resting. Anything more than a plod will leave you completely breathless. Throbbing headaches and vomiting are common. Mix that with the below freezing temperatures and you realise that this is not a challenge to take lightly. Many don't make it to the summit because altitude sickness ends their climb.

I was asked to write about my experience, and my thoughts brought me to pen a poem. So here goes...

In the pitch of darkness we arise, Our time has come to earn the prize. We have the night to reach the top, Determined that no one shall drop.

Four days of ascent to get to this stage, But that's passed now, we're on a new page. Off we set, our guides lead the way, Slowly! Slowly! We do as they say.

Cold is the night, the stars shine bright. But we cannot see the mountain's might. With every step the effort is more, Less air to breathe, cold bites to the core.

The brain throbs at the skull, The heart thumps at the chest, This is going to be our toughest quest.

Hour after hour, we climb the steep track, The night is relentless, so cold and so black. How long 'til we feel the warmth of the sun? How long 'til we see that summit come?

Finally, finally, we reach the crater's rim, And the sun's rays shatter all that was dim. All eleven of us make it to this height, The worst is over, the summit is in sight.

For a moment we forget our physical state, Emotions flow, our triumph is great. Just a little further we must go, Around the rim and through the snow.

Finally, after a little more time, Together, we finish this monstrous climb. On the summit of Kili we stand, The highest point on African land.

Above the clouds and glaciers, we absorb the view. The sun so strong, the sky so blue.

After some hugs it's time to move on. The moment was short and now it's gone. We endured so much on that final climb, But the memories and joy will last a lifetime.

Thank you God for keeping us strong, You really were with us all along. For children at risk, the funds we raise. Our giving will improve their future days.