By Keith Browning '79
When my wife, Pam, said she wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa, for her 50th birthday, I reluctantly agreed to join her. Actually, how could I turn down a chance to stand on the roof of Africa; but could I do it? So after a year of training and planning (and worrying), off we went for the hike of a lifetime.
Our goal was to reach the summit of Kibo, one of the 3 volcanoes that make up Mount Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. We took the scenic Lemosho route, which climbs through five climate zones: rain forest, heath or heather, moorland, high desert and arctic. The trail starts at ~4000 feet with 85 degree weather and rises to 19,341 feet at the summit where it was a windy 15 degrees! Our wonderful guides led us through muddy forests filled with monkeys, past beautiful and strange plant life, through misty canyons, up towering rust hued boulders and over snow and ice surrounded by majestic glaciers. For 7 days we hiked up and down, were hot and cold, dusty and wet; sometimes all in the same day. Our final day was a 4000-foot vertical climb in air so thin it was hard to function. The raw beauty of the volcanic rock and the stunning glaciers anchored our determination in climbing at such high altitude. Every step was a challenge as we were struggling to breathe and walk and think. It was all worthwhile when we saw the glorious views and felt a real sense of achievement as we stood on the summit.
I learned so much more than I bargained for on this trip. I learned that more patience is a good thing. I learned that using humor to diffuse the hard and difficult times makes everyone feel better. I learned to stretch myself -literally and figuratively. Stretching myself to do something I couldn’t imagine doing and recognizing just what I can do if I allow my thoughts to go way outside the box, made it possible for me to reach my goal and climb this mountain. I realized that to achieve more perhaps than I thought I could requires an effort and focus that resides within all of us. We just have to take the risk, say YES, and go for it!
Keith is the Chairman of Tabor's Board of Trustees.
