Summiting Africa’s highest peak and the
world’s largest freestanding mountain is an extraordinary accomplishment. This volcanic mountain of many wonders sits
high above the clouds of Africa and magically draws people from
everywhere. The youngest person to ever
reach the summit was in January, 2008, when Keats Boyd carried his seven year
old son to the top. The youngest to ever
climb the large volcano that continues to remain dormant-, and reach the summit
of Kilimanjaro was ten year old Jordan Romero from Big Bear Lake, California,
in July of 2006. The oldest to achieve
the summit was an eighty-six year old woman named Angela. Some claim that a Frenchman, 87 year old
Valtee Daniel was the oldest, but he is not recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records.[1]
According
to World Wild Life, approximately 25,000 people every year attempt to summit
Mount Kilimanjaro; however, approximately only two thirds accomplish their goal. The major reason to turn climbers back is
problems in adjusting to the higher altitude of the mountain. “Altitude sickness happens when there is less
oxygen in the air at higher altitudes.”[2] Every year people die of altitude sickness. It can range from acute mountain sickness
that causes headache, nausea and vomiting or severe causing fluid to build up
in the lungs and or in the brain which can become fatal within hours. It is dangerous to ascend higher than 1,640
feet per day. Yet, many attempt to
explore the curious world of Kilimanjaro and discover its secrets. I am amazed at the wondrous mountain that can
produce fire yet is crowned with snow, but what is even more astounding to me,
are the events that allowed this young man to dream big and experience a dream come
true as he stood tall upon a mountain overlooking the Serengeti.
Two different worlds and two very
different cultures collide with one boy’s dream. In Kyle’s second year at The Hill School (an
International boarding school) in Pottstown, Pa, he was invited and encouraged
to apply for a special grant. In 2008,
Geoffrey G Scott, an alumnus and Hill School graduate from the class of 1966,
partnered with the school to establish what is called the Horizon Fund. The purpose of this fund was to provide grants
for a select number of students who were highly motivated to experience summer
adventures and potentially life-changing experiences. The application process was tedious and
required students to make a career- oriented proposal, a comprehensive budget
and defend it to a panel of faculty.
This is Kyle’s initial proposal letter: When given the opportunity to apply for a
Horizon Fund grant I was excited and grateful.
However, after giving some thought towards my desired experience I
became conflicted. I consulted with my
teachers and parents and they all seemed to ask one common question, "Well
what do you want to do when you’re older?"
After not having an answer to this question time after time I realized,
I don’t know what career I want for myself. While still being uncertain
of my future career ambitions, I opted for an experience that will teach
versatile lessons which I can apply to any career I choose. I opted for an experience that will allow me
to do what I love and teach me important life lessons at the same time. I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Sports and physical
activity have been a significant part of my life since my first time on a
wrestling mat in kindergarten. I have an
interest in wrestling and running. One
might think that these are two totally different sports, and they are mostly
correct. Although different, the common
tie between these two sports is that they both allow me to push myself further
each and every time and constantly expand my limitations, which is my real
passion. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, or
any mountain, has always been something I saw as unattainable. Being granted the ability to see out this
experience will allow me to step out of my comfort zone and break through that
limitation.
Some lessons are better
taught outside of a classroom, and others simply cannot be taught in a
classroom. On my journey to summit the
19,341 foot Uhuru Peak, I would be traveling with, eating with, and camping
with a small group of people I have never met before. The 8-9 day trek up Mount Kilimanjaro will
definitely arouse some difficult situations, but these situations will teach me
how to overcome obstacles, congregate with others, and work together toward a
common goal. Whether it be playing on a
team, working on a group school assignment, or collaborating with coworkers to
finish a project, this skill will translate into all aspects of life.
Searching for my desired
experience made me think a lot about myself and my future. During this process I learned that I am not
one to settle for mediocrity. I am
rarely the best at anything from the start, but I will keep fighting until I am
at the top, the top of a podium, the top of the classroom, or the top of Mount
Kilimanjaro. Thank you for this
wonderful opportunity and your consideration.
There was no communication while he was on
Kilimanjaro. I grieved over the thought
that my only begotten son was literally facing the world on his own. His flight took him across the North Atlantic
Ocean into Amsterdam, Netherlands, 3,726 miles away from home. Almost missing his connecting flight, he
sprinted across the large Schiphol airport making it just in time to board his
next flight. Throughout this experience,
Kyle thought of a man he admired, a YouTube filmmaker, Casey Neistat. Kyle
reveals how Casey made traveling seem easy and exciting, which helped him
overcome any fears he had of traveling alone.
He saw being nervous as a chance to expand his boundaries and act like
the man who inspired him to travel and to make a YouTube film of his own. The 4,270 mile flight continued over Europe,
into Northern Africa, proceeding 200 miles south of the equator into Eastern
Africa and landing in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania.
The primitive conditions in which the
Swahili speaking people of this country lived was “very different,” Kyle
stated. He said, “Seeing the environment
that some people live in made me grateful for the blessings I have.” Before departing the African continent, Kyle
left some personal belongings behind for some African friends he met. Upon arrival, he stayed in a gated hotel and
was warned not to leave after dark.
During the day, rabbits would greet tourists in the courtyard. They were friendly and people enjoyed petting
them. A day later he was in a white,
cramped van, on a three hour ride into Kilimanjaro. Along the way, baboon families would watch
the travelers passing by as much as the people traveling would be amused by them.
The Chagga people lived in the southern
slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. They speak
Kichagga and most spoke Swahili as well. Their clothing was made out of cowhide, their
houses are rectangular, with walls made out of stick and mud and the rooftops
are covered with banana leaves. These
people live in the cultivation zone or bushlands, where there are plantations,
farms, pastures and grasslands. The main
vegetation is coffee, bananas, maize (corn), and millet. Many males work as Kilimanjaro porters. Porters are hired help who very rarely climb
to the summit but are extremely hard workers who carry cookers, tables, tents
and luggage up the mountain with tour groups.
As amazing as these people are, they are not as resilient as they may
act. Few perish on the slopes of the
mountain every year. One of the most
common reasons are exposure to the elements.
Kyle and his group, two Drexel University
Graduates and a woman from Germany, trekked along the Lemosho trail through six
distinct ecosystems on the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Imagine hiking through the Amazon and a week
later standing in the North Pole. The first
day they hiked for four hours through the cultivation area and into the humid rain
forest flooded with dense, lush vegetation and heavy rainfall.
By day five, at an elevation of 13,000 ft., the
group has trekked through harsh conditions and entered the Alpine Desert. The sun is radiant and the temperatures
fluctuate to extremes. It is summer
during the day and freezing at night.
The habitat is unkind to plant life and there is no water. On day seven, the group will begin their hike
at midnight, enter the artic zone, and ascend in below freezing conditions,
hiking through the clouds and above the clouds to reach the crater rim and the
snow of Kilimanjaro. The Summit exhibits
cold artic conditions with half the amount of oxygen a person is used to so
they cannot stay for long.
\\\
This is where they set up camp for their
first night. The elevation of the Heath
zone is usually 9,000 ft. and is the kingdom of the shrubs with some added
color from the flowering heath plant.
This is the transition from forest to moorland. There is usually a midst and fog closer to the
forest as if the mountain is hiding its secrets from the world. Day two the group hikes for 6 hours to an
elevation of 11,000 ft. in the moorland habitat. They enter a savannah of tall grasses where
heather plants are plentiful, the soil is acidic, volcanic rock is clothed with
lichen, the climate is cool, and the sun is intense. They camp in a meadow by a stream. 
By day five, at an elevation of 13,000 ft., the
group has trekked through harsh conditions and entered the Alpine Desert. The sun is radiant and the temperatures
fluctuate to extremes. It is summer
during the day and freezing at night.
The habitat is unkind to plant life and there is no water. On day seven, the group will begin their hike
at midnight, enter the artic zone, and ascend in below freezing conditions,
hiking through the clouds and above the clouds to reach the crater rim and the
snow of Kilimanjaro. The Summit exhibits
cold artic conditions with half the amount of oxygen a person is used to so
they cannot stay for long.
Even though Kyle had a friendly encounter
with a monkey while camping in the forest, his favorite ecosystem was when he
was just above the clouds. “It was a new
experience being able to walk in and out of a cloud.”
He claims he had some difficulties as well,
such as adjusting to the humidity in the rainforest and the altitude at higher
elevations. “Adjusting to the food was
the most difficult. I got very sick the
second and third day on the mountain. I
couldn’t keep anything down.” He
continues, “I remember waking up in the middle of the night with a stabbing
pain in my stomach. I struggled to slip
on my boots, unzip my tent, and crawl out as far as I could before throwing
up. I remember standing up and looking at
the stars, untouched by light. The next
memory I have is waking up in the morning just outside my tent with a sticky,
silky dirt all down my jacket, in my hair and in my mouth. I had a mixture of dried blood and dirt that
covered up a cut on my head and I had a grainy, metallic taste in my
mouth. The next day on the hike, I told
the rest of the group I was with to keep going without me because I needed to
stop and rest so frequently. My whole
body was sore and my head throbbed. I
recorded no footage or photos from that day.
I knew I would push through because I was given this opportunity and I
wasn’t going to let it slip away. I
wasn’t going to let anyone down, including myself.”
On July 1, 2016, this talented and
determined wrestler, began on what is considered the most mentally and
physically challenging portion of the trek. They started at midnight for an eight hour
hike to Stella point to see the sunrise.
This section of the route is one of the steepest on the non-technical
paths of Kilimanjaro. From Stella point,
he continued on his way to the summit between the Rebmann and the Ratzel
glaciers. He climbed up a heavy mass of
small loose stones along the crater rim to conquer Africa’s highest point. By 8:00 am, two weeks after he turned
seventeen, Kyle was standing on the rooftop of Africa!
After spending nine days on the
mountainous region with three volcanic cones, Kyle and his group celebrated
their victory. The next best feeling he
enjoyed was when he returned back to his hotel and showered for the first time
in over a week. He watched the remains
of Mount Kili pour off his body and down the drain, yet his victory was still
fresh in his mind and a memory that will last a lifetime.
A mother stood at the gate waiting for her
teenage son to arrive home, and was amazed at the confident young man that was
walking toward her. A young man who told
his mother during an interview, “there is something about being alone on a
mountain with no communication that makes you think….I had time to think about
anything and everything. I had time to
sort myself out.”
If he had the opportunity to do it again,
he said, “I would do it again. If I had
the privilege to go anywhere in the world, I would choose a different location
simply for a different experience.”
Perhaps the secrets of Mount Kilimanjaro
are unlocked by those who climb and become one with this mystical wonder of the
world as they discover to live in the mountain of their imagination. A young boy who began his wrestling career at
the age of five has climbed many mountains and his hard work has always brought
him to the top. Before the beginning of
his junior year at The Hill School, Kyle Gorant created a YouTube documentary
about his ascent to the highest moment of his life. It begins with “Dream, Dream big, not just
while you are asleep but while you are awake… use your dreams as guidance and
motivation. Wake up every morning and
strive to fulfill your dreams”. Later he
reveals, “The power to turn a dream into a reality lies in the hands of the
dreamer.”
Dream Big- Mount Kilimanjaro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8nuy-Dkmpw
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