It has been some time since I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and I have been thinking about sharing my thoughts about the climb. Doubts, excitement, concerns, some hard work, all of these went into the summit day – September 10, 2014. On reaching the summit there wasn’t much on my mind except a sense of euphoric achievement. Since then, many questions have started to pop up and one specific question, asked many times by many climbers is – why do we climb mountains? Is it a metaphor for any challenge, or “because it is thereâ€, or because it is something to brag about? Each one of us will have a different answer, but the experience I had is something I feel compelled to share. The elements of the adventure were – challenge, leadership, team spirit, an awareness of my limitations, a concern for my other team members, being in the moment, patience, and an all-encompassing feeling of accomplishment.

The day I reached Arusha, our team leader from Team Kilimanjaro, Harold Lazaro, came to see me at my hotel and briefed me on what to pack for the climb, what they could help me with, the expected challenges and a lot of encouragement. 

At the end of our first day’s trek, we arrived at the Simba Camp site. Laughter, bonhomie, camaraderie those were the elements of the first camp. My first Swahili phrase, Hakuna Matata – No Problem, was meant in all earnestness by the camp helpers. 

The next few days involved hiking up, covering distances, acclimatizing ourselves, camping at designated sites, listening to Gary Bengier’s reading from “Snows of Kilimanjaro”, having great food prepared by Team Kilimanjaro staff and having fun all the way. 

On Day Five we were woken up at 10 PM. We started the hike to the summit in an order prescribed by Harold. Few things to bear in mind – we all work as a team, we all reach the summit together as a team, no rushing, drink as much water as possible along the way, no falling asleep, and follow the leader’s directives. 

The most difficult part was that we had to climb 1,173m to reach the summit within a short distance of 5.4km. In the end we all did it. We followed the leader’s directives, we let the body manage its own capabilities, we drank as much water as possible, never ever for a second thought about the outcome, were constantly aware of how our fellow climbers were faring and made sure to step “pole†“pole†(“slowly†“slowly†in Swahili). 

So now that we have reached the summit how do I feel? You really don’t think much. You look around and try to absorb as much as possible within the limited amount of time you are at the top. You are overwhelmed by the magnificence, but you are also sad knowing that the “snows†of Kilimanjaro will not be there for long. You are glad that we all reached the destination, together. 

On coming back, you reflect on the journey, think about new friendships made, stories shared, look forward to Sep 10 every year, and be glad to have experienced newer ways of learning, newer ways of thinking and newer ways of doing things.

One experience I need to mention before answering my original question is the effect of high altitude on the human body. It affects individuals in a different way. The effect on me was that as soon as I tried to go to sleep each night, I could feel my heart pounding at a rate which was a bit scary. But the mind can do a lot of tricks on the body, and I managed the uneasiness by listening to music on my iPhone.

That’s basically a summary of what happened, and I came to realize that climbing is “… in its way, an intellectual activity, though with one important qualification: you have to think with your body.†– FEEDING THE RAT, 2001, A. Alvarez

I started off by asking “why do we climb mountains?†and the answer I have realized is – why shouldn’t we? 

Simon Sinek (the guru of “Whyâ€) in a post on LinkedIn wrote the following –  

Excitement comes from the achievement. Fulfillment comes from the journey that got you there. Amazing experience completing my first Virgin Strive Challenge with Richard Branson, and an incredible reminder of the huge power of humans to push ourselves, overcome adversity and achieve great things. Never stop striving, never stop chasing your dreams. 

To which my comment was –

Growth comes with – Why not?

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the guru of “Why†“liked†my comment.

So, there we go – Why Not?