Life Lessons from my Kilimanjaro Trip

Life presents opportunities in mysterious ways to those that Nature thinks are ready for it. It’s up to us then whether we take on such chances or not. Too often, we build mental barriers, convincing ourselves that the task is insurmountable, the path too arduous, or our skills inadequate. These self-imposed limitations hinder us from embracing challenges.

About three months back, I joined some friends for a hiking trip in the Catoctin mountains of Maryland. Although I’m a runner and frequently do some cross-training workouts, I have never done hiking in my life. My friends advised me to buy hiking shoes and pants, at the very least, before my first hike. Crossing water streams, climbing rocks, and experiencing breathtaking vistas from the summits made me go back on a few more hiking trips. During one of these hiking trips, I found out that most of my friends were preparing for their trip to Kilimanjaro, and occasionally, I would hear them talk about their gear and how to drink water from their daypack bladders.?

As Nature would have it, one of the members of the 6-person team had to drop out at the last minute due to personal reasons. Lo and behold, my friends offered me the chance to join them on an eight-day trip to Kilimanjaro. I understood that this opportunity would challenge me - physically and mentally. After discussing it at home, my family supported my decision to go on this trip. In some ways, it reminded me of when I launched a retail startup in Virtual Reality in 2016. Now that I had committed, for the next two months, I dedicated my time and energy to training and buying gear for the big hike. This preparation gave me the confidence that I could hike Kilimanjaro.

During my Kilimanjaro trip, I had ample opportunity to reflect on my spiritual life, career, family, health, and mental well-being. In this article, I share some of my reflections from this trip.

1. Know your mountain - We must size up our challenge, respect it, and define preparation plans to achieve it. It may seem daunting, but it's important to trust Nature that you were presented with this mountain because you are ready to take it on.?
2. Write your WHY - Writing out the why will crystallize your purpose. It will serve as a reminder and lift you when you are in doubt during your journey. During the trip, I revisited my purpose statement when I had to go days without a shower, experiencing rough weather, and navigating a slippery terrain. It revitalized my mental strength and kept me going.
3. Seek a mentor/guide - We could not have climbed Kilimanjaro without a guide. The guide led us through the rough terrain and helped us identify the steps to take on the rocks as we climbed them. Our guide measured our pulse rate and oxygen level twice daily to ensure we were ready to hike at a higher elevation the next day.
4. The right team - To succeed in any effort, a team with a positive attitude, empathy, and synergies is paramount. After day 5 and at 13,000 feet elevation, physical and mental fatigue, loss of appetite, and GI issues began to surface. We were fortunate to have a doctor as part of our team, which made all the difference.
5. Focus on your steps - A misstep can be detrimental in a rugged terrain at a higher elevation. This is not where you compete with others and try to get ahead. You need to follow your guide and the path they define for you. We were often reminded several times in a day of the phrase “Pole Pole” (which in Swahili means slowly slowly).
6. Things seem harder than they are - Watching the videos of those who climbed the Barranco wall seemed daunting. The thought of hugging a huge rock (and literally kissing it) and walking over a small ledge to get to the other side at 13,000 feet was, at best, nauseating. Left with no choice but to get to the next camp, we not only climbed the wall but enjoyed the experience of hugging the wall. All it took was taking small steps and focus.
7. Celebrate small/big milestones - We celebrated every milestone, whether it was taking pictures when we reached a new campsite, doing pushups as we got to a higher elevation, or sharing Mentos as we crossed a challenging terrain. We recognized every milestone and celebrated it.
8. Acclimatize yourself - The rule of the mountain for newbies is to climb high and sleep low to acclimatize and prevent mountain sickness. Rushing through this process can get you sick and possibly need evacuation. In life or business, we need time to acclimate ourselves to new working methods and adjust to new environments.
9. Family is important - They are my true rock! No matter how formidable the journey, the love and support of our families kept us going. Getting a network connection in the mountains was sparse, making it difficult to keep in touch daily. Every opportunity to connect with family brought us joy and strength to carry us through the journey.
10. Have fun along the journey - The most exciting trips can become monotonous and arduous without fun. Our team took every moment to share jokes, climb big boulders to have their pictures taken, and even perform the Bhangra (the Punjabi folk dance) along the way.
11. You can never train enough - Our team trained on the Catoctin mountains with an elevation of 1800 ft, 1/10th the elevation of the Kilimanjaro summit. We did whatever was possible during training and recognized that we would learn and adapt to the unknowns when we got to Kilimanjaro. Ascending a few thousand feet daily, facing the heat and severe dust storms sapped us of our energy. However, we persevered and kept going.?
12. Respect the outcome - On day 6, at 11:30 pm local time, we ascended toward Uhuru Peak at 19,341 feet elevation. We started our journey from Barafu camp at 15,000 feet, facing severe gusts of dust storms at 70 mph. We kept noticing during our ascend that there were groups of people coming down and telling us how rough the weather was. After ascending to 17,000 feet, our guides advised us not to proceed further as it could be fatal. As a team, we decided it would be best not to push through the storm to ensure everyone’s safety. Although disheartened, we descended back to the base camp.

We may set high targets for ourselves and work hard to achieve those goals; however, we must submit ourselves to Nature and graciously accept the outcome. We agree with our guide: the mountain will always be there, and all we have to do is to attempt again.