Tend Athletics athlete Anna has been competing in marathons and Ironmans for ten years. In between her workouts, she works to help families build and improve places to call home at Habitat for Humanity. This winter, she had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia and Tanzania for work, where she and her team were building latrines and communal kitchens in Addis Ababa.
Anna has long wanted to climb to the Everett base camp, so when a friend suggested they extend their work trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, she was all in!
They hired Kandoo Adventures to lead them through the 7-day climb, with a group of 8 climbers, 2 lead guides, and a team of about 20 porters and cooks. To hear Anna tell it, the porters were a constant source of inspiration, grit, and awe!
Tell us about the climb! What was it like? Walk us through a “day in the life.”
We started at the Machame Base Camp (5,000’) and chose the “medium” amount of time for our climb - 7 days, in hopes of having more time to acclimate to the altitude. Luckily we had already been living at about 8,500’ in Ethiopia for two weeks before the climb.
We were on our feet for about 5-6 hours a day, usually hiking 4-6 miles, except summit day! We spent five days going up, and just two coming down.
We went at the beginning of the dry season in Tanzania, so we still saw quite a bit of rain. The temperatures were about 70-80*F at the base camp, and got about 10* colder every day, until at the summit temps were in the teens.
On summit day, we went “to bed” at 8pm, only to be woken up at 10:30pm to start the climb. It’s best to hike at night because the snow is safest when it is packed down, and then you get to the summit at sunrise! We reached the summit in 7 hours, just in time to see the sun come up at 6am. For as joyous and amazing as it is to be at the summit, it’s important to not spend too much time there because there is so little oxygen at 19,341 feet, so after about 30 minutes, we started our descent.
What were the biggest challenges and how did you respond to those harder times?
Coming down was definitely the hardest part, as we were already so tired, and the terrain was quite muddy and rocky so you had to be really focused on your footing. We had two long days of descending.
In challenging times, I can pull from my mental toolkit as an endurance athlete to get myself through. I know that oftentimes when I’m feeling low I need to refuel, and after a snack, it helps if I pick up the pace a little bit to get my momentum going. Usually a guide would notice when we seemed to not look well and they did a great job of helping to distract us with a friendly conversation and help us remember to appreciate the beautiful scenery around us.
What were the best parts of the climb?
On the first day of the climb, we saw a type of monkey I’d never seen before - it was black and white with a tail like a skunk. The beauty of the trip continued to be a highlight. We started in a rainforest and then as we climbed the landscape became more arid and sparse. I think we passed through a total of five different microclimates. On one day, the trail was like a river bed surrounded by trees that looked like big Joshua trees, and as we walked the sun was coming out and then suddenly we got our first glimpse of the top of the mountain. It was so big, so grand, and that was a really special moment.
What did you eat on the climb?
We were so lucky to have amazing cooks and fresh food, because many of the porters make daily trips up and down from different base camps. For breakfasts, we had oatmeal, toast, eggs, fruit, and a favorite among the American climbers - PBJ! Our Irish counterparts were very perplexed with this obsession of ours. For lunches and dinners we had things like tilapia, soup, rice, pasta, ramen, and a variety of meats. The highlight of our climbing food was definitely the cake that our crew somehow managed to bake on summit day!
What were the highlights of being in Tanzania?
The crisp, fresh, tropical air was incredible! The only thing that may have been better than that were the mangoes. I knew when my friend from Hawaii confirmed they were the best mangoes she’d ever tasted, that they really were the best.
We went on a safari for two days after the climb, so that was of course also very special. And I can’t forget to mention the joys of seeing monkeys and baboons walking around everywhere, even in the city. We woke up one morning to the sound of monkeys on our roof!
How has this experience affected your life at home, in work, and in sport?
I’ve pushed my endurance to extremes before, but this was definitely the coolest and most exciting way in which I’ve done that. Managing the elevation gain felt like a big accomplishment. I’ll always remember the people I met, the views, and daily experience of the climb as a life highlight. Each time I accomplish a new mental and physical feat, it strengthens my confidence in my abilities and reminds me I’m capable of more than I think.
What advice would you give to people interested in climbing Kilimanjaro?
First, bring extra toilet paper! You’ll also want extra hiking socks and your favorite snacks for when you’re feeling sick. Second, always listen to the guides! They know best, always. I appreciated that our guides made us drink at least 3 liters of water each day, and did twice daily health checks on us - checking our oxygen levels, pulse, and appetite. Our guide had summited at least 100 times in their life, so they really are the experts.
What’s next?
I still want to hike to the base camp of Everett, and I have a new goal of also hiking Mt. Fuji.
As far as my running - I’m running the Eugene Marathon in April, and have a long term goal of running a Boston Qualifier!
