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The porters carried less than I expected and were paid more than I expected. The food was extraordinary at altitude. Everything was unhurried, deliberate, and obviously practiced.
I trained for six months and our guide Emanuel walked me up the Barranco Wall like it was a staircase. I cried at Stella Point. He did not look surprised. The whole team read me better than I read myself.
On day five my SpO₂ dropped overnight. Godlisten saw it on the morning check, put me on supplemental oxygen through breakfast, and we walked out fine. I never even felt unsafe — that's the part I keep telling people about.
Near Gillman's Point we passed a man left alone by another outfitter. Davis took one look, saw HAPE, put him on oxygen, and carried him to base camp on his shoulders — then was back with us before we summited.
Emanuel told me, fifteen minutes into the briefing, exactly what my pace would be on summit night. He was off by four minutes. After nine days I understood why. The man reads climbers like weather.
What surprised me was how much the porters smiled. I've done other treks — I know what underpaid and exhausted looks like, and this was not that.
Sleeping at 18,800 ft beside the ash pit was the most surreal night of my life. The team managed our oxygen and rest so carefully that the second summit, at dawn, felt like a gift rather than a grind.
We chose the dry north side for the quiet and got exactly that — barely saw another group for days. Clear-weather summit, warm meals every night, and a guide who never once seemed rushed or rattled.
I did not think I'd survive a tent. The cot, the mess tent with the heater, the toilet that was actually a toilet — it wasn't the Ritz, but it was so much more than I expected.
We added four days of safari and a week in Zanzibar after the climb. The same care that got us up the mountain carried straight through — private guide in the Ngorongoro Crater, a dhow at sunset off Stone Town.
I turned back with another outfit two years ago. The twice-daily medical checks this time helped me actually understand how my body was adjusting.
We climbed Meru three days before Kilimanjaro and it made all the difference — giraffes at the trailhead, an armed ranger, a stunning ridgeline, and legs that were ready for the big one.
From the first call with the office to the airport pickup, the flight home, everything was anticipated. Visas, tips, gear, dietary needs — I never had to chase anyone.
Filmed at the gate, on the trail, and back home. Climbers telling it the way they remember it.
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