The Mountain

Kilimanjaro is a massive stratovolcano rising up from the Great Rift Valley to 19,340 ft above sea level. It is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world (above water), rising 15,000 ft from its base in northeastern Tanzania.

There are actually three volcanoes - Shiro, Kibo, and Mawenzi. The highest point on Kilimanjaro is Uhuru Peak on Kibo.

Kilimanjaro is very unique because it sits near the equator, and a hike from the base to summit brings the trekker through just about every climate zone on earth, topped by a glaciated summit. The "snows of Kilimanjaro" have been retreating at an alarming rate. There is strong consensus that the snow will vanish in the near future, most predictions have the icecap completely gone by 2020.

The climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro is a trek, not a technical climb. However, there are big challenges faced when climbing Kilimanjaro. The climb takes you from a relatively warm equatorial climate to potentially subzero temperatures on the summit. The biggest challenge for any hiker is altitude. Guides recommend that climbers ascend no more than 1,000 feet per day when above 8,000 ft amsl to avoid acute mountain sickness (AMS). More on that later.

The trek will take about seven days to climb to the summit, and a day and a half to descend. There's a lot of talk about AMS and going slow to climb this mountain, but do the math - descending 15,000 ft in two days - that's going to be a big challenge too.