Last week I was in Tanzania, Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
It was legitimately one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life.
6 days of sleep deprivation, pain, and suffering.
It was F*CKING AWESOME.
I had never climbed a mountain before.
So logically, it made sense to me that my first summit would be of the world’s tallest freestanding mountain…
Which is also an active volcano.
It’s well documented that people die attempting the summit all the time.
But I would be doing it with 2 established climbers, both who are former Special Forces…
So naturally I was confident.
I wanted to test myself.
I wanted to get as uncomfortable as humanly possible.
I wanted to have a new story to tell.
The climb wasn’t just a physical test; it was a mental war.
Like I said, I’d never climbed a mountain before.
But how hard could it be? In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t imagine.
I couldn’t sleep. It was tough to breathe.
Then I came down with altitude sickness on day 4. (which f*cked my world up)
I’ve honestly never felt so weak.
It kinda felt like covid. But worse.
Weak, sick, deep cough, pounding temple, total brain fog, and for the first time in my life…
My knees and back hurt!
At that point, the hardest part of the climb was still ahead.
We still had 16 hours of climbing to do that day.
At 11:00pm, we left base camp so we could arrive at the peak of the mountain at sunrise.
After an hour and a half or so my body began to fail me.
Shortly after, my brain followed suit.
I collapsed a few times but was able to get back on my feet and continue to push.
I was in really bad shape.
Fortunately, I had the support of some pretty awesome friends who literally picked me up every time I fell down.
I had told myself before the climb that I was going to either reach the top (19,340 above sea level) or die on the mountain.
And I was serious. I hate quitters and would push through by any means necessary.
Every step up that mountain was a step deeper into my own soul.
In a dark place…
I kept reminding myself that adversity is a GIFT.
Yes, I was in hell. But I’ve been in hell before.
And hell is where growth happens.
Every moment of suffering is also a moment of learning.
Every ounce of pain is a building block of character.
Reaching the peak of Kilimanjaro and standing above the clouds was a surreal experience I’ll never forget.
Kilimanjaro wasn’t just a climb; it was an experience I will NEVER forget.
Find your mountain, whether literal or metaphorical…
And climb it.
Not for recognition, but for the fortitude it forges within.
