Kevin Hanlon journeys to Mounts Kilimanjaro and Everest in his 70s

Aiming High

Kevin Hanlon explores Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest in his 70s

BY » Renee Roberson

Photography courtesy of » Kevin Hanlon

Hanlon after he reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Davidson resident Kevin Hanlon has always been the kind of guy who can’t sit still. This is, after all, a man who attended college at Seton Hall University on a track scholarship and achieved more than 14 U.S. Army medals, including three Army Commendation medals, 15 ribbons and many certificates of achievement during a 27-year career with the U.S. Army. He retired as a Sergeant Major.

No slowing down

But the most notable of his adventures didn’t even happen until he was in his 70s, after “slowing” down from a career as a certified public accountant and commercial real estate broker. He admits he’s always had a bit of wanderlust in his heart, but put off doing much of the traveling he wanted to do while raising his three children. While Hanlon makes his home in Davidson, he enjoys skiing in Colorado in the wintertime, visiting with his kids and grandkids (two of his kids live in the suburbs of Raleigh) and boating on Lake Norman with his fiancé, Mary Ann.

Unforgettable adventures

In 2014, Hanlon planned a series of unforgettable adventures for his 71st year of life.

In July 2014, he visited Dian Fossey’s Research Center in Rwanda to start tracking the endangered mountain gorillas. (Did I mention Hanlon is a skilled photographer and videographer as well as world traveler?) This particular mountain gorilla lives on the slopes of dormant volcanoes throughout the Rift Valley of Central Africa. Visitors can observe these gorillas (somebeing 500-pound Silverback males and their families) under the protection of park authorities for one hour per day.

From Rwanda, Hanlon headed to Tanzania and the town of Moshi, which served as the base of operations for climbing the 19,340-foot Mount Kilimanjaro. He had originally planned to do the trek with two friends and a travel agent, but the friends cancelled the trip and the agent opted for a route that was a little different than the one Hanlon wanted to take. He preferred a route that would take him six days up and two days to descent, but he was fine heading out on his own, because he would have a local guide and a team of porters to help him with the climb. His guide, Pa Pa Joe, ended up being an affable local who had also taken President Jimmy Carter up the mountain in 1976. While on his trip, Hanlon detailed his thoughts and observations on a handheld audio recorder and then typed up notes upon his return.

From Day 4 notes: Today’s trek was on increasingly rocky landscape from Shira 2 Camp to the Lava Tower (15,190 feet), the looming 320-foot high volcanic mass that is often climbed by those with rock climbing skills and energy to spare. This trek lasted five hours before we had lunch at the Tower. This was the toughest climb so far . . .

Hanlon posing with a guide he traveled with to Everest Base Camp.

While he admits climbing Mount Kilimanjaro “isn’t for everyone,” and it was a tough journey, he is happy he was able to do it. The following year he kept up the momentum by hiking to the Mount Everest Base Camp (elev. 17,575 ft.). Not being one take the easy route of a trip, he applied to be a trekker with the International Mountain Guides (IMG) U.S. Expedition. He did this based on the fact that only licensed Expeditions with summiting climbers can stay at Everest Base Camp. Because he wanted the authentic experience of meeting and learning from world-class mountain climbers, this was the path he took.

The IMG Expedition he went on consisted of about 28 people from Australia, Philippines, Canada and the United States. They were accompanied by guides, porters and Sherpas, and stayed in various tea houses (identical stone houses with tiny box rooms separated by plywood partitions) throughout the trek. After the 12-day trek, he reached Everest Base Camp. While there, he discovered one of his companions became so ill he had to be transported by helicopter out of the camp to Kathmandu. Another friend went with him on the helicopter after becoming ill with altitude sickness. “Hiking through the Khumbu, a region named for the glacier that tumbles down the southern flank of the Mount Everest area, isn’t so much about distance covered as the altitude gained,” he says. “The higher one goes, the greater the potential for unexpected debilitating effects from of oxygen, cold, accumulated trail miles, and even cultural disorientation.” But if you are up for the challenge, he says, “the surreal vistas, the windswept monasteries, strange travelers and encounters,” will make for a unique experience.

An unexpected disaster

The trek back down the mountain took five days. Upon his return to Hotel Tibet in Kathmandu, Nepal, disaster struck. He met one of his female trekking partners, Kelly, for lunch on the hotel’s rooftop café. As they were finishing their meal, the floor began to shake. The earthquake lasted for about 30 seconds, and then Hanlon and Kelly had to take five flights of stairs down to the hotel parking lot. Because of aftershocks none of the guests were allowed to sleep in the hotel, and they made the parking lot their camp. Mount Everest had suffered its first major avalanche at Base Camp. When all was said and done, Nepal had lost more than 8,0000 people and the EBC lost 18 people. The devastation, and what the IMG guides had to go through with the death and injuries, was unimaginable.

Hanlon was finally able to leave eight days later.

He admits it was a bittersweet end to his adventure but is happy he had the chance to experience the climb. Surviving the earthquake hasn’t slowed him down any, either. At age 77, he recently returned from a trip to Sedona, Ariz., where he has a second home and enjoys hiking around the Grand Canyon during his visits there. If you happen to see him out on one of his daily walks in Davidson, or at Toast on Main Street, say hi. I’m sure he’d love to meet you.