THE HIVE
FITNESS
How Do You Climb Kilimanjaro? One step at a time (and lots of training) BY MARY RUTH HARRIS
Kilimanjaro. Most of it anyway. My story of (almost) climbing the tallest mountain on the African Continent starts with my father who left us too soon. He was 58 years old when he died of a heart attack. He was in top shape, and losing him so early cast a shadow over my view of fitness and health, sometimes asking “what does it matter?” But my dad would remind me that being in good health is essential for experiencing the world with whatever time I have. When I was invited to climb Kilimanjaro it was daunting but something I knew my dad would want for me.
GETTING READY I contacted nutritionist and trainer Jeff Sproul of PureFitness and Nutrition. When I said the word “Kilimanjaro” he responded with a
prescription for weekly sessions of strength training and nutrition check-ins that kept me accountable and on track. Sproul offers a lowkey, non-judgemental approach to fitness. And I’m proof he can work with anyone—a middleaged mom (like me) or youngsters who want to run Spartan races. I also fell back on my yoga practice. Core Power Yoga has some of the best yoga instructors and attending those classes provided a lot of necessary perspectives, flexibility and meditation material that would be invaluable on the most difficult portions of the climb. I had been paired with World Wide Trekking by a colleague, who had trekked with the outfit before. Traveling with a local guide, Dean Canidale (WWT’s lead guide and founder), and my local friends made it feel safe to go. So off I went, carrying a worn photo of
my father and I standing on top of a peak in the Wind Rivers, smiling and wearing unintentionally matching flannel and khakis. That image kept me going.
ON KILIMANJARO There are five different ecological zones to pass before reaching what is affectionately called “the roof of Africa,” Kilimanjaro. Over the next few days, it was misty. The clouds seemed to rise straight from the ground, swirling above us, behind us and around us. I couldn’t see ahead. I couldn’t see below. I asked our guide, Dean, to move the clouds so we could see the landmark Kilimanjaro Lava Tower. Magically, he waved his hands and they did! (But Dean also started the Human Outreach Project, a non-profit that gives back to locals in the communities he visits around the world. He specializes in miracles.) Generally, I have a hard time asking for help. When we scaled the Breakfast Wall (the most technical part of the trek), I was struggling but still stubbornly resisted. At one point, I couldn’t see above me and felt panic rising. At that moment our guide Happiness (yes, that was her name) said, “Mary, take the hand of Happiness.” I took her hand. Her hand was strong, warm and soft. We smiled and my fear retreated. I climbed up.
COMES THE WIND From the Great Barranco camp (13,077 feet), the group heads up the Breakfast Wall for some rock scrambling on the way to the Karanga Valley camp on Kilimanjaro.
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The wind was trying to tell me something. It was trying to say something so much so that
PHOTOS: (LEFT AND OPPOSTIE PAGE LEFT) WORLD WIDE TREKKING, (TOP AND OPPOSITE RIGHT) MARY RUTH HARRIS
L
AST DECEMBER, I CLIMBED
