The waterfront where we are staying at Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun on December 17th!

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Kilimanjaro Day 5 - Barafu Camp to the Uhuru Peak Summit 19,350' altitude

We were woken up at 11:30pm and fed a hot drink of ginger tea to warm us up a bit for our planned six hour hike in the darkness up to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro... Uhuru Peak, located at 5,895 meters (19,350 feet) altitude.

Why are we hiking in the dark? It's a common question, and there are actually a few reasons.

Weather conditions at the top of Kilimanjaro are very changeable and difficult to accurately predict. During the day, it could be anything from a clear blue sky to a blizzard! However at night, things are generally clear and calm. Also, the Barafu Base Camp where most people leave from in order to get to the summit isn't set up for long term stays. There is no water supply there, and with a constant flow of new climbers, they don't want you to overnight more than one night there. So when you come back down the mountain, you have to continue past Barafu Camp and normally on to Millenium Camp which is another 4 kms (2.5 miles) down the mountain. With the climb up, it can take as long as 14 hours to complete and if you started at first daylight, you may not make it down the mountain before dark.

By 12:15am, we had all of our winter summit gear on and our headlamps on, and we were on the trail with guides Kobby and Shalali, and porter Fredy. Fredy had been to the top before, and it's best to have more help if you run into trouble.

It's very steep. The section to Stella Point climbs 1,079 meters (3,500 feet) in 3.3 kms (2.0 miles). You can only inhale so much cold air before it starts to hurt, so you have no choice but to go slowly.

There were other groups on the trail as well. All moving at different paces, and you could see a stream of headlamps all the way up the mountain. 

There was no point in taking pictures... it was dark out.

The hiking was tough. It was slow, and monotonous. Not what we would call fun!

Mawenzi Peak at sunrise... 6:09am.

Mawenzi Peak at 6:45am.

Mawenzi Peak is part of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but it is not often climbed and is off limits due to risk of falling rocks.

By this time, we were starting to think we bit off more than we could chew. The difficulty became obvious to me when we began seeing the odd person heading downhill past us. But these were not people who had already made it to the summit... these were people who couldn't make it to the summit and had given up.

Our goal was Stella Point. Even though that's not the summit, Kobby and Shalali had told us that if you can make it to Stella Point, you can make it to Uhuru Peak. 

The problem was, Stella Point never seemed any closer. It was taking us an hour to do half a kilometer! I could see Ruth tiring. She was taking more and more breaks, and I could tell she was struggling. I was too, but I think I would have made it up faster.

Ruth and I had made an agreement. If either one of us couldn't carry on, the other should continue to the top. At least one of us would make it.

Ruth stopped a couple of times and said she didn't think she could go any further. Kobby and Shalali continued to motivate her to get a few more steps out of her, but eventually she just sat down and said that I should carry on without her. She was done.

Shalali stayed with Ruth, and I carried on with Kobby and Fredy.

At 7:20am, I reached Stella Point.

From Stella Point, the trail evens out. It's still another 1.2 kms (3/4 mile) to the peak, but only another 140 meters (465 feet) altitude.

Me, trudging on towards the peak.

It feels like winter in Canada!

Me and Fredy.

Kobby, me, and Fredy.
I think my smile is kinda forced!

I made it to Uhuru Peak at 8:13am. It wasn't really much of a celebration because Ruth wasn't there to share it with me.

Me, at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
5,895 meters (19,350 feet).

We left a note in the snow, and headed back down.




Me. 
I did it!

Kobby, Fredy, and me.

Scenery at the top of Kilimanjaro.

We came around a corner, and what did we see??

Ruth and Shalali, still continuing our way!!

Shalali would simply not let her give up. She even broke down and cried at one point, but Shalali encouraged her some more... "I know you can do it" he would tell her.

She was so close. I wasn't about to let her give up either. So we went up to the summit again!

At 9:16am, we made it together!

This is the highest we will ever be without the help of an airplane!

Group photo at the top!

Time to head back down.

Taking another break.

Remember I said the weather changes quickly at the top?

Look at those clouds moving in.

Glacier at the top.

All of a sudden there was blue sky!

But the clouds are coming in again!

We still had a long day ahead of us. The plan was to make it down to Barafu Camp where our tent was still set up, have some lunch, then an hour nap, then do another 4 kms (2.5 miles) down to Millenium Camp where we would spend the night. Then another 12 kms (7.5 miles) downhill the next day to the Mweka exit gate.

So that's what we did. I didn't take any photos on the way down. Kind of felt like I was in a bit of a fog between the altitude and the exhaustion. Never did have any symptoms other than a minor headache though, which disappeared as we descended. My stomach was fine and I never lost my appetite. We heard quite a few stories from people who didn't do so well. Some made it anyhow, and other didn't.

We had lunch and then an hour nap. When we woke up, it was snowing (sleet?) at Barafu Camp.

It was snowing as we left Barafu Camp at 2:30pm.


These are emergency stretchers that are used to transport sick or injured people down the mountain.

It was a tough, demanding, and monotonous day. We made it to Millenium Camp at about 5:30pm and we had dropped 2,076 meters (6,800 feet) since we had been at the peak that morning.

The guys already had our tent set up when it started pouring buckets of rain. It rained hard, and some of our stuff got wet, including inside the tent. Fortunately, it was our last night.

Next up... the last day.

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Nice deal on the popular Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Standup Grill (Red model only).

And in Canada...


135 comments:

  1. So Kevin has now submitted Mt. K. twice! :-) CONGRATULATIONS to you both for making it. That is quite an accomplishment.

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    1. He sure has! I bet not many people can say they summitted Kili twice in one day, lol!

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  2. Wow!!! Congratulations. I am so out of shape I just had to struggle to the kitchen to get my 2nd cup of coffee.

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    1. Thank you!

      Lol, well then we are glad that we could do the hike for you! :-)

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  3. Congratulations...........really, really happy for both of you that you were able to accomplish such a difficult feat!!!! You must be so proud!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. Thank you so much! We are pretty happy and proud of our accomplishment as well. That was one heck of a hike!

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  4. Congratulations to you both! I have followed this blog for sometime now and this is an inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing this marvelous adventure and life achievement.

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    1. Thank you very much!

      We always hope that we can be an inspiration to others, it doesn't have to be anything big like this hike but just something small that someone wants to do but is afraid to try. We hope that those people will give their dream a try whatever it might be!

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  5. Oh wow, well done, I'm breathless reading this. Thank you for taking us with you.

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    1. Thank you very much! We are glad that you enjoyed our posts from this incredible hike. :-)

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  6. Congratulations!! Incredibly impressive. Just like Clark Kent, when you remove your glasses, you have super powers!

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    1. Thank you so much Lee!

      Yep, that must have been the trick, removing our glasses! Lol

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  7. Well done, fantastic. That was an arduous hike. Congratulations to you both. What an inspiration you are x

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    1. Thank you Helen!

      That was definitely the hardest hike that we have ever done and one we don't ever want to repeat! I did this in memory of my Dad, I know that if he could have done this hike he would have. :-)

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  8. I amazed that both of you made it to the top. And so proud of Ruth. She is an inspiration in not giving up. Thank you for taking us along with you.

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    1. I had no doubt that Kevin would reach the summit but I had lots of doubts about me making it up there, especially as the hours wore on. I am still not quite sure how I managed to find that energy to do it but I have to thank Shalali, who kept on at me and was so encouraging and who had faith in me to do it!

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  9. Like travelbug, I found myself feeling short of breath reading this post. Well done Kevin and Ruth!

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    1. Thank you so much! We are so happy that you enjoyed the post. :-)

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  10. Congratulations to both of you. So glad to see Ruth push to the top.

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    1. Thank you very much! I am glad that our guides also pushed me to the top, they had more faith in me than I had in myself.

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  11. Amazing! How hard and trying that adventure was! So glad you made it AND came back to tell the story! Hope you enjoy a well-deserved rest now! Thanks for the pictures and the story -- it reads like a suspense novel!

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    1. Yep, that was definitely our hardest hike ever. We both did really well up until that summit day hike, that it the part that made the hike hard. We are definitely very proud of ourselves and we are so happy that reached that summit but it won't be something that we will ever repeat!

      We are so happy that you enjoyed our pictures and story behind them. It was a bit of a suspense novel for ourselves as well, not knowing whether we had what was needed in us to succeed or not until we actually reached the summit.

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  12. Let’s give a shout out to Ruth’s guide.

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    1. Shalali really does need a huge shout out, I really don't think I would have made it without him! I just can't thank both him and Kobby enough.

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  13. Ruth! I knew you could do it, way to stick it out. What amazing guides to help motivate and keep you going. I am so happy for the two of you!

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    1. Apparently a lot of people thought I was capable of making it more than I was, lol!

      Our guides were amazing, we can't say enough good things about them, they really did believe in us and were so patient, especially with me.

      We are so happy and proud of ourselves for achieving this huge accomplishment!

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  14. A few posts ago you said that because mountaineering equipment wasn't required, anyone could do it. No, 'anyone' could not do it. Besides being very fit, you need a large amount of internal fortitude (way to go, Ruth!).

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    1. Kevin did say "just about anybody can do it if they set their mind to it" and this is true! We have heard stories of people that aren't in the greatest shape that have gone on to summit and others in good shape that haven't. However as you say being fit is definitely a big plus and yes, lots of internal fortitude is necessary! I honestly didn't think I was going to make it to the summit if it hadn't been for Kobby and Shalali!

      Thanks!

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  15. Replies
    1. Thank you Elaine! Kevin did manage to capture the beauty of the sunrise along with the clouds around the peak. :-)

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  16. Congratulations to you both on summiting Kilimanjaro. I enjoyed following along with your words and photos as this is not something on our bucket list.

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    1. Thank you Erin! We are glad that you enjoyed following along on this incredible adventure of ours.

      I doubt that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is on many people's bucket list, lol!

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  17. Congratulations to you both! So happy Ruth was able to make it as well.

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    1. Thank you very much! I am so glad that I finally made it too! :-)

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  18. Bravo!
    You surly do "Walk the Walk"!

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  19. I was feeling teary when Ruth didn't make it. So glad her guide motivated her to continue, she deserved to make it and you did too! Congratulations!

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    1. I was disappointed in myself at the time but I just felt like I didn't have any energy left in my system to get me up to the top, so I wanted to make sure that Kevin was able to continue on to the top. Thankfully Shalali, who stayed behind with me, knew that I could still achieve the summit and that all I had to do was dig in deep and continue on. His main goal was to get me to Stella Point, once he got me there he knew I could get to Uhuru Peak, and of course he was right. His belief in me doing it never faltered, I certainly wouldn't have made it without his encouragement.

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    2. All just completely amazing and think how your grand kids can brag about you. Quite a legacy you are leaving them.

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    3. Thank You! It seems to feel a little like a fairy tale even now, several days later! It is really hard to imagine how we managed to climb that mountain but we did and yep, I bet our grandkids will brag about it to their friends years from now. :-)

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  20. CONGRATULATIONS! I was really saddened reading that you went on but Ruth couldn’t! BUT I was elated when you posted Ruth’s success in making the summit!!! So VERY GLAD YOU BOTH made it!

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    1. Thank you very much!

      Nothing like adding a bit of drama to the story! I am so glad that Kevin did continue on without me and that he made it to the summit. I really never thought that I would make it there but somehow, Shalali knew that I had the strength to do it and he was right but it was only because of his encouragement that I made it there. :-)

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  21. Congratulations to you both. Such an amazing feat. Way to give it your all Ruth and for you Kevin to stay by her side and share the moments with her.
    Very proud of you both.

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    1. Thank you very much Jan and Ken! It was certainly a difficult hike on summit day but we did it and we are so proud of ourselves. I am still not sure how I managed it but I am happy that I did! :-)

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  22. Well done you two. So glad Ruth did not give up.

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    1. Thank you Peter and Shelagh!

      I am glad that Shalali kept after me because I surely would have given up otherwise.

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  23. You had me in tears and now we are jumping for joy. Thrilled that you both made it! Ruth if it was tough for you, I am now utterly convinced that this is a VERY VERY difficult journey. Congrats to you both. Kevin you tell a good story. Had us on the edge of our seats.

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    1. Lol, sorry for the drama! We are both so thrilled to have made it as well. I had no doubt that Kevin would do just fine and would summit, I didn't have that same faith in me though. I'm still not sure how I did it, I really was totally spent but somehow I guess I had it in me. This is a hike that neither one of us want to repeat but we are so happy that we did it!

      Thank you so much for the congratulations that you sent our way!

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    2. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one in tears.

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  24. Congratulations to you both and those guides are worth every penny. Such an accomplishment especially for Ruth that she had to dig deep and claim victory.

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    1. Thank you!

      You are totally correct, our guides were worth every penny and more, we could never have done it without them. If it hadn't been for Shalali's encouragement, I doubt I would have made it to the top. Yep, I really had to dig in deep to complete this hike.

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  25. Wow, so impressed with your travels, I am looking forward to your next great adventure!

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    1. Thank you Kathy!

      I am sure our next adventure will be a fun one but it will be pretty tame to what we have just experienced. It will be hard to top this one!

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  26. This has been such an exciting time for us to take this trip with you but you did all the hard work. What an experience!!!

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    1. We are so glad that we could take you along on this hike virtually and do all the hard work. Happy to hear that you enjoyed following along with us. Definitely an experience of a life time and one that we won't repeat. :-)

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  27. Congratulations! What an accomplishment! Huge bucket list check off.

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    1. Thank you very much!

      Yep, it was a huge accomplishment and one we are very proud of but it is also one that we will never repeat! :-)

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  28. YES! Yes! Yes; We knew you could do it. You brought tears to our eyes. You did for yourself but you also did for all your followers. We are so happy. Tom and Carroll.

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    1. I am glad that you had so much faith in me, especially when I din't have that much faith in myself. I knew that Kevin would make it though, and I proud that he did continue on without me although I knew that we would rather of had me by his side. I am very thankful that I was eventually able to make to the summit as well with him by my side.

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  29. I am in awe. Congratulations to the both of you! I had tears in my eyes when I read that Ruth was walking up again. You both are very amazing people.

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    1. Thank you so much!

      Sorry to add so much drama to the story! I honestly thought that I wasn't going to make it to the summit but Shalali kept after me, he knew that I could do it and he was right. He never gave up on me, even when I had given up on myself.

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  30. Congrats to you both. I cried when I read that Ruth was continuing up after all. What an accomplishment.

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    1. Thank you very much!

      I cried too but not for the same reason, I was just so done! It was definitely one of our biggest accomplishments ever and one neither one of us will ever repeat. :-)

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  31. Congratulations you two!! Well done!!! So very proud of you!! So happy for you Ruth that you were able to muster up the strength & courage to continue on to the summit. What memories you two will cherish. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us.

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    1. Thank you so much Larry and Nancy!

      We are both pretty proud of ourselves as well. I am still not sure how I managed to dig deep for the strength to continue on, I really was totally done but somehow I managed to do it.

      Yes, this hike will always be cherished and the memories will never leave us, it was one heck of a hike! We are glad that you enjoyed following along with our pictures and stories from this amazing adventure.

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  32. Great drama! I was so nervous reading this entry and thrilled when Ruth made it! Thanks for posting! It has lifted my spirits! Go Ruth and Kevin!

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    1. Nothing like adding a bit of drama to the story, lol!

      I felt so disappointed in myself when I said I couldn't go on but I really was just done, or at least I thought that I was. Shalali, was so encouraging and so were other hikers that were coming down, who kept on telling me that I was almost at Stella Point and that I could do it, somehow I mustered up the strength to get the job done. It was so nice to get to the summit and have Kevin there by my side, I can't believe that he made the hike to the summit twice!

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  33. We are PROUD OF YOU - many, many CONGRATS - job well done!!!!❤️

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    1. Thank you so much Connie and Barry, we are pretty proud of ourselves too! :-)

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  34. Wow wow wow! I have tears in my eyes just finishing this post (plus the few that came before; I was behind on blog reading again). GOOD GOING RUTH! And to Kevin too, of course, but for Ruth to push through after all once she'd basically stopped, what an accomplishment. I am so happy for you both and in awe as well. From the hiking I have done, I can only imagine how tough that was! WOW! What a life experience you have had.

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    1. Thanks so much for those kind words Emily!

      It really was a very tough hike on summit day. All our other hiking days were great and we never really had any issues but that summit day hike as something out of this world on a scale of difficult! I still don't know how I summoned up the strength to continue on after I sent Kevin on ahead. I really wanted him to make it to the top but I honestly didn't think that I would eventually make it up there too, by his side. We had a great team behind us and amazing guides that kept encouraging me along and totally believed that I could do this and they were right.

      Definitely a life experience and one that won't be repeated!

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  35. Congratulations to you both. Glad Ruth made it to the top!😍👍

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    1. Thank you Shirley! I am glad that I made it to the top too. :-)

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  36. Wow! Way to persevere, Ruth! You clearly had the right team for the job, supporting you. Love the updates!

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    1. Thank you!

      We definitely had the right team behind us, we could not have asked for a better team.Oour guides, Kobby and Shalali as well as Fredy were a godsend to us on summit day and we really can't thank them enough for putting up with us (me, actually) Kevin never gave them any doubts, lol!

      We are happy that you have enjoyed our updates, hopefully we will have some more interesting posts to come. :-)

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  37. Wow what an amazing story. I was reading the blog showing Ruth had given up. Was so glad to see you both at the summit. What an accomplishment for you both. My wife and I read your blog daily for many years. This is one of the best.

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    1. Thank you so much, we are really happy that you have enjoyed our posts, especially this one. :-)

      We are very proud of ourselves with this achievement, it will be one that we will never forget!

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  38. I am so thrilled for both of you. My heart dropped when Ruth had to stop, however, there are twists in good stories.
    She has is inspirational to push herself to the top.
    What a once (twice) lifetime experience.
    Can’t imagine the climb done over some of that steep & rugged terrain!

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    1. Thank you so much Taylore!

      There always needs to be a little drama to a good story, lol and it looks like I know how to add that drama. I still am not sure how I managed to summon up that extra strength but somehow or other I did and I was so happy that when we met Kevin returning from the summit that he still wasn't too far from it that he didn't hesitate to return there with me.

      It was definitely a hard climb and when we look back we wonder how we actually did it!

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  39. Huge Congratulations to you both. I read your post and when you seen Ruth coming up I got the shivers down my back, tears in my eyes. What courage you both have. Wow I can now say friends climbed Kilimanjaro. Well done to you both and continued success in your travel adventure.

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    1. Thank you Nora!

      I think we had a mixture of courage and sheer determination that got us to the summit. It was certainly our toughest hike ever and one that neither one of us want to repeat but that we are so happy that we did it and that we reached the top.

      Now, we are going to look for something to do that is a little more relaxing! :-)

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  40. What an amazing achievement. Thanks for taking us along. Yes, I had tears in my eyes as you saw Ruth coming up the mountain and then turned around and did it again. Great to see you both at the top and kudos to the guide for his inspiration as well.

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    1. Thank you so much Sue and Bryan!

      Sorry for that added bit of drama but I honestly thought I was totally done and that I wouldn't make it to the top. I am so happy that Shalali kept on encouraging me to continue and that I listened to him because reaching the top with Kevin by my side was something that I will never forget, it really was a dream come true to hike Kilimanjaro and to reach her summit. Our guides, really were amazing we can't thank them enough for getting us up there. :-)

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  41. I just have to say you guys are amazing, congratulations! Mark and Sheri

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    1. Thanks Mark and Sheri!

      We are just a couple of normal people but ones that are full of adventure. It was a tough hike but we made it. :-)

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  42. I cried when Ruth showed up on the trail almost at the summit. But then I'd cried when her name was written in the snow. It was wonderful to see you both at the top! And YES, Kevin summitted twice!! What a guide-- Africans are special aren't they- grace.

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    1. Sorry to have put you through that drama! I cried too but for totally different reasons. It was certainly the hardest hike either one of us has ever done and probably the last one we will have do like that!

      Yes, Kevin did summit twice and one the same day, I bet that doesn't happen too often, he was a real trooper.

      The Tanzanians are special people indeed, so friendly and so helpful. We loved our team, especially our guides we couldn't have done this hike without them. :-)

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  43. I have to hand it to Ruth's guide to encourage her to continue!! She was the one who wanted to travel to Tanzania to tackle Kilimanjaro and she did it!~!! So happy for her. Awesome porters and guides!! Congrats to both.

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    1. I totally agree with you, Shalali never gave up on me, if it weren't for him I honestly don't think I would have made it to the summit.

      Yes, it was me that wanted to climb Kilimanjaro, so I am so happy that I got to live my dream and to reach the summit. It was a day that neither one of us will ever forget.

      Our team of porters, guides and cook were amazing and we can't say thank you enough to then for everything they did for us. :-)

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  44. What an amazing feat of endurance. So well done. Loved following this whole trip.
    Did you get a t-shirt :)
    Kelly

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    1. Thank you Kelly, we are so glad that you enjoyed following along with us on this amazing adventure.

      Yes, Kevin got a t-shirt! :-)

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  45. Such a great success! Congratulations on summiting it twice and for Ruth and her guide for her success. How long did Ruth rest before carrying on? You just needed to be replenished and rejuvenized before carrying on. Wonderful

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    1. Thank you so much!

      Yep, kudos to Kevin for going to the summit twice in one day, it felt so good to have him by my side when I finally made it to Uhuru Peak!

      I didn't really rest for very long, otherwise you get too cold too fast. Shalali had me back on my feet in a short time and just kept encouraging me to continue on and then of course I would have other hikers that had already summitted passing by me with more words of encouragement, telling me that I am almost there and that I can do it. And, of course I finally did make it. I can't tell you the feeling of relief that I felt to finally see that sign!

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  46. Congratulations you two! What an accomplishment. I don’t know how you did it Ruth! So impressive. Be safe on the way down.

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    1. Thank you, thank you so much Randy!

      It was definitely quite the accomplishment and I am still not quite sure how I did it myself! This is definitely a hike that Kevin and I will never forget, nor will we ever repeat it.

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  47. You guys did it! Congratulations!

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  48. Congratulations, first time I write to you two but I have been folowing since you bought sherman.

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    1. Thank you very much Jean-Guy, and thank you for following along with us for all these years.

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  49. Congratulations to you both! Very proud of Ruth and her not giving up!!!

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    1. Thank you so very much!

      I am also glad that I didn't give up, after giving up, lol!

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  50. A very special happy valentines day coming up for you two!

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    1. Nah, we don't really make a big deal out of Valentine's Day, every day is Valentine's Day to us! :-)

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  51. Oh my this has been nail biting. Congratulations to you both. 👏🎉🍾

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    1. Thank you!

      Sorry to add all that suspense, lol! We are glad that you enjoyed our posts.

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  52. Oh, I am so happy for both of you and especially Ruth! Thank you for sharing your adventure with all of us.

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    1. Thank you very much Ann!

      We were happy to share our adventures with you and all our other readers, especially this one. :-)

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  53. As I was reading this I was really disappointed that Ruth wasn't going to get to the top with Kevin and then Wow . Both of you made it . Congratulations to you both . Vern in Boise Id.

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    1. Thank you so much Vern in Boise Id.!

      I was also very disappointed that I wasn't going to summit with Kevin but somehow or other I made it! I can't thank our guides enough for all the help and encouragement that they gave me, they knew I could do it and they weren't putting up with any of my crap saying that I couldn't go any further. It would have been so easy for them to have just let me turn around but they didn't and we are so thankful to them for that. :-)

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  54. What an adventure. Congratulations! I love your coverage of the whole ordeal. I'm so glad Ruth made it. I'm sure you'll look back and be glad you both made it.

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    1. Thank you Dee!

      We are so happy that you enjoyed following along with our posts, especially on this adventurous hike of ours.

      We are both glad that we both made it to the summit, it was quite the feat to accomplish but we are so proud of ourselves for doing it. :-)

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  55. Congratulations, you 2 did it! What a ordeal! And Ruth went above and beyond! Enjoy the rest of trip. Rawn Stone

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    1. Thank you so much Rawn!

      It was a tough hike for sure but we both did and we are both very proud of ourselves. Looking forward to some new adventures that aren't quite so strenuous. :-)

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  56. Your children and grandchildren must be relieved and so proud of you. They must have been plenty worried about the "old" people attempting this.

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    1. They certainly are proud of us but I don't think they were worried about us. They know us well and know what we are capable of. :-)

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  57. Thank you so much!

    Really it was only summit day that was so difficult, all the other days we did great and we enjoyed the hike and the scenery but this one particular day was very tough, however we succeeded and we are so happy and proud of ourselves for that. :-)

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  58. WOW, WOW, WOW!! So proud of you both and especially Kevin for going back up a second time with his love (good job Ruth for not giving up)!! Glad you both accomplished such a mountainous goal safely!!! Now rest up!!!

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    1. Thanks so much Tina!

      We are pretty proud of ourselves as well, and big kudos to Kevin for turning around and leading me up to the summit after he had already been there, luckily it was too far for him to backtrack. I am so glad that our guides pushed me to my limits and knew that I could do it, even when I didn't think I could. I am so glad that we both reached the summit! :-)

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  59. Inspirational guys, absolutely wonderful, thank you for sharing. Jay

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  60. What an amazing adventure. I just caught up on your climb. Was so happy to see Ruth made it to the top. And Kevin - maybe you should get two certificates for hitting the summit twice - okay, not - but that was such a sweet gesture. Glad you guys both made it - I know when Ruth had to stop, I thought, geez you made it this far what a let down. And then - it all turned out.

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    1. Thank you Ryshia, nice to see that you are still following us after all these years. :-)

      I was so happy to have reached the summit, I had no doubt that Kevin would but I just got to the point where I was too exhausted to continue but thankfully Shalali had faith in me and knew that I could do and of course he was right. It was so wonderful to reach the summit and have Kevin by my side and you are right, he should have received two certificates for his extra effort, lol. :-)

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  61. What an incredulously inspiring, jaw-dropping, heart thumping story of commitment and perseverance! Your father would be beaming with pride for you and your children and grandchildren have bragging rights now! You certainly rose and met the challenge you imposed on yourselves. CONGRATULATIONS!
    I didn’t realize I was holding my breath while reading this blog and I had a slight headache thereafter! Lol! It dissipated after I breathed normally again. Haha.

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    1. Thank you so much Lynnette! It was definitely one tough hike but we did it and we are proud of ourselves for it!

      We are glad that you enjoyed the post! :-)

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  62. I missed all this great stuff due to no TWKR emails arriving. congrats to Ruth for not giving up💙💛

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    1. Thank you! That was one tough day of hiking, I still shake my head and wonder how I managed to do it but I am glad that Shalali keep up telling me that I could do it. It is because of him that I was able to reach Stella Point after that I didn't need as much encouragement but it was still very tiring to get to the summit.

      You do know that anytime you don't get an email for a new blog post, that all you have to do is google "Travel with Kevin and Ruth" and our blog comes up first in the search. :-)

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