What goes up, must come down and what a down this was!
We began our final day on the mountain at 6:00am, departing Millennium Camp at 10,171 feet (3,100 meters). Though we were headed downhill, there was no relief in sight. In fact, the descent turned out to be at least as difficult—if not harder—than the climb itself. Ovee six hours of steep, punishing descent through thick afromontane forest, slippery underfoot, roots and rocks conspiring to twist knees and test every step.
Gravity wasn’t an ally—it was a relentless force pulling me downward too fast. My knees screamed, my back ached, and by the final stretch, every jolt sent shockwaves up my spine and into my neck. I was exhausted in a way I hadn’t felt going up. My trekking poles and sturdy boots were the only things keeping me upright. Each pole plant was a lifeline. Each footstep a victory.
Six and a half hours later, I stumbled into the clearing near the Mweka Gate. My legs were jelly. My back was on fire. And yet—I’d made it. Under my own power. No rescue. No shortcuts. Just sheer will and persistence.
Eight days earlier I had set out to chase the leopard—to follow the myth, the symbol, the challenge to the very summit of Kilimanjaro. And I did it. I stood at Uhuru Peak, looked out at the roof of Africa, and claimed that moment. But now, as I crossed the finish line battered and barely mobile, I had to ask myself—was the climb truly over?
Physically, perhaps. But something tells me this journey will keep unfolding long after the dust of the mountain fades from my boots. The lessons, the scars, the revelations—they’ve just begun to settle in.
#ChasingTheLeopard #KilimanjaroDescent #StrattonSummits #MountKilimanjaro #LemoshoRoute #UhuruPeak #PolePole #KiliComplete #FartherTogether
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