Climbed Mt Kilimanjaro. With ragged bodies, but high spirits, reached Uhuru peak at 5,895 meters i.e 19,341 feet. Mission accomplished!

Sometime last year an audacious goal crept into my vision board – Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. At an altitude of 5,895 meters I knew it would be a multifaceted challenge. It would be a test of physical strength, endurance, mental resolve and I would have to contend with the wild card of altitude. Having had it in the past, altitude sickness was my biggest fear and also one least in my control. Nevertheless, I set out a week back to climb to the roof of Africa- Mission Kilimanjaro. We were excited as we marched through changing landscapes- rainforest, moorland, lava rocks, lunar terrain – inching closer and closer to the snow clad summit. The hikes were challenging and the views majestic. But nothing could have prepared us for the ultimate summit night. Hiking up through treacherous rocks in the pitch darkness of midnight, we were nervous. There was nothing visible other than the stars up and our guides feet down. All we had to do was match step with him but that simple task became daunting as we went higher and higher. The altitude kept attacking us even as we dealt with the sheer complexity of ascending the steep mountain. It was not possible to stop and rest because for one, you would just freeze, and secondly, you wanted to spend as less time as possible exposing yourself to that oxygen deficient high altitude. At Stella point on the rim at 5,686 meters, the guide decided we needed a little oxygen perk. All around us people walked like zombies in a apocalypse scene. Slowly, inch by inch, we moved ahead. One final push and we reached Uhuru peak. The sun was rising behind us bleeding the sky red and in the background were walls of white glaciers. We were too oxygen deprived at the time to take in the full magnitude of what we had just done. But the sense of elation that we feel right now is tremendous. All this would not have been possible without the help of the guides Job, David Mlay and the entire crew of Pristine Trails Adventures and Safaris. It took an entire team to get us up there. We have no words to express the gratitude we feel for what they did. Thanks to Abha Gupta for being such a great travel partner. And thanks to Vivek Gupta for taking care of the home and kids while mommy climbed a mountain. We did it! #iclimbedkilimanjaro