Kilimanjaro

7 days and 19,341 feet to the summit, a 16 hour descent to the gate out, 5 minutes at the top of the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. IIt is all worth the effort. The Lemosho route winds from west to east across the rolling slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. As you climb, you pass through every climate zone in Tanzania. You drive past the farms and fields of the Cultivation Zone to enter the dense, verdant jungle of the Rainforest at the Lemosho Gate. You climb into the sparse brush and cacti of the Moorland until you are greeted by the blowing dust and bare expanse of Alpine Desert. At your journey's end, you face the unforgiving winds, uncaring snow, and merciless glaciers of the Arctic Ice.

In order to summit, you must match the mountain’s resolve — you become as relentless as the sun beating down through the thin atmosphere, as stubborn as the rock beneath your feet. Every step closer to the peak means less oxygen in the air, but it also puts you one step closer to success. Waking at 10:30 p.m., you begin an ascent in total darkness with only your headlamp and the shoes of the guide in front of you to follow. Slowly, slowly, slowly you climb like this for hours as wind and snow join forces to dissuade you from achieving your goal. Slowly, slowly, slowly the sun rises behind you to thaw the stiff, frozen tips of your gloves and melt the ice that has packed into your clothes. 8 hours pass, and you crest the plateau—pink and gold in the morning light. Exhausted, legs heavy as stone, you shuffle 1 hour, 1 kilometer more to the apex of this volcano. Your world narrows to the rhythm of breath and footfall. Finally, you see a wooden sign, snow-caked and weathered with age. It reads a simple, “Congratulations". This is the prize of your climb, the culmination of every battle you waged with yourself. Sleepless nights, nausea from the altitude, the physical toll of 7 days and 19,341 feet. All of that is left behind for a moment.

At the top, every part of your body fights against you, warning you that if you stay any longer you will surely die. Yet, you focus on your breathing - every gasp only netting you a sip of oxygen - and you pause to look down on the tops of clouds and mountains. You look down because there is no more up. You're here.

Photographs from a journey to the roof of Africa with Dismass Kilimanjaro Experience.