In April 2026 I flew to Tanzania for my final training climb before Everest. Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa, and one last block of altitude before the real thing.
It takes an army to get up Kilimanjaro. On the mountain it was basically just me, with a team of thirteen behind me. Spirits were always high, and the food exceeded expectations.
Then one night someone broke into my tent and stole my hiking boots. I slept with one eye open for the rest of the expedition.
The Machame route usually takes seven days. I did it in five. Summit day went like this: up at midnight, on the summit at 7AM, down 4,000m to the nearest road by 3PM, and on a flight to London at 11PM. Then on to the next week, and Everest.
None of it would have been possible without an incredible team: Siraj, Peter, Steven, Hamisi, Andrea, Innocent, Simon, Elias, Ladislaus, Emanual, Freddie, Abel and Colman.