Perhaps the most physically and psychologically challenging LEAP offering of the year was the ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which at 19,321 feet is the highest peak in Africa.
With proper planning and the combined experience of the trip’s ten students (Uma Naima Laguna-Curtis ’26, Colton Cushman ’25, Gus Garvey ’25, Alex Randall ’25, Sophia Sherman’25, Brian Brady ’24, Ashely Guevara ’24, Avery Novia ’24, Wyatt Wardlaw ’24, and Finley Donahue ’23), faculty Noël Carmichael, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, her husband, Chisondi; Northwood Outing Club Director, Bobby O'Connor; Marcy Fagan, Director of the LEAP Program and Science Faculty; Tait Wardlaw, backcountry expedition leader and wilderness expert: expedition photographer, Eric Adsit; and Bobby’s uncle, Dr. William O’Connor, who accompanied the team as the expedition physician, the ascent provided an educational experience far exceeding the traditional classroom. We also thank the company, This is Africa, for their organization of all the guides, porters, and cooks necessary for the expedition.
As Bobby recounts the timeline:
“We arrived in Tanzania after a 15-hour flight from JFK to the city of Arusha and were introduced to the guides and porters who would assist the group. Our ascent would be on the Lemosho Route, which is often considered the most beautiful of all the trekking trails up Mt. Kilimanjaro and crosses the entire Shira Plateau from west to east.
The next day involved a four-hour drive from Arusha to Kilimanjaro, which introduced the beauty of Tanzania including our sighting many giraffes in the distance.
Day 1 of the undertaking was a four hour climb to Camp Mti Mkubwa and our first meal of the expedition. For the duration, our food was prepared by chefs and included soups, stews, chicken, beef, lentils, potatoes, rice, and eggs.
Day 2 saw the Northwood team cover approximately 10 miles to Shira Camp located on the Shira Plateau, and a gain of 4,000’ in elevation, for us to camp at 12,700’.
Day 3 we ascended to 5,500’ to the famed Lava Tower, a 300-foot-tall rock formation formed from lava when Kilimanjaro was still an active volcano and then the team came down to Camp Barranco, which is at 13,100’ to aid in acclimatization to help avoid altitude sickness.
Day 4 saw a chilly, rainy day and after four miles we arrived at 13,200’ Karanga Camp, which gets its name from the Karanga Valley which cuts through the southern side of the Kilimanjaro National Park.
Day 5 we undertook the four-hour climb to Barafu Camp. Barafu is Swahili for “ice” and the camp is rocky with sparse alpine desert vegetation. We now were staying overnight at 15,200’ preparing for the final push to the summit. Our team had lunch, tried to sleep a bit, enjoyed dinner together, rested and then gathered for the last ascent at 12:00 am. The next four miles included 4,000’ of elevation gain, mostly over loose stone scree and a windchill of near zero to Stella Point. Arriving at the summit, a beautiful sunrise greeted the Northwood LEAP team, physically fatigued but emotionally elated, at 19,341’ Uhuru Peak, the highest free-standing peak in the world.