Climbers Account of Kilimanjaro Attempt

I always ask people to write about their experiences on the mountain, so I can publish them on this blog. I just received this email, from a guy who asked me loads of questions about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. As you can see, he opted to attempt Kilimanjaro with a five day climb. Out of 11 people, four made it to the summit. Companies should not sell five days climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s not smart to climb over 19,000 ft/596 meters in five days.

Steve Hansen wrote:

Dear Donovan,
I am sorry this is so late as I returned safely from my trip on Feb 11th.
I am sorry that I don’t really have any great stories or pictures to share
with you.
During the night after the first day of climb, I slept very little and had
diarrhea. The following morning during the climb I proceeded to vomit and
had more diarrhea. My strength seemed to be gone and I was delaying the
rest of the team, so I decided (along with our compassionate guide) not to
continue.
Of the eleven people on the team, four made it to the top; two girls and
two guys. Some of the others had breathing problems and altitude sickness
further up the mountain.
It was a five day climb. After this experience, I agree with the people
who strongly recommend a six day climb with a rest-and-acclimate day on day
three. I might have tried to continue knowing day 3 would be a rest day.
But that will remain speculation as I have no plans to try again unless the
Lord so instructs me.
Thank you again for all your advice, help and encouragement. I really
appreciated it!

Steve Hansen