Standing on the Roof of Africa

Well, folks..we did it! My dear father, sister and I climbed up to 5895 meters (19340 feet) and stood up on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. After 6 grueling hours of slowly walking in zigzags uphill, we came upon this gorgeous sight.

The sunrise wasn't the only beautiful sight from the top of the mountain - check out this glacier and the sea of clouds below it.
Katie summitted the mountain by running the last few meters at about 6:45 a.m. Dad and I came "pole pole" (slowly slowly) afterwards. I think I was about 5-10 minutes behind my dear sister and Dad was already up by then. Even though it was absolutely freezing cold, we still took a break to get some photos before heading back down.

Out of 14 people in our group, 14 of us summitted the mountain. Our fabulous guides and sheer willpower and determination were a huge part of our success. Here's a pic of all of us at the top of Uhuru Peak, the tallest point in Africa.

Summitting Kili was a huge accomplishment and a great time. I was so lucky to get to do this with my dad and sister, as well as the many new friends we met on our journey - wouldn't have been the same without you all!

Stay tuned for more Kili pics and stories!