Four women from Bloomington have checked off a bucket-list achievement that involves far more than a sturdy pair of hiking boots: They reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
According to a video report by The Herald-Times, the group completed the climb in five days, hiking seven miles and spending eight hours reaching Uhuru Summit.
Bloomington Group Tackles Africa’s Highest Mountain
Uhuru Peak rises to 5,895 meters, or about 19,341 feet, making it the highest point in Africa. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre describes Kilimanjaro as the world’s highest free-standing volcanic mass, with landscapes that shift from forest to alpine desert and a snow-capped summit.
The five-day schedule also helps show why the accomplishment is no casual sightseeing excursion. The CDC Yellow Book notes that four- and five-day Kilimanjaro ascents are associated with a high risk of altitude illness, while additional time on the mountain can help travelers acclimatize.
For the Bloomington climbers, the achievement came down to a demanding combination of distance, altitude and endurance: seven miles on the trail, eight hours on the final push and five days to reach the roof of Africa. That is one impressive way to turn a group trip into a story the entire hometown can brag about.
