Kilimanjaro a very different climb from Heart Mountain

Submitted by Ashley Thomas
Posted 10/10/24

Dear editor:

I read with interest and alarm the African adventure article on the front page of your Oct. 1 paper.

I completed a very long expedition hike of 2,500 miles on the PCT from …

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Kilimanjaro a very different climb from Heart Mountain

Posted

Dear editor:

I read with interest and alarm the African adventure article on the front page of your Oct. 1 paper.

I completed a very long expedition hike of 2,500 miles on the PCT from Mexico to Canada. Thus, I know what preparations need to be made before taking the first step.

For these ladies to train on Heart Mountain in preparation for ascending Mount Kilimanjaro is essentially insane. The different altitudes on both mountains, coupled with a much different climb for the second, will bring a shocking surprise to the participants, unless they have climbed mountains of a similar height to prepare for their arduous ascent.

I found it humorous the comparison between Heart Mountain being moved to the Top of the World. This of course will generate emotions in the readers to “Go, Girls!” And I agree with the exclamation. But the fact remains that you can't move a small 8,000 foot mountain from a desert climate to Kilimanjaro's height of nearly 20,000 feet and call it comparable.

I pray that these two ladies will realize all of the dangers involved before they take their first step up the mountain. I also pray they will prepare physically in a much deeper sense so that their hearts do not cave in to a Heart Mountain mentality while they scale the heights.

I hope to read, upon their return, that they have succeeded in the climb.

Ashley Thomas

Cody

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