Climbing Kilimanjaro Without Training
Climbing Kilimanjaro Without Training (4 Reasons You Shouldn’t) : This is a question that you will undoubtedly be asking yourself if you have been considering climbing Kilimanjaro. Do you really need training to climb Africa’s highest mountain, which is the most popular high-altitude trekking destination? You’ve heard that Kilimanjaro is the most straightforward of the highest mountains to climb, so you ought to have no trouble donning your boots and making quick work of it, right?
Here are four very good reasons why not training might not be the best idea, regardless of whether you’re an experienced hiker who can take on any obstacle or you’ve never hiked before and decided to take on the challenge over a few beers in the pub:
REASON 1: KILIMANJARO IS A PROPER MOUNTAIN.
It is not advisable to attempt to climb a mountain like Kilimanjaro lightly. Despite the fact that you’ll be using well-traveled trails and porters will carry the majority of your gear, you can expect a protracted and steady ascent (Kilimanjaro is 5895 meters above sea level) and descent. Your knees (and other joints) won’t likely thank you if you attempt to undertake a trek of this nature without adequate preparation, and neither will your lungs or heart. The truth is that you need at least some basic trekking experience before you can go from pub to peak. If exhaustion didn’t kill you in the first few days on Kilimanjaro, blisters might. And no, halfway up, you won’t find the African version of the local pub where you can stop for a quick “refresher.”
REASON 2: THE HIGHER YOU GO, THE THINNER THE AIR GETS.
Mount Kilimanjaro is all about Trekking at high altitude. The oxygen content of the air you breathe decreases as you ascend. You’d be asking for serious trouble by attempting to climb Kilimanjaro without preparation if you’re someone who gets wheezy by the time you reach the top of a three-rung step ladder. You see, it all depends on how well you can handle altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness, or AMS. You’re respiratory and cardiovascular systems will perform better with regular exercise and training, which will help your body adapt to low oxygen levels. You would be better off trying to get in a few months of good hill walking or mountain trekking before your Tanzania Hiking Tour.
Even so, you should spend a few days acclimatizing to the higher altitude before beginning your climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. You are more likely to adjust well to high altitude if you enjoy the occasional ski or snowboard trip to the Alps.
REASON 3: YOU REALLY, REALLY DON’T WANT ATTITUDE SICKNESS.
In order to attempt a high-altitude trek like the ascent of Kilimanjaro, you should put your health first. You don’t want to feel a little under the weather at the beginning of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, only to feel worse as you ascend higher and your body adjusts to less oxygen.
Everyone is different when it comes to how altitude sickness affects them, but common symptoms include headaches or dizziness, shortness of breath, and muscle fatigue. In the best-case scenario, you should be able to treat these symptoms with over-the-counter analgesics, and they should go away as your body gets used to the higher altitude. But if you start to feel worse, start to vomit, experience hallucinations, or have any other severe symptoms, it’s time to turn around and descend the mountain. You might be toast if you try to continue the hike. The takeaway is that if you invest some time in training and preparation beforehand and take good care of yourself while climbing, you can save yourself and everyone else trekking with you a lot of heartache.
REASON 4: YOU NEED TO BE MENTALLY PREPARED TOO
You’ll need to be mentally prepared for the challenge even if you’ve improved your physical fitness, expanded your lung and heart capacity, abstained from alcohol and late nights for a while, and acclimated to high altitude. You can skip the ropes, harnesses, and helmets because climbing Mount Kilimanjaro isn’t technically difficult, but you’ll still need strength, willpower, and optimism. Don’t underestimate the importance of your mental attitude in determining whether you’ll be successful in reaching the summit.
You can use a variety of methods to get your mind ready for a high-altitude trek. First and foremost, make every effort to ensure the safety of your actions. When you trek with a reputable Tour Operator that puts the safety of their visitors first (like, for example, Focus East Africa Tours), you’re less likely to become a stuttering nervous wreck if things get a little tricky.
Live in the present and concentrate on enjoying where you are and what you are doing right now while you are climbing, rather than letting your mind wander or worrying about what might happen. If you feel tired, set small, doable goals for yourself. For example, if the next ridge is 500 meters away, you can reach it and then reward yourself with a five-minute break to take in the scenery. Again, you can begin using all of these simple mind-training methods well in advance of traveling to Tanzania, along with some simple meditation.
CONCLUSION
You may need some training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, depending on your current level of fitness. You don’t need to be Usain Bolt-fit to climb Kilimanjaro; as long as you’re healthy, prepared, and moderately fit, you can do it without causing any harm to yourself. Of course, the rewards—the trip to Africa, the breathtaking scenery, the unforgettable trekking experience, and the incredible sense of accomplishment—more than make up for the preparation.
