“This is one of those
once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and I am pleased to have been successful,”
Garner said. “Very few people have the opportunity to experience this climb and
only about half that begin the trek successfully summit.”
At 19,341 feet above sea level, Mount
Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world and often called
the “Roof of Africa.”
Weather and altitude make the climb
difficult, taxing even the most experienced of hikers. Many who attempt this
trek experience altitude sickness after only a few days. While Garner
fortunately did not experience any illness, only 80 percent of his group
successfully made it to the summit.
“The weather ramped up the difficulty factor,” Garner said. “As you get to higher elevations, the mountain makes its own weather which can be bitterly cold and windy. In one period of less than 10 minutes, it went from rain to sleet, to ice, to snow. That’s how quickly the weather can change on this huge mountain.”
Climbers can expect to experience at
least five climate zones when traversing the mountain. Each providing a unique
experience with the final being the Artic zone where noting grows, and nothing
can live at that altitude.
“As we were trekking to the final summit, we were hiking through a path with four feet of ice and snow on either side and it was very cold,” Garner said. “It is amazing that Kilimanjaro is only a few hundred miles from the equator and yet because of its height has lots of ice, snow and astonishingly, glaciers.”
Once at the summit, climbers are only allowed to spend a short time there because of the lack of oxygen and harsh conditions. Although his time at the summit was brief, Garner managed to get some amazing photos and earn a credential in the process.
“I am thrilled it was a successful
climb for me,” Garner said. “I also received a mountaineering certificate for
making it to the summit of the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.”
Dr. Garner will chronicle his
adventures in an upcoming article for a national publication and in a book that
describes the experience and leadership lessons that can be learned from the
experience.
