Conquering Kilimanjaro

On Friday 24th May 19 Y10 students (and one Y12!) became the next in a line of Braeburn students to face the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro - all 5895 metres of it! Over six days we trekked and climbed through some of Tanzania’s most beautiful scenery, from lush forest to alpine desert. It was an amazing experience to see the natural beauty of Kilimanjaro National Park  - even if doing so also meant battling fierce winds and cold!

Throughout the trip the phenomenal display of teamwork shown by the students stood out. You don’t climb the world’s highest freestanding mountain alone - and the students helped each other through with hugs, laughter, shared equipment, shared snacks and even cups of tea hand delivered to students who couldn’t face the thought of leaving the warmth of their sleeping bags for refreshment. 

Summit day itself is a huge challenge - and one that no amount of tales from the year before can prepare you for. 5 students summited at Gilman’s with Ms. Taylor.  A further 8 students summited to Uhuru peak - accompanied by Mr Cox.  All of these students achieved something amazing and showed huge determination and resilience to reach the top. That said, it’s important to also note the achievement of every student who made it, with three days of intense hiking coupled with high altitude and freezing temperatures, to the base camp at Kibo, or who started climbing on summit day but had to turn back.  Some of the most impressive grit I saw was from students who were advised to go back down to lower altitude insisting they wanted to carry on climbing - if willpower and strength alone could get you to the summit I have no doubt that every member of the team would have been there at the top. 

Article by Clarice Taylor