by Debra Corbeil

Created on: April 09, 2009

Catching a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro peeking through the clouds as we descend toward Tanzania stirs both excitement and fear. In one day we will be climbing Africa's tallest peak.

We didn't plan on this. My husband Dave and I came to Africa to cycle the continent from top to bottom. However, civil unrest in Kenya forced us to take a detour from our adventure.

The Tour d'Afrique, a 12,000-kilometre cycling race from Cairo to Cape Town, was on vacation for two weeks. We had already completed 4,500 km through three countries: pedalling along the Nile and Red Sea in Egypt, plowing through deep desert sand in Sudan and tackling epic climbs while dodging rocks thrown with perfect aim by children in Ethiopia.

The scope of what we accomplished gave us the confidence to make it to the summit of Kilimanjaro with little preparation. We were well-equipped and trained for cycling, but not ready to trek in sub-zero weather. Scavenging for warm clothing and sturdy boots was first on the agenda, right after finding a guide to take us up the mountain.

Twenty-four people from the Tour d'Afrique arrived together at Kilimanjaro Airport outside of Arusha, where we parted ways to enjoy our separate holidays. A small group decided to climb together, so the seven of us hopped into a minivan and headed toMoshi on the advice of our driver, Eric.

We marvelled at riding in an air-conditioned luxury van with soft seats and elbow room after the uncomfortably hard rides in Ethiopia. We couldn't see the mountain because it was clouded in mist, but the lush green jungle was calling us.

After 45 minutes, we arrived at Kessy Brothers Tours. Within a couple of hours we were signed up, outfitted with warm and waterproof clothing, offered a free night of accommodation and booked to leave first thing in the morning.

We chose the Machame Route, a six-day climb more challenging than the five-day Marangu Route, but far more beautiful and the extra day of acclimatization allows for a better chance of summiting.

Having been travelling for the last two months, most of us were very low on U.S. dollars, so our organizer, Serafin, allowed us to pay their fee of $332 in cash with the park fees of $632 to be paid at the gate by credit card. Perfect. The stars were aligning for us; they even had the right sized hiking boots for all. Day 1 took us by van toMachame Gate. I can't imagine what the other outfitted parties thought as our motley crew strode by. We pieced together what clothing we had, decked out in surfing

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