Should you hike Kilimanjaro with Parkinson’s? (Part 1)
With really long treks and having Parkinson’s disease, it’s about pacing. I learned this bit of hiking wisdom during my climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.
As a hiker who’s drawn to high points, I dreamed of reaching the tallest peak in Africa. After my Parkinson’s diagnosis, I began to doubt it could ever happen.
Then I read about successes of other hikers on Kilimanjaro with Parkinson’s disease. Their determination to stand on the 19,341-foot-high Uhuru Peak while sharing high-fives inspired me.
So in 2022, about 2½ years after my diagnosis, I was able to do some high-fiving myself when I reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro with seven family members.
It’s difficult but doable
For you unshakable hikers who have considered climbing “Kili,” read on. You might be inspired to try to make it happen, too.
I won’t be able to offer a detailed summary of our entire trek in a couple of blog posts, but I’ll give you tips for planning, preparing for, and completing the climb of your life. I’m lookin’ at you, Parkinson’s people!
Part 2 covers the actual climb and gives more tips for those bringing their Parkinson’s along.
Planning a Kilimanjaro climb
Step 1: Assess your time and money
Oh, those things. Who has a week when they can just leave everything, and hundreds or thousands of dollars they can just blow on a vacation?
It’s a cold fact of life that cost and time away are considerations for any adventure travel. If you deem a trip to Tanzania a priority, then start planning six to 12 months out.
That should give you time to make arrangements for time off and to raise money if needed. Put “Kilimanjaro Fund” on your birthday and Christmas lists. Crowdsource the money. Set aside a work bonus or other windfall for the trip.
My rule of thumb for vacations is to avoid using credit that I can’t pay off right away.
For our group, we started planning in the fall for a late-June excursion. Our cost for a private, all-inclusive tour for eight was about $2,250 per person. The only big expenses not included were airfare to Kilimanjaro International Airport and tips for our guides and porters. You’ll also need to pay for travel insurance.
Step 2: Choose a guide and a route
There are a half-dozen established routes to the top of Kilimanjaro, and most of them are “walk-ups.” The massive mountain is not like Mount Rainier or the Grand Teton, where ropes, helmets, and crampons are needed. Kili is more like a long, long, uphill hike.
This is where the pacing part comes in.
By choosing a route with a slow elevation gain and a guide service that allows seven or more days to go up and back, your chance of summiting increases. There will be less stress on your body, more recovery time between hikes, and a better chance to get used to breathing air that gets thinner on oxygen with every step up. Those are especially important for hikers with disabilities.
Tanzanian law requires everyone to climb with a certified guide. There are more than 100 outfitters in Tanzania and Kenya. (Joel was our group’s head guide.)
Set aside time to find the right one for you. Get guidebooks from the library, read online stories about other people’s experiences, check out websites of outfitters, and watch YouTube videos of hikers who have climbed Kili.
Our group went with African Scenic Safaris for our climb. They were responsive and detail-oriented.
Some Kilimanjaro climbers add a “while we’re there” African safari to their trip. A few from our group stayed two extra days for that.
Step 3: Prepare physically and mentally
First, get your neurologist’s OK. Make sure your doctors know what you’re planning to do, and listen carefully to any advice you get. This may include a regimen of increased exercise.
Then train, train, train. Use whatever methods you want for getting in shape, and include cardiovascular workouts. I used a stair-stepper at my gym, but walking up and down hills in your area could work too. My sister roller bladed an hour or more a day. My husband combined strength training with running and biking. You’ll be breathing that thin air, which makes you more tired than normal.
If you’re already fit, you may need only a few months to train to climb Kilimanjaro with Parkinson’s. If you’re starting from scratch, give yourself more time.
Don’t forget mental preparation. Remind yourself why you are doing this, and plan to go back to that thought when you get to a tough spot on the mountain. As you become more physically prepared, the mental preparation will follow naturally, since you’ll gain confidence in yourself. Envision the selfie you’ll take at the top, and keep that image in your mind.
Here’s the beauty of a guided climb up Kilimanjaro, with Parkinson’s or not: Porters carry the big stuff for you. All you need in your backpack is water, clothing, snacks, and personal items.
Even so, I took training walks wearing a backpack with 10-15 pounds of weight in them.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to choose a company that is KPAP-approved to ensure the porters who carry your stuff are paid a fair wage. Don’t be tempted by less-expensive outfits that care little about human rights.
Step 4: Purchase quality gear
Outfitters will give you a list of supplies, and most will rent you everything you need except the clothing on your back, from sleeping bags to trekking poles. Your best bet is layers, including an ultra-warm puffy jacket for summit night. Top priority is your footwear. Buy sturdy but light hiking books at least a month before your climb to get used to them.
Extra considerations if living with Parkinson’s
1. This climb is not for the faint of heart, and people with Parkinson’s have extra challenges to start with. At the time I climbed Kilimanjaro, I was experiencing mild tremoring and a few other symptoms. Getting enough sleep was already a challenge, and doing so in a tent at altitude made it doubly hard.
2. Bathrooms during the climb are in the form of a port-a-potty. We paid the extra fee to have our own at our campsites, rather than sharing one with other climbing groups. SO WORTH IT. (Extra tips to the porter whose job it was to carry that!)
3. Most days we hiked between three and six hours. The exception was “summit day,” a grueling 12-hour hike in which everything needs to line up just right: your training, your energy level, the weather, your digestive system, your gear, your resolve.
4. High altitudes can adversely affect anyone, but especially hikers with disabilities. Some hikers with Parkinson’s have reported that symptom’s worsen the higher they go, but once acclimated the symptoms actually are felt less. This is anecdotal — more research is needed.
Part 2 is here.
You can read more details of our climb in an article I wrote here.
And here’s a link to a documentary my nephew and fellow climber Tim made of our climb.
