Product Description

I needed a break. I needed “…an off-the-wall dalliance… An all-boys’ adventure in a faraway land. An adventure far away from telephones and faxes and lawyers. An adventure with an abundance of humor, serious physical exertion, and danger nominally short of life-threatening.” After a little research and a few phone calls, I decided that a climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, with four friends, via the “Tourist Route”, would fit the bill.

In this book, the author tell the story of the climb—four days up, and two days down—with a humorous yet sensitive slant, describing the perils of altitude, the vicissitudes of Mother Nature, the enjoyment of multi-generational and multi-ethnic collaboration, the travails of disappointment, and the exhilaration of success. And where it suits his fancy—and does no harm to accuracy—he embellishes an observation or encounter to illuminate the pure joy of the experience. After all, it was about good fun, and the telling of it should be too.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102221 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 54 pages

About the Author
When Phil Gray moved to Hawaii, the bright sunshine and clear air opened a window to the appreciation of good adventures. Two African safaris were certainly good adventures, but they only kindled a flame. Climbing Kilimanjaro was the logical progression, and the writing of it an opportunity to chronicle the event in greater depth, and through his own filter.

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Customer Reviews

A Friend Helping me to Understand
A friend of mine wanted me to read this book so he let me borrow his version. He plans to go to Africa soon and climb Kilimanjaro and wanted me to know something about the experience. He couldn't have chosen a better book for this purpose. I loved the light humor, but also came away from the reading of this book with a deeper respect for those who are willing to take on this challenge. My comment to my friend was: "I think I would be dead if I tried to hike up that mountain"! The book is short and to the point, humorous, and the perfect book to share with a friend so they can better understand the experience. It's kind of written as though it was taken right out of the man's hiking journal (and probably was) so it's not a study in English grammar, but it was a joy to read. After reading my friend's copy, I came home, went online to Amazon and bought the book so my family could also enjoy it.

Can altitude sickness be funny?
I am planning a trip to Kenya, and my friends are pushing me to join them when they hike Mt Kili. I bought all the technical books and felt I still didn't understand if this was right for me. After reading this book I've developed a new respect for individuals who push their limits for the sake of personal desire, not to prove they are tough or adventurous. I also developed a new respect for the term 'comic relief' -- it pointed out how dangerous this can be and in very memorable way prepared me better than a list of required gear. The author has a clever ability to bring humor to the potential dangers of this hike. This is a refreshing and honest funny voice. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.