Why Mount Kilimanjaro?
I’ve always wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro since I was 18. When I was studying geology and volcanoes, I wanted to get up to that mountain. But back then, I hadn’t even been on a plane, and I’d never left the country. Not long ago, I thought about it, but I thought I was too old, and then I started looking into it, and thought it possible. What made it possible at 63 and not at 18? When I was 18, it wasn’t possible for women. That kind of travel was not a context for someone in 1963 to think about. … I’ve come a long way. The world has come a long way, but especially for women. It’s a celebration–a big celebration. Are you really scared? I’m the most fit I’ve ever been, but as you age, you lose the ability to get your heart rate high, so in cardio training, I had some limitations. Hopefully, because I’m older, I also have more mental strength. What’s the worst thing that could happen? That I died without trying.
