I spent 9 days climbing Mount Kilimanjaro...the HARDEST thing I've ever done

Auto-captioned from the film, lightly cleaned. Elena's words, not edited prose.

this is the hardest thing I've ever done how do we get here what do I think I'm doing so I've flown across the world to uh come to East Africa to hike up the tallest freestanding Mountain on this continent um over the course of 9 days like how did I get here at the end of the day I'm just a city girl who for some reason has this increasing desire to put herself in very difficult physical challenges to test the limits of myself physically mentally and emotionally so now I'm in t and we're hiking Mount kilamanjaro let's get comfortable shall we over the next 9 days I'll be hiking Mount kjaro there's about a 12,000 FT elevation gain it will be at temperatures as low as -20° F so that's going to be great I got an email from Kelly Warriors inviting me to come hike Mount Karo and I'm not going to lie when I got the email I was like uh thanks but no thanks knowing hell would I ever want to subject myself to that and yet 9 months later here I am things have changed and I so freaking excited for this I am nervous I am anxious I'm also so proud of myself so I actually just got in today's my first full day in Tanzania I'm going to head to the market a little bit soz I had to get so much gear and I still need more gear because even though it's not necessarily a technical client you do face very very harsh conditions so you need to make sure you have the right gear so you don't get frostbite because I want to keep my fingers in my toes preferably I can't believe I'm doing this only in the last few years have I really gotten into these physical challenges I'm a beach girl and a city girl like I haven't had a lot of access to like more intense outdoor adventuring something I have been wanting to push myself to get into if I can do this thing I think you can as well but first let's head to the local market we're going to pick up some more gear as well as pick up some of the food that we're going to need for the hike so let's go at 19,000 ft mount kjaro isn't just Africa's highest peak it's also the highest fre standing mountain in the world and this mountain found in Tanzania has long held spiritual and cultural significance for the chaga people who live in its Foothills this truck really first gained popular and Global attention back in 1889 when the European explorer Hans Meyer became the first on record to reach its Summit and since then it's really become this lifelong dream for adventurers worldwide as you climb you also pass through these five distinct ecosystems on your way up which is fascinating from the Lush rainforest to these open Moors into Alpine desert until finally you reach an Arctic Zone at the summit like we're talking literal glaciers also no one is hiking this on their own Tanzania law actually requires that all truers use a licensed guide company and porters who carry all your supplies and set up camp and let me tell you they are truly the real heroes of this trk I think one of the most special and maybe unexpected parts of this hike is the amazing relationships you build with these locals as you experience every high and low of the TRU together the mountain is a key source of income for many two so please remember to budget tipping them very well at the end of the hike as this tourist industry really helps sustain entire communities here came here you have to explain how you feel in your body and then local doctor can make it okay special sticks we use as a toothbrush this one toothbrush yeah we Che more on the top then make it a brush it's so cool walking to the market and seeing how fresh everything is this going to be the freshest food I've ever had so here's my gear and unfortunately this still isn't everything but it's time to back this up oh my gosh there she is the goods this is insane hello from the base of Mount Killy lamoso gate is behind me which means this is sort of the trail I cannot believe we're here I'm kind of freaking out I'm like 70% excited 30% super nervous but we're doing this thing let's go we are starting kind of in this like Forest Zone it's have to meet shedra he's our guide so this is the one who's going to be keeping us alive on this journey what advice would you give for someone who wants to do Killy first of all you have to set your mind nothing will stop me exactly that mental strength and how many times have you climbed to this mountain I can guess maybe it's 300 times 300 can you imagine I'm just trying to do it once the crew up guys Lindy it's the Three Musketeers and we're going to take on KY keep going through the jungle Elena's having a little bit of a gear malfunction over here my cam back is leaking oh my God everything is so wet to a rough start 1 hour in we N9 days left to go we're already having issues something very critical would break for me it's fine I don't even care it's fine checking in we are about halfway through the first day and what's crazy about Mount kjaro is that you Traverse so many different climates right now I in a tropical rainforest we just saw the most epic furry monkeys I have no idea what they are but they're so cool that is the cutest little animal I've ever seen look how stunning this is we've made it day one made it to mua Camp wasn't too bad for a first day so beautiful out we beat it signing in we made it they won in the Box welcome to my humble about which is H pretty cute and they just brought me water and soap so it's time for our skincare routine and by that we're going to wash all this mud off my hands and hopefully out of my fingers but actually feels so nice I read as you do a million Reddit threads about how to pack for killy and I think my favorite advice was to bring Stacks that bring you Joy and I am the biggest Haribo fan like Haribo if you see this I have given so much money to your company life is all about balance it's time for my glamorous little sleep see you morning good morning we have our hot water are we doing our skin care where is my invite step one cleanser c eye cream and Road the shortest routine I think I've ever had you guys pack way more stuff than I did I got a toothbrush and deodorant clean apparently today is a very exposed day it's cold like it was cold as hell last night we're going to be exposed to the Sun so got to get some sunscreen going as well like G it's so good I thought it'd be like soup every meal morning good morning good morning this African fruit juice is where it's at hello from day two on the trail we're about to leave the forest and so far Spirits are high feeling good as you can see we've lost some layers it is so hot I can't believe how cold I was this morning comparison let's go TW people who are bad smiling cut the leaves and then new so I think we all need this all right guys going to be smelling much better now African warmwood time to freshen up make me smell good getting flashbacks to doing our makeup in Jordan yes I'll insert that clip this is part two you can barely see it but at the tippy top is where our lunch break is it's lunch time we made it to lunch hey y'all so amazed so far how they're feeding us and really easily able to get fresh water cuz they have like a water pump I just feel really taken care of so I'm so glad that I went with Killy Warriors for such an amazing team like the guides are incredible and so knowledgeable the porters are blowing my mind so Fring to just be completely immersed in nature completely disconnected and all you can focus on is just one foot in front of the other pully pully as they say which means slowly slowly and enjoy it along long the way like I'm having a lot of fun hi we have Kongo you want to say hi hi he's the best so there is our camp and there's Killy this is the best you have gotten made it home sweet home for the night and we have an insane view of Mount kjaro it's only night two and I am shocked at how cold I am it's like 3 or 4 Celsius so like in the low 20s in the S night too we have a six more nights of just increasing altitude they gave us a hot water bottle and this is my new boyfriend just going to cuddle It Off all night and so today we went from 9,000 FT elevation to 11,000 FT elevation and so far no altitude symptoms feeling good I'm taking diox and at the end of this trip I'll be taking doxy cycling for malaria sexy the other night in my humble abode one me sleep tight good morning she has risen can't say I slept very well last night bringing sexy back I see ice outside that's why I was so cold day three baby we're like it's one thing to track 9 days through Wilderness another thing to do it in freezing temperatures every day really adds to the whole experience okay I believe in myself we got this let's go feeling clean ready for a new day they morning this is the only mirror we have only mirror looking kind of cute all right I've looked better but is my Diamox King Bottoms Up time for my medical check check oxygen levels and heart rate to make sure everything's okay 9280 you're in the '90s feel good about that good we have the monster of Mount kraw behind us and uh let's hit the Rope he this cool little cave can take a little backpack nap this is my home now we're living here forever we made it hello so I'm journaling right now wanting to get to the bottom of this human desire to push yourself to these physical and mental limits go on these Adventures that force you to reach into like the deepest part within yourself it's so beautiful not we already getting emotional it's the altitude I'm fine I'm fine as someone who is really hard on themselves excited about the future but also feels a ton of anxiety about not knowing where I'm going or who I'm going with doing something like this reminds me I'm going to be okay I'm so capable we are capable of so much more than we realize like we limit ourselves so much I think I'm feeling myself tap into this strong and overwhelming and empowering feeling okay that's enough for me let me show you the view Sun SAA good morning from day four no days off with skin care even though I've never been dirtier in my life I think what's beautiful about these hikes is how you gain so much gratitude for the little things that I would never think twice that like a bowl of hot water this towel is absolutely covered in dirt at this point but we make do day four making progress let's get it oh I saw these St and take their CLS out I was like what are they doing like more rocks we've been looking at rocks and I realized that's the cloud we are like above the clouds these little legs of mine car Me Above the Clouds proud of us the fog just rolled in so you can see Mount KY behind me I got to say today was definitely a bit more challenging I'm finally feeling the symptoms of altitude sickness pretty gnarly headache and just the fatigue like the sleepiness like you're really sleepy and you have really weird dreams I have had some of the most Vivid strange dreams I may have ever had we started with hikers and we're down to three the fourth actually also dropped off today she just felt like it was too much and you know I respect that decision you have to trust your body on something like this and sometimes the altitude does get the best of you cuz if you're just throwing up nonstop and you're not sleeping at night like you don't have the energy to keep going we have two more days until it's finally Summit day can't believe we're at like 14,000 elevation we are up here we're Above the Clouds so windy it's literally shaking the ca I had to just scoop out a massive spider that was about to crawl into my sleeping bag and throw it outside thankfully for helped and put it on my oh God I will say we're checking with our guide and I feel like some of the stories we talked about started to Spook us all a little bit people getting sick and issues that arise I think I've been a little lighthearted about it you all need to be paying attention to your energy and your heart and your breathing and your headaches cuz these are all things that could potentially be really really dangerous was bit sobering going bed tonight hope they don't blow away tonight we'll see rice how's everyone doing a little cold but you know hi hi good morning day five look at this I feel like I'm in the middle of a Han Zimmer soundtrack right now so otherworldly every day offer something new feeling really good today just intense that we're in like the abyss of a cloud a little harder to breathe today we're taking it slow pulley pulley all these in Paris and they forgot to take I swear to you I'm not a thief I got to walk around with this tag on we're doing the pit check I got my Poncho here keeping me dry I have my arcx shell and my waterproof pants apparently I stole have my North Face shell REI pants and my little bag rain cover and then shedrock what are we wearing here I just have still have my pathy because I think the fog is not too strong this is Colombia this is Colombia love the fit man did we make it we made it that was so I think we're the last people on Earth on Mars I think we're on hey guys hi good morning oh my God oh my wow I look czy I look so crazy to be climbing that climb that be 24 hours it's our last full day before summiting the tallest pal in Africa I'm mentally preparing myself but honestly feeling good it's looking very steep though I can't Li I miss you I miss you m I miss you get in there I didn't know Lindy was such a good dancer dance party at what are we at 13,000 definitely a little bit loopy hey hey we got backup dancers coming in hello day six we made it to school Hut which is the last base camp before we Summit I am so in awe of my little body for getting me up here and we're salmoning tomorrow at 3:00 a.m.

so you have to get up at 3:00 a.m. you can obviously hear my voice like the elevation gate is no joke like so much harder to breathe up here and before we head off on our acclamation hike I want to thank today's sponsor which is Better Health doing something like this is really like a test of the human Spirit part of the reason why I have built up the confidence to do something like this that I would have never done years ago is thanks to therapy and speaking with someone who's helped me develop the confidence and give me the tools to feel comfortable believing in myself so if you've never heard of betterhelp betterhelp helps connect you to a licensed therapist who's trained to basically talk to you and listen to you and give you unbiased advice just go to their site you answer a few questions and better heal connects you with a therapist who has years of experience helping people with struggles just like yours what I love is that you can do it all from your phone or computer I say this every time but like clearly I be traveling the world it's so helpful for me to be able to speak with people on the road and maybe prefer messaging or video messaging or phone call like you have all the options at your disposal it's the easiest way to start talking with therapist so let betterhelp help you help yourself and start speaking with a licensed therapist today you can go to betterhelp to sign up today and get started and if it's your first time and you sign up with a link in my description below you'll get a little discount on your first month and on that note we got to get back to hiking y'all we're doing our acclamation look at this view are you kidding me crazy oh my go my God are we going to blow away we're somewhat alive it's 2:3 a.m.

we decided to have a sleepover how's feeling now we have to get out and go how m for I guess collectively 12 hours let's go 5 to 6 more hours of going up about 45 to 50% incline this is really hard God I think I underestimated it this is hard nothing could have prepared me for this landscape I feel like we've transported to a whole another Universe now I'm surrounded fields of sculptures I think I'm in Antarctica I've literally never seen anything like this in my life I'm like a might hallucinating baby this truck is about mental resilience more than anything else else each step increasingly is more strenuous oxygen becomes thinner your legs feel heavier and it's that determination and inner strength that really kicks in and I'm learning that reaching the top isn't about just conquering a mountain it's overcoming these inner doubts and fully and completely trusting in yourself and after well over a week of camping and hiking and then finally an additional 9 hours of hiking Through The Dark Night and the freezing cold wind storms finally peaked through the fog signaling making it to the roof of Africa I immediately felt overwhelmed with the feeling of being enough being more capable and more strong than I've ever given myself credit for ultimately summoning Mount kjaro is a reminder that while the journey is difficult the rewards of self-discovery of a greater purpose and feeling fully human in a lot are worth every step it takes courage to leave your comfort zone but I think that's what life is all about