09/23/2026
๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง: ๐๐๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐จ
After months of training, planning and talking about Kilimanjaro, the climb is finally here.
But before taking our first step on the Machame Route, there was another challenge to navigate: getting ourselves โ and everything we needed โ from Canada to Tanzania.
Preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro isn't simply about becoming physically fit. In the final weeks, our attention shifted from training to equipment, medication, packing, airline restrictions and one question that became increasingly important:
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฎ๐ฌ?
When you are travelling for a regular vacation, delayed luggage is frustrating. When you are scheduled to begin a seven-day climb to 5,895 metres shortly after arriving, it can affect the entire expedition.
๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐
Our gear preparation took months.
Kilimanjaro requires clothing and equipment for dramatically different environments. The lower slopes can be warm and humid, while higher elevations bring wind, freezing temperatures and potentially severe cold around summit night.
That meant thinking in layers rather than simply packing "warm clothes": base layers, insulating layers, waterproof protection, hiking socks, gloves and mittens, head protection, proper footwear and the equipment we would need each day.
Then there were the smaller things that suddenly didn't seem so small: headlamps, batteries, charging equipment, water systems, sunglasses, cameras and personal items.
Every piece had a purpose, but every piece also added weight.
And that created our next challenge.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ-๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐
One of our biggest concerns was our checked luggage being delayed.
Our journey involved multiple flights and a relatively short connection. Every additional transfer creates another point where luggage needs to make it from one aircraft to another.
We therefore wanted enough essential climbing equipment in our carry-on backpacks that, in a worst-case scenario, we could still begin the expedition even if our checked bags arrived late.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ? ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ-๐จ๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ.
Ethiopian Airlines currently lists an Economy Class cabin allowance of one piece weighing up to 7 kg, with maximum dimensions of 23 ร 40 ร 55 cm.
Seven kilograms disappears remarkably quickly when you're carrying technical clothing, electronics and essential climbing equipment.
That created a balancing act.
What absolutely had to remain with us? What could go into checked luggage? And what could realistically be replaced in Tanzania if something went wrong?
There was also an uncomfortable possibility: even after carefully packing our backpacks, the airline could determine that a bag was too heavy or too large for the cabin and require us to check it.
Suddenly, our "backup plan" could become part of the luggage we were trying to protect ourselves from losing.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐จ
A delayed suitcase is normally an inconvenience.
For an expedition, timing changes everything.
We couldn't simply wait several days for a suitcase to arrive. Our climb had a scheduled starting date, guides, porters, accommodations and an itinerary designed around gradual progression up the mountain.
If critical equipment didn't arrive in time, we would face difficult choices: find replacement equipment locally, rent what was available, change our plans or potentially jeopardize the climb.
Airlines do have systems for tracing delayed baggage. Ethiopian Airlines, for example, uses WorldTracer and advises passengers to report missing baggage immediately and obtain a Property Irregularity Report reference number.
But knowing that a suitcase is being searched for doesn't necessarily solve the immediate problem when your expedition is leaving.
So we added another layer of protection.
๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐
We placed tracking devices inside our luggage.
An AirTag or compatible tracking device cannot prevent a suitcase from being delayed, and it doesn't replace the airline's baggage-tracing system. What it can provide is additional information about where the bag may be.
Interestingly, Ethiopian Airlines now specifically provides a process for passengers to share an AirTag location link when reporting delayed baggage, which can help with locating a missing bag.
For us, the trackers were less about technology and more about reducing uncertainty.
If our bags didn't appear on the carousel in Tanzania, at least we might have some indication whether they were nearby, sitting at our connecting airport or thousands of kilometres behind us.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ-๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ
Our connection added another concern.
A short layover might be convenient for passengers, but it leaves less time for both people and luggage to make the next aircraft.
We could move quickly through the airport.
Our suitcases couldn't.
Once checked in Toronto, they were largely outside our control. They needed to be unloaded, sorted, transferred and loaded onto the connecting flight while we made our own way to the next gate.
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ง
Arriving in Tanzania while our climbing equipment remained behind was another.
It was a good reminder that expedition planning extends far beyond the mountain itself.
๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ญ
Medication was another important part of our preparation.
Kilimanjaro rises to approximately 5,895 metres, where altitude illness is a genuine concern. The CDC recommends that travellers heading to high altitude discuss prevention and appropriate medication with a healthcare professional.
Our preparation therefore included speaking with our doctor and organizing the medications and basic medical supplies appropriate for our trip rather than simply building our own pharmacy.
Travel guidance also recommends keeping essential medications in carry-on luggage, in their original labelled containers, and bringing enough for the trip plus additional medication in case of travel delays.
Just like our boots and essential layers, medication wasn't something we wanted separated from us.
๐๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง
There comes a point when preparation has to end.
We trained. We researched. We tested equipment. We packed, unpacked and repacked. We weighed bags and debated what belonged in the cabin versus the suitcase. We prepared for altitude, weather, delayed luggage and tight connections.
But you can never eliminate every risk.
You can only prepare for as many as possible.
Tomorrow, September 24, we begin the Machame Route.
For months, Kilimanjaro has existed on training schedules, equipment lists, maps and computer screens.
Tomorrow, it becomes real.
And step by step, we begin climbing higher together.
