Preparing for a 5,895-Meter Challenge
On September 24, 2026, Lori and I will take our first steps on the Machame Route of Mount Kilimanjaro, beginning a seven-day journey toward Uhuru Peak at 5,895 meters above sea level.
The idea of climbing Kilimanjaro started as a personal challenge. Five years after completing a marathon together, we wanted to find something that would push us in a completely different way.
Choosing the mountain was the exciting part.
Preparing for it has been an entirely different experience.
Over the past several months, our attention has gradually shifted from researching Kilimanjaro to asking much more practical questions:
How far should we be able to hike comfortably?
How do we prepare our legs for walking day after day?
How much weight should we carry during training?
Which equipment actually works after five or six hours on the trail?
How do you prepare for temperatures that can range from warm rainforest conditions to freezing temperatures near the summit?
And perhaps the biggest question of all: how do you prepare for an altitude of almost 6,000 meters when you live in Southern Ontario?
There isn’t one exercise or one training hike that prepares someone for Kilimanjaro.
For us, preparation has been about gradually putting many pieces together.
Understanding What Kilimanjaro Will Demand
Kilimanjaro is unusual because reaching the summit doesn’t normally require technical mountaineering skills.
There are no ropes, ice axes or advanced climbing techniques involved on the standard trekking routes under normal conditions.
That doesn’t make it easy.
The challenge comes from a combination of distance, elevation gain, consecutive days of hiking, changing terrain, cold, fatigue and altitude.
Our seven-day Machame itinerary means we’ll be hiking for several hours almost every day.
Some days are relatively moderate.
Others involve sustained climbing and descending.
And then there is summit night, when we’ll leave camp during the night and climb toward Uhuru Peak in darkness before beginning a substantial descent later that same day.
So our training couldn’t simply be about becoming stronger.
We needed to prepare our bodies to keep moving for a long time, recover, and then do it again the following day.
Building Endurance Before Speed
One of the biggest changes we’ve made in our training is focusing less on how quickly we cover a distance and more on how comfortably we can remain active for several hours.
Kilimanjaro isn’t a race.
In fact, one of the expressions we’ll probably hear most frequently on the mountain is the Swahili phrase “pole pole” — slowly, slowly.
That philosophy has influenced how we train.
Instead of trying to set personal records on our hikes, we’re using longer outings to practice maintaining a sustainable pace.
The goal is to finish a long hike feeling as though we still have something left.
That’s important because on Kilimanjaro there will be another hiking day waiting for us the following morning.
hiking preparation
Long Training Hikes in Ontario
Living in Burlington gives us access to some excellent hiking areas, particularly along the Niagara Escarpment and Dundas Valley Conservation Park.
They obviously can’t reproduce Kilimanjaro’s altitude, but they give us something else we need: hills, uneven terrain and hours on our feet.
We’ve also incorporated the Chedoke Stairs in Hamilton into our training. With repeated climbs and descents, the stairs give us a simple way to add concentrated elevation work and challenge our legs in a different way than a long trail hike.
While it obviously can’t replicate climbing at altitude, repeating the stairs helps us work on sustained climbing effort, leg endurance and controlled descending—areas that will matter throughout the Machame Route.
As the expedition has approached, we’ve progressively increased the length of our hikes, with some of our longer training days building toward the 20–28 kilometer range.
Those longer outings serve several purposes.
They build cardiovascular endurance.
They condition our legs and feet.
They expose small equipment problems.
And they teach us what happens after several hours when we’re tired.
A backpack strap that feels perfectly comfortable during the first hour can become surprisingly irritating several hours later.
A pair of socks that works on a short walk may behave differently after 20 kilometers.
Even decisions about snacks, hydration and how frequently we stop become more obvious when we’re outside for five or six hours.
That’s exactly why these longer hikes matter.
We want to discover those problems in Ontario, not halfway up Kilimanjaro.
Training With Our Backpacks
Another important part of the preparation has been hiking with the packs we’ll actually use.
Walking without weight and walking for hours with a loaded backpack are very different experiences.
The extra weight changes posture, balance and the amount of effort required on climbs.
Rather than suddenly loading our backpacks heavily, we’ve gradually become accustomed to carrying the equipment and water we’re likely to have with us during a normal trekking day.
It’s also given us time to adjust the packs properly.
Where should the hip belt sit?
Are the shoulder straps too tight?
Can we access water without removing the backpack?
Where should rain gear go if the weather changes quickly?
Can we reach snacks while walking?
These sound like small details.
After several consecutive days on a mountain, small details can make a significant difference.
Hills Matter More Than Flat Kilometers
Distance is useful, but Kilimanjaro involves climbing.
That means we’ve deliberately looked for routes with hills rather than simply accumulating kilometers on flat ground.
Southern Ontario can’t reproduce the sustained elevation of Kilimanjaro, but the Niagara Escarpment gives us repeated opportunities to climb and descend.
Descending is especially important.
People often focus almost entirely on going uphill when preparing for a mountain, but long descents can be demanding on the quadriceps, knees and feet.
Kilimanjaro doesn’t end when we reach the summit.
We still have to walk back down.
So we’re treating downhill conditioning as part of the training rather than something that happens after the “real” climb.
Strength Training Supports the Hiking
Hiking remains the most specific part of our preparation, but it’s not the only part.
Strength training helps support the repetitive movements we’ll be performing for hours at a time.
Our focus isn’t on building maximum strength before departure.
It’s about having strong, durable legs and enough stability to handle uneven terrain while carrying a backpack.
Exercises that challenge the legs, hips and core can complement hiking because those areas play an important role in climbing, descending, balance and carrying a pack.
But we’ve also learned that more training isn’t automatically better.
The body needs time to recover from long hikes.
If every workout leaves us exhausted, we’re not necessarily becoming better prepared.
We’re simply becoming tired.
So recovery has become part of the plan as well.
Learning to Use Our Gear Before the Mountain
Preparing for Kilimanjaro has also changed the way we think about outdoor equipment.
There is a big difference between owning gear and knowing your gear.
We’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching boots, backpacks, trekking poles, base layers, fleece, insulated jackets, waterproof shells, gloves and hydration equipment.
But eventually the research has to stop and the equipment has to go outside.
We’re wearing our hiking boots on long training days rather than saving them for Tanzania.
We’re using our trekking poles.
We’re carrying our backpacks.
We’re testing our hydration setup.
We’re learning how our layers work together.
If something rubs, leaks, moves, overheats us or simply feels awkward, we want to know now.
The mountain shouldn’t be the first place we discover how our equipment works.
Preparing for Several Climates on One Mountain
One of the fascinating things about Kilimanjaro is how much the environment changes during the ascent.
We’ll begin at lower elevations where conditions can be relatively warm and humid.
As we climb, vegetation becomes more sparse and temperatures decrease.
By summit night, we’ll potentially be dealing with freezing temperatures, wind and several layers of clothing.
That creates an interesting packing challenge.
We can’t simply bring one outfit for cold weather and another for warm weather.
Our clothing has to function as a layering system.
That means combining moisture-management base layers, insulating mid-layers and outer protection depending on conditions.
We’re also practicing with those combinations before departure.
A jacket may fit perfectly over a T-shirt but feel completely different when it’s worn over a base layer and fleece.
Gloves need to keep our hands warm while still allowing us to hold trekking poles.
Even seemingly simple things such as changing layers without completely unpacking a backpack become worth practicing.
The One Thing We Can’t Truly Train for in Ontario: Altitude
We can train our legs.
We can improve our cardiovascular fitness.
We can hike for hours.
We can practice with our gear.
But we cannot recreate 5,895 meters of altitude in Burlington.
And that’s important to recognize.
Being physically fit can make hiking easier, but fitness doesn’t make someone immune to altitude illness.
As we climb higher, atmospheric pressure decreases and less oxygen becomes available to the body.
How well someone responds varies considerably from person to person.
That means we’re not approaching altitude as something we can simply “train through.”
We’re approaching it with respect.
Our seven-day Machame itinerary gives us more time to ascend progressively and acclimatize than a shorter itinerary would.
We’ll also be relying on our mountain guides to monitor how we’re responding as we gain elevation.
Symptoms at altitude shouldn’t become a test of toughness.
If something doesn’t feel right, communicating it matters.
This article describes our personal preparation and should not be considered medical advice. Anyone planning high-altitude travel should discuss their itinerary, medical history and any altitude-related medications with an appropriate healthcare professional before travelling.
camp on kilimanjaro route
Why We Chose a Seven-Day Machame Route
When we started planning Kilimanjaro, one decision we took seriously was the length of the climb.
It might seem appealing to reach the summit as quickly as possible, but altitude changes that equation.
More time on the mountain gives the body additional opportunity to adjust as elevation increases.
The seven-day Machame Route also uses sections of the climb where hikers gain elevation during the day and later sleep at a lower altitude—a strategy commonly described as “climb high, sleep low.”
For us, choosing the route wasn’t about finishing Kilimanjaro quickly.
It was about giving ourselves a reasonable itinerary and the best opportunity to adapt progressively.
Ultimately, no itinerary can guarantee successful acclimatization.
But rushing the mountain certainly isn’t our goal.
Hydration, Nutrition and the Less Exciting Parts of Training
A mountain expedition isn’t powered by motivation alone.
We also have to eat, drink and recover.
Our longer training hikes give us an opportunity to practice those routines.
What foods are easy to eat while walking?
How frequently do we need to drink?
What happens to our energy after several hours?
How much do we actually feel like eating when we’re tired?
Those may not be the most exciting parts of preparing for Kilimanjaro, but they matter because it becomes harder to make good decisions when you’re exhausted.
Building routines during training means there is less to figure out when we’re on the mountain.
Preparing Mentally for Going Slowly
There is another part of the preparation that doesn’t show up on a training plan.
Patience.
When you’re fit and feeling good, the instinct is often to walk faster.
Kilimanjaro demands something different.
Especially as we move higher, conserving energy and allowing time for acclimatization can be more important than maintaining the pace we’re accustomed to at home.
That’s one reason we’re deliberately practicing steady pacing now.
We’re also preparing ourselves for the possibility that there will be uncomfortable moments.
We may be tired.
We may sleep poorly.
It may be cold.
Weather may change.
Someone may have a difficult day.
The goal isn’t to pretend those moments won’t happen.
It’s to expect them and continue making sensible decisions when they do.
Summit Night Will Be a Different Kind of Challenge
Of all the days on the itinerary, summit night is the one we’ve thought about the most.
We’ll begin climbing while it is still dark, moving slowly toward the crater rim and eventually, if conditions and our bodies allow, toward Uhuru Peak at 5,895 meters.
At that altitude, everything requires more effort.
We’ll be tired from the previous days.
We’ll be wearing more layers.
Temperatures will be colder.
And we’ll have already spent several days walking.
That’s why we don’t see summit preparation as something that happens during one heroic workout.
It’s being built now through months of ordinary training days.
The long hike when we’d rather stay home.
The hill we decide to climb one more time.
Testing the backpack again.
Learning what to eat.
Recovering properly.
And then doing it all again.
The Final Weeks: Trusting the Work We’ve Done
As departure gets closer, there will be a temptation to squeeze in more training.
But eventually, preparation has to become maintenance.
We’re not going to transform our fitness during the final few days before leaving for Tanzania.
The priority will shift toward arriving healthy, rested and ready to walk.
That means completing our remaining long hikes, continuing appropriate strength and conditioning, checking our gear and gradually reducing the training load as departure approaches.
A last-minute injury caused by trying to fit in one more hard workout would accomplish exactly the opposite of what months of preparation were meant to achieve.
At some point, we have to trust the work we’ve already done.
What Training for Kilimanjaro Is Teaching Us
Perhaps the biggest lesson so far is that preparing for a mountain isn’t one dramatic event.
It’s a collection of small decisions made repeatedly.
Going for the training hike.
Adding another hill.
Breaking in the boots.
Checking the packing list again.
Taking a recovery day when we need it.
Learning about altitude.
Adjusting equipment.
Asking questions.
Planning for things that may never happen.
The summit photograph—if we’re fortunate enough to get one—will capture only a few seconds of this entire experience.
It won’t show the months that came before it.
And maybe that’s part of what makes this journey meaningful.
Progress often happens long before anyone sees the result.
Training for Something Bigger Than the Summit
Our Kilimanjaro journey began as a challenge Lori and I wanted to undertake together.
But along the way it became Climbing Higher Together, our campaign supporting mental health through CAMH.
The training now has a different meaning.
Every long hike brings us closer to Tanzania, but it also brings us closer to an opportunity to use this adventure to support something much larger than ourselves.
On September 24, the preparation ends and the climb begins.
Until then, we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing for months:
One hike. One hill. One step at a time.
Follow Our Journey to Mount Kilimanjaro
Want to know how this challenge grew from an idea after completing a marathon into a community fundraiser?
Read From Marathon to Mountain: How Our Kilimanjaro Fundraiser Came to Life →
You can also follow the expedition, support CAMH, Sponsor a Meter or join the 5,895 Challenge through our Climbing Higher Together campaign.
Explore Climbing Higher Together →
Laurent & Lori
