09/23/2026
𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧: 𝐆𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐨
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 — and everything we needed — 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:
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬?
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.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛
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.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲-𝐎𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚
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.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦? 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲-𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬.
Ethiopian Airlines currently lists an Economy Class cabin allowance of one piece weighing up to 7 kg, with maximum dimensions of 23 × 40 × 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.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐨
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.
𝐀 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐠
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.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦
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.
𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧
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.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐢𝐭
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.
𝐍𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧
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.
