Phil Gray

Kilimanjaro Via the Marangu Route: "Tourist Route" My Ass Phil Gray

I needed a break. I needed " an off-the-wall dalliance An all-boys' adventure in a faraway land. An adventure far away from telephones and faxes and lawyers. An adventure with an abundance of humor, serious physical exertion, and danger nominally short of life-threatening." After a little research and a few phone calls, I decided that a climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, with four friends, via the "Tourist Route", would fit the bill. In this book, the author tell the story of the climb-four days up, and two days down-with a humorous yet sensitive slant, describing the perils of altitude, the vicissitudes of Mother Nature, the enjoyment of multi-generational and multi-ethnic collaboration, the travails of disappointment, and the exhilaration of success. And where it suits his fancy-and does no harm to accuracy-he embellishes an observation or encounter to illuminate the pure joy of the experience. After all, it was about good fun, and the telling of it should be too.