“Phenomenal. Amazing. Humbling.”

That’s how Dr. Ashutosh “Ash” Goel described his incredible trek up Mount Kilimanjaro.

Goel and his daughter, Amiti, along with his nephew Tilak Gupta and niece Shagun Gupta, set off in mid August to climb the famous dormant volcano in Tanzania. In the process, they raised over $8,000 to support childhood education efforts by United Way BCKR and Focus on Tanzanian Communities.

Goel is a senior vice president and chief information officer at Bronson Healthcare. He also serves on United Way BCKR’s board of directors.

Making the adventure happen involved far more than just the climb itself. The logistics proved “incredibly complex,” Goel said. Besides food and camping supplies, there were 33 porters, three guides, a medic, a campsite manager and a representative of the porters’ union, all working together to help Goel’s four-person party plus another climber reach the summit.

“The people who did the preparation made it effortless,” he said.

Getting to know the Tanzanian porters and guides proved enlightening. Goel said. He came to understand their lives—many struggle to make ends meet, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Kilimanjaro climbs last year. While most started sidelines to create income, the climbing company also kept paying the porters the best they could.

Brutal Climb to Top

The climbers reached the 19,341-foot summit on Aug 27. The climb overall was tough but doable, though the final day was especially hard. It took 11 brutal hours to reach the summit.

“It drained us physically,” he said. “Sometimes the only thing that kept us going was the desire to get there and the encouragement of the guides.” The Tanzanian aides helped the climbers break the effort into smaller goals—reaching a certain rock or ledge, then aiming for the next one.

“They were always about helping us meet our goal,” Goel said.

Goel also pointed out the mountain’s starkness, especially at high elevation where there no plants, nothing but rocks and a view of shrunken glaciers—a disturbing sign of climate change. They camped in the dormant volcano’s crater that night, enduring temperatures well below freezing. Goel said their drinking water supply froze, which made it tough to stay hydrated on the way down.

When they weren’t climbing, Goel said he and his family members had an opportunity to visit a local Tanzanian school and marvel at the enthusiasm of students and staff, most of whom lack things we take for granted such as easy access to water and food.

There were many magical moments on this adventure. For example, Goel discovered that one of the Tanzanian guides had a friend who works at Pfizer, underscoring how it really is a small world after all.

“This was an opportunity to connect with people in a very different way, both the people in Tanzania and with my family and friends,” Goel said. You can read more about the Kilimanjaro trek on the team’s website, climbinghigher.us.