Why Do I want to Hike Kilimanjaro
The easy answer here is to claim myself as a hiker. Yes, I do enjoy hiking. It became an escape from my mind during the lockdown portion of the pandemic and, sure, I continued with the hobby. Having started in Hawaii and now Washington, there has been no shortage of beautiful trails, so naturally, I can say I was looking for a new challenge.
However, that’s not necessarily the case.
Why do I even want to hike this MF-er?
A seed was planted in my mind almost a decade ago.
The hiking that began when I moved to Hawaii was simply the sprinkle of water that fed the seed. The pandemic was the storm that gave the seed enough to sprout, flourish, and send its vines sprawling through my mind.
It was April 2017. I had taken a solo trip to Melbourne, Australia.
It just so happened to be the weekend of the F1 race which could not have been more exciting than sitting in a park picking grass to me at that time in life. So, while the city was flooded with fans, I looked to escape.
I found myself on a coach bus down The Great Ocean Road!
Solo. Alone.
Then, an old man sat in the seat next to me. I was young and more social then so I struck up a conversation. He was now my tour buddy.
The Great Ocean Road is a long journey from Melbourne to Port Campbell and back. The first stop was at Bells Beach. My tour buddy and I enjoyed a cup of coffee together as the guides explained how Torquay, the city we were in, was where Rip Curl, the surf company, began.
As the day went on, we would chat as we “oooo’d” and “aaaa’d” out the window on our drive. This man had been everywhere.
I was inspired. I hoped to be able to sit there at his age sharing crazy travel stories as he did.
One of the stories he told was his experience climbing Mount Everest. But Wyatt, I thought you were climbing Kilimanjaro why the freak are you talking about that other mountain. Simmer down and keep reading!
He went on to explain that he would never recommend hiking Mount Everest. “Really?” I gawked. He said if he were to recommend any hike it would be Mount Kilimanjaro. The hike, the view, the people, the overall experience was just night and day better and more rewarding. Seed planted.
The bus tour wrapped up. I bid farewell and that was that.
Then like, 5 years of life happened - graduation, family loss & drama, moved to Hawaii, left Hawaii, moved back to Hawaii, started dating my manager, restarted a marketing agency, pandemic began, lost a job, went full time to startup, osajfshfsohdfonxdipqohd……
We - now wife (yes, the former manager and co-creator of this lovely company) and I - had moved to Seattle.
The job I had gotten was not my favorite, but it helped us get our apartment and begin our life in the Evergreen State. It was a short-lived gig but did provide some valuable skills. I truly do believe every experience can provide something to life if you look for it.
That skill was goal setting. The CEO was all about establishing goals, writing them down, and working toward them. Something we’ve heard since birth it feels, and what every inspirational TikToker will tell you.
So, I thought I’d give it a try.
Sat down Dec 30th 2022, and wrote out my goals for 2023. But then thought, I have some bigger dreams that just can’t be squeezed into 2023. So then I added a few to 2024. I was having a lil too much fun so why stop there and I added two goals for 2025.
2023:
Get a new job ✅
Get Married ✅
Buy a home ✅
Run a half marathon ✅
Start Master’s degree ✅ sorta…I did start at the University of Washington but she is a pricy MF-er
Write a book moved to 2024
Read 16 books 14
2024:
Become an Olive Oil Sommelier moved to 2027
Launch business ✅
Go to a Kygo Concert ✅
2025:
Hike Kilimanjaro
Visit Antarctica moved to 2029
At the end of each year I would assess my goals for the last 365 days and readjust for the next 3 years. I could go through and show you what the updates were before 2024 and 2025 but I’ll pocket that idea for that limbo week between Christmas and New Year, so set a reminder and come back!
But, I had written this idea down years ago and started saucing ~$25 in a savings account every other check and when I could, I would add more.
Fast-forward to a few years and there were rumblings from our group about doing a safari…they had known people who had done one and always thought it would be fun…this was my chance! An episode of the Reluctant Traveler helped seal the deal. We were safari bound…and with that Kilimanjaro was happening.
So why the heck do I want to do it?
It was a simple idea that had been in the back of my head for half a decade and been on my bulletin board for 3 years. Clearly something that was important to me.
Why was it so important…
Simply put - It seemed cool.