Turning 50 warrants heading out to Vegas or the Bahamas – at least, that’s what Weehawken resident Richard Clarke thought most of his life.
But his friend Kent Hanson from San Francisco had another idea for where Clarke could celebrate: Africa. Specifically – the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
As wild as it sounds, the proposal was a fitting one considering that when Hanson turned 50 a few years ago, Clarke suggested they celebrate with a swim to Alcatraz.
“We challenge each other to certain things,” said Clarke last week. “When he told me [about Kilimanjaro] I just thought it was the greatest thing he could’ve come up with. There’s no way I’d climb any other mountain.”
“After the second day you’re above the clouds, looking down on the clouds.” – Richard Clarke
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What has been dubbed by the duo as “Rich and Kent’s Excellent African Adventure” included a six-day climb of the gigantic mountain, a four-day safari, a tour of Egypt, and a stop in Rome “for some pasta.”
The climb
Clarke and Hanson were led by their guide, “Babuu,” who estimated he’d been up and down the mountain about 150 times.
“He was just terrific,” said Clarke. “If it wasn’t for him we probably wouldn’t have made it.”
But even with a great guide, the realities of the four-and-a-half-day ascent up the snowy mountain quickly hit home the first night they camped out.
“The first time that it got really cold was an eye-opener,” said Clarke. “It’s really cold and windy. There’s no fire. You just had to use what you brought with you. If you didn’t, you got really cold.”
To combat the icy temperatures, the two boiled water on portable camping stoves and put it into their sleeping bags.
When they weren’t sleeping with water bottles, they were testing their endurance.
“You’re walking literally for 8 to 11 hours [on an incline],” said Clarke. “There’s not much flat ground on the way up.”
Above the clouds
As quickly as the reality of the cold set in, so did the reality of their surroundings. By the time they reached the second base camp, they realized they weren’t looking up at the sky anymore – they were in the sky.
“We saw some spectacular vistas and sunsets,” said Clarke. “After the second day you’re above the clouds, looking down on the clouds.”
On June 24, they finally reached the peak.
The first thing Clarke did was take out his camera to record a segment for the video log of his entire journey that he’d created for his 11-year-old daughter.
After the four and a half day journey to the top, it only took a day and a half to get back down.
Life-changing experience
Though his feet are back on solid ground, Clarke has kept his head in those clouds, in a sense. Clarke said that being away from technology during his trip helped him get back to who he was before all of the gadgets existed.
“I think my entire disposition changed,” said Clarke, who owns an advertising agency with an office in Weehawken. “All of a sudden, I turned off my phone this past weekend. I couldn’t think about anything else but spending time with my family.”
The daring worldwide travels for the Clarke and his buddy are far from over.
“[Hanson’s] 55th is coming up soon,” said Clarke. “I think we’re going to go to Machu Picchu in Peru.”
But, he added, they’re thinking of bringing their daughters along to start grooming the next generation of bold travelers.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.