Ellie's Monthly story
Journey to Extraordinary ~ Comfort Restored
Day 8 – September 4th, 2024 We woke up that last morning to one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen, still high above a sea of clouds. The first thing I heard was one of our men coming out of his tent
Journey To Extraordinary ~ Day 7 – The Long Way Home
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie Day 7 Continued – September 3rd, 2024 – 10am We perched atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, for a half hour gazing at the awe-inspiring volcanic crater below. After 30 minutes of rest and reflection, our guide signaled it was time to descend. The
Journey To Extraordinary ~ The True Summit.
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie Day 7 Continued… September 3rd, 2024 – 7am I knew before we started up the mountain that we would hit a false peak first. What I didn’t know was how far away the True Summit lay behind it. As I stood
Journey To Extraordinary ~ Summit Night
Day 7: September 3rd, 2024 – 12:00 AM It is finally time for us to summit and we start the climb at midnight! Sleeping from 6 to11 PM proved fruitless for many of us. The anticipation had us jittery and on edge. I admit, I
Journey to Extraordinary ~ Base Camp Sickness
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie Day 6, September 2nd, 2024 We woke up today with nervous excitement. Today we will hit Base Camp and tonight we begin our final ascent to the summit, but we are on the lookout for signs of altitude sickness. Our morning
Journey to Extraordinary ~ Deafening Silence
Day 5, September 1st, 2024 We awoke feeling somewhat refreshed and ready to go, optimistic that the day ahead was relatively short. Though as always, our guides kept us moving. Today’s journey was marked by cloud walking, temperature drops, and deafening silence. Kilimanjaro felt quiet
Journey To Extraordinary ~ Embracing the Uncomfortable Mind
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie Day 4, September 1st, 2024 Today brought us back to the trail with markedly easier conditions. The cooler air made a welcome difference, with clouds weaving around us –Â sometimes below, above, or even engulfing us entirely. This made for lots
Journey To Extraordinary ~ Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie Day THREE, August 30, 2024 Today I awoke to the sounds of the men in our group grumbling at me. Tonight they realized that although they love hiking, they hate camping. They were cold. They were uncomfortable. And they were cranky!
Journey To Extraordinary ~ Comfort Foregone
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie Day TWO, August 29, 2024 We awoke at 5:30 am and the plan was to leave the comfort of our hotel at 6:30. This would be the day I discovered that having 8 people in your group means lots of reasons
Journey To Extraordinary ~ The Journey Begins
by Ellie Bishop McKenzie DAY ONE. The Road Ahead. As we got closer and closer to the departure date for our journey of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, I started getting nervous. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night having dreams