Is Mt. Kilimanjaro calling you?

Whitefish father and son climbing team Jon and David Hunt recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 19,341 feet the highest mountain in Africa and one of the tallest free-standing mountains in the world. They were joined by David's friend Dan Vinson.

The idea for the climb originated with David, who has been living in Debark, Ethiopia, for more than a year working as a Peace Corps volunteer.

"My son telephoned from Ethiopia saying, 'Hey old man, do you want to climb Kilimanjaro?'" Jon recalled. "I knew that no was not an option. No way am I going to let my 23-year-old son challenge me without a quick retort of, 'Who are you calling old man? I'll be waving down at you from the top.'"

Jon said he had other motivations, however.

"When facing heart surgery two years ago, I realized that my time here on Earth is finite, and that postponing things was not a good idea," he said.

With six months to get in shape, Jon turned to daily workouts at The Wave and hiking in Glacier National Park. His wife Sara and daughter Jenifer accompanied Jon on the flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where they visited David for 13 days.

"After experiencing what it's like without the comforts we take for granted — electricity, running water, one-room mud-walled housing, outdoor communal toilets consisting of a hole in the ground — we discovered that the comforts we left behind were not needed," Jon said.

The Hunts were feted at several eating and drinking ceremonies per night. The hospitality was provided by HIV patients, hotel owners and young friends of David. After 13 days, Jon, David and Dan flew to Moshi, Tanzania, for the start of the seven-day climb.

"As required by the Tanzanian government, we were accompanied by an entourage of 11 assorted guides, cooks and porters," Jon said. "The main source of employment in the area is the tour business, and access to the mountain is restricted unless you use a government-sponsored agency."

It was the rainy season, and the first five days brought rain, fog, wind, heat and cold. At night, the dampness penetrated their tents and they woke up to wet clothing. They traveled through rain forests and moon-scaped and rocky terrain, eventually reaching snow-topped mountains and the 15,000-foot base camp after five days.

"The guides gave us four hours of rest before starting our ascent at midnight," Jon said. "Seven hours of hiking straight up, in the dark, brought us to a glorious sunrise at Uhuru peak, 19,400 feet."

Jon said they were concerned about altitude sickness because they had never climbed that high before, but none of the three experienced nausea, light-headedness or headaches.

"We had 10 minutes at the summit before descending, and three hours later we were at the base camp," Jon said. "After only 1 1/2 hours of rest, we were off to the next camp, about five hours away."

Jon said he felt this was the hardest part of the trip.

"After hiking up and down for 10 hours, my body wanted rest," he said. "The five hours to the next camp was down a creek bed, filled with rocks. Climbing down and over rocks caused my legs to quit. With God's grace, I eventually staggered into the next camp site, fell asleep and the next day walked the final three hours to the gate."

Looking back at the difficulties, Jon said he has no regrets.

"Am I glad I did it? You bet," he said. "I'm thankful to my son for inviting me on this adventure. Kilimanjaro was not on my 'bucket list,' but I'm glad I did it. Looking back, I realized it was more mental than physical. When the cold, wind and fatigue set in, you have to tell yourself quitting is not an option."

Jon says anyone from Whitefish could climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with "a little physical conditioning, a lot of mental toughness and God's grace to see you through." He says anyone who wants more information about travel to Kilimanjaro and Ethiopia can contact him at jlhunt@centurytel.net.