Boots for Kilimanjaro

Annette, Shannon, and Ross here! Some of you probably know that we recently summited Kilimanjaro.  What you might not know is that over the course of our expedition we encountered many porters who did not have sufficient and/or adequate gear for the climb. More than anything, porters lacked proper clothing, backpacks, and shoes.  We also found that the gear they did have was very heavily used.

The journey from the base to the summit takes about a week. During this time, tourists, guides, and porters are faced with very dangerous and harsh conditions. Freezing temperatures, driving rains and snow, and gale-force winds are not uncommon on Kilimanjaro. Since we have been gone, two porters have died due to hypothermia.  

We realize there is not much we can do about this situation, but we would like to do our part by providing new boots for the team of 30 porters and guides who led us up the mountain. There is no REI, Camp Saver, or Backcountry in Tanzania, and even if there were, it would take months of a porter's wages to purchase a budget boot.      

Shannon, Ross, and I humbly ask for any support you can provide toward this purchase. Seeing evidence of shoes actually falling apart on the trail really struck us and those images have been seared in our minds. If you have a moment please watch this video. It might help in understanding the life of a porter:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-lpXf-UlP4&t=367s