Madison Jones conquers Mount Kilimanjaro
Albany native Madison Jones took part in a oncein- a-lifetime adventure a few weeks ago when she climbed Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.
Jones, a 2014 Albany High School graduate, spent seven days scaling the peak, which rises 19,341 feet above sea level.
“It reminds me there’s a really big world out there,” Jones said of her odyssey. “It takes effort, but it’s worth seeing.”
After graduating from Albany, Jones attended TCU, where she earned degrees in business and graphic design. She now works as art director for YETIatthecompany’sAustin headquarters, where sheis“surroundedbysome of the most outdoorsy people ever.” She was drawn to hiking and climbing despite growing up in an area noticeably devoid of mountain ranges.
“Every time I’ve been surrounded by mountains, it reminds me how small I am and how grand this world is, how grand these things God created are,” she said. “It’s always been a place of peace.”
The Kilimanjaro climb – which Jones, eight other climbers and 48 porters began on Jan. 8 – required nearly a year of planning before she ever set foot in Tanzania.
Jones and a friend were inspired while watching the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
A social media post from another friend who’d just gone to Kilimanjaro only fanned the flames.
“We watched the documentary on Feb. 1, and by Feb. 8 we had a nonrefundable deposit down,” Jones said. “It was almost a year in the making, mainly to save the money.”
To prepare for Kilimanjaro, a 37-mile hike, she tackled some notable climbs closer to home.
“In August, I climbed a 14er (14,000 feet) and in October, I went toYosemite National Park to climb Half Dome (8,846 feet),” she said. “I’ve backpacked in Colorado for five days camping, but I’ve never done seven days out of the country camping. That’s a lot of days in a tent.”
...withoutindoorplumbing.
“No running water, no shower for a week,” Jones said.“Wegotwaterbrought in to wash our faces and hands. That was a big luxury that made you feel really clean.”
The difficulty of the climb was educational even for a climber of Jones’ experience.
Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano with three distinct volcanic cones – Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct, whileKiboisdormant and could erupt again. Uhuru Peak, the highest summit on Kibo’s crater rim,wasJones’destination.
The mountain rises through five climate zones, starting with Bushland at the base to Arctic for the last 3,000 feet.
“We were in clouds, and it looked like fog every day,” Jones said. “The higher we went, we lost trees and gained snow. The summit was just a blizzard. It was a lot of environments in seven days.”
The weather created more problems than just soggy conditions.
“It’s not normally so rainy in January, when a lot of people climb,” Jones said. “You try to stay dry so you don’t get sick and also keep your gear dry. We had oneguywhohadtogodown because he started getting hypothermia.”
Midway through, Jones was afraid she’d be forced out with altitude sickness.
“I started getting sick on the fourth day, was throwing up,andcouldn’teatany more,”shesaid.“Thatmade me very weak.”
But she kept pushing as her group got closer to the top.
“Summit day, the sixth day, is the craziest day of thewholehike,”Jonessaid. “Yougetupatmidnightand start walking at 1:00 a.m. I started throwing up at 2:00 a.m., on my knees in the snow. I didn’t know if I’d be allowed to keep going or would be able to.”
With assistance from porters, Jones completed her trek to the top ofAfrica.
“When I made it to the top, I burst into tears,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. Being able to see the top reminded me of why we do hard things – because we can.”
