“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other”

The more I read about people that made it to Uhuru Peak (Kili's summit) the more I run into the word perseverance.  I've heard a lot about the two last days, and how hard they are.  On day 5 into day 6, which is summit day and also the last day of the trek, is an 11 hour day of mostly rocks, the alpine desert (roughly above 13,500ft)

“The rate of ascent on all Kilimanjaro climbs is much faster than the recognized recommendation of 500m per day and the fact that many people summit without major problems is largely due to the fact that having reached the summit they descend very quickly thereby preventing the worst effects of altitude setting in.  The Kilimanjaro National Park shows that only 30% of climbers actually reach the Uhuru summit with the majority of climbers turning around at Gilman’s Point, 300 meters short of Uhuru, or Stella Point, 200 meters short of Uhuru.”

The difference between those who turn around from those who manage to keep going is perseverance.  The power to make your mind control your body and keep telling you to put one front in of the other, and that the task ahead of you is not only possible but more than worth it.