May 16, 2026 2:50 pm
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Peak Performance: Rose Law Group Land Use Attorney Jon Gillespie Conquers Mount Kilimanjaro

Rose Law Group land use attorney Jon Gillespie shares his reflections, peaks, and valleys from his climbing journey up Africa’s highest peak. Follow along for his summit story.

Hike started in the Rain Forest Zone (6,000-9,500 feet altitude)
This is $36 of eggs being carried up the mountain for us.
Note monkey in tree at first camp
Zoom in to see picture my daughter drew for me showing me climbing Kilimanjaro.
Note porters carrying bags in the Moorland Zone (9,500-10,000ish feet altitude). We carried day packs and porters carried our 35 pound bags along with our tent and sleeping gear. They refused to let me carry but I didn’t fight much honestly.
Our group of 6 with the 22 porters, chef, and guides. They fed us three square meals a day, carried a toilet up the mountain for us and carried our bags/chairs/tables/tents etc. Pretty plush accommodations.
Here is us in the mess tent with our guides. We’d do vitals check once a day (pulse, oxygen, how many times did you pee, etc.).
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This is the kitchen.
Played soccer with some of our porters at 13,000 feet. Note the ball quality and rocky field we played on. They destroyed me.
Food shot. Not pictured is the soup (zucchini, pumpkin, butternut squash, corn, celery, leeks, etc.) we got before each meal, which was always my favorite.
Hike continuing into the Alpine Desert Zone (10,000-13,000 feet altitude)
Back to my 6 year old daughters drawing. She had placed cacti on her version of Kili. I was laughing about that when the porters told me we’d be seeing the Giant Senecio plant that ONLY grow on Kili and look exactly like what my daughter drew. How’d she know?
Barranco Wall required some scrambling. Again, impressed with the porters carrying bags up this at this altitude. I carried a bag for like 15 minutes up the wall and it killed me.
Classic jump pic at 14,000 feet.
Me trying to carrying my gear at 14,000 feet. Lasted 10 minutes maybe.
This is a bathroom at 14,000 feet.
Slept in two man tent for 6 nights. It got kinda old. Never slept more than 3 hours straight.
Again impressive porters.
Picture at highest Africa peak and largest “freestanding” mountain in the world. We had left at 1am and it took us 5 hours to ascend 4,000 feet and 4 miles to the summit. We went “pole pole” (slowly slowly). Got to 19,341 feet right at sunrise.
Guide Joshua and I after descending 10,000 feet and 10 miles in 2.5 hours (as a part of a total day that included 18 miles with 4,000 up to summit and then the 14,000 down and out). This final day was the day I really felt exhausted.
The bananas were so much sweeter than USA. More sugar packed into smaller banana.
Celebratory meal after getting off mountain. Not pictured is the goat meat.
Land Use juxtaposition…if you look closely you will see a lumber yard, farm, two story residence, and commercial retail all adjacent to each other and located on a major road which has cattle being driven along the shoulder…and I don’t think any neighbors are complaining about any of this.
Carrot harvesting. Lots of hard working people here.
Learning about Masai tribe culture
Ended my trip visiting Arusha National Park where I saw giraffes, zebras, baboons, cape buffalo, various monkeys, etc. Walking backwards to try and get closer to giraffes without them spooking.
Park ranger telling buffalo to get off our trail.

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