When L. Renee Blount joined an expedition to scale Tanzania鈥檚 Kilimanjaro at the end of 2021, her mission was to have fun and share her experience with others through photography. 鈥淚 wanted to capture the joy of the journey. It鈥檚 not only the summit that matters,鈥� says Blount, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was invited on the adventure by Andrew Alexander King, a mountaineer from Los Angeles who鈥檚 training to climb the Seven Summits. Blount trekked 45 miles over three and a half days through farmland, rainforest, bogs, an alpine desert, and arctic zones, and she suffered a bout of altitude sickness at 15,000 feet. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 keep anything down and just kind of soldiered through it,鈥� she says.

Blount and King reached the top of the 19,340-foot mountain on December 29, with the help of , a local travel company whose guides Blount describes as 鈥渢rue heroes and elite athletes.鈥� But the highlight of their trip happened a couple of days later. After leading Blount and King on a safari鈥攁n opportunity to observe wildlife from the safety of a Toyota Land Cruiser鈥攖heir guides took them to meet members of three tribes indigenous to East Africa鈥檚 Rift Valley: the Maasai, the Hadza, and the Datoga. For Blount, visiting with the Datoga felt like a homecoming. 鈥淭hey kept looking at me, and then a guide said, 鈥楾he chief wants to welcome you home.鈥� They were sure I could be from their tribe,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I am, but it was interesting to have someone feel like intrinsically I belonged to them.鈥� It was an honor, Blount says, to spend time with and take photographs of some of the world鈥檚 鈥済reatest explorers and survivalists,鈥� who she communicated with mostly through laughter and eye contact. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 speak the same language, but everyone knows how to laugh,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what my photos are about.鈥�

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On August 16, Tanzania鈥檚 tourism department launched broadband internet service on . Cue the handwringing. People don鈥檛 fly all the way to Tanzania, and spend $2,500 or more on a guided hike, just to listen to their phones buzz, am I right?听

Every time there鈥檚 news of high-speed internet, or even cell phone service, reaching remote areas鈥�U.S. national parks or Everest, to name a couple鈥攑eople are about the spread of modern connectivity to hitherto unconnected places. Those complaints are invalid.听

If you鈥檙e the kind of person who likes whining about connectivity reaching new places, you鈥檇 better start warming up your complaint muscles. By the end of next year, . And , too. It鈥檚 easier to list countries that won鈥檛 be served by Starlink by the end of 2023 than ones that will: Russia, Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and China. And China already has to its own, very censored, version of the internet.听

Besides, complaining about internet connectivity reaching rural places comes from a place of obscene privilege.听

The comments on this Instagram post are indicative of the types of attitudes 国产吃瓜黑料 readers have about expanded access to the internet in rural and remote areas.

“People who praise this service fail to see that they diminish the very experience they are seeking,” writes Andy Bloedorn.

Roselynn Ressa asks, “Isn鈥檛 the whole idea of getting outside to be in nature and unconnected?

“I’m really shocked that we are allowing corporate America’s greed and brainwashing to infiltrate even the outdoor community that claims to be all about preserving remote wilderness,” says Matthew Saville.

I鈥檝e recently been using Starlink to take high-speed internet to formerly unserved places. 听One place that now has internet, thanks to Starlink, is a family cabin located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northern Montana (my wife’s family is Blackfeet). And thanks to the technology, we鈥檝e been able to spend a little more time there, even when it overlaps with work. I can research articles and handle large files with ease, even while my wife conducts virtual sessions with clients of her therapy practice.

That鈥檚 a very privileged example of the flexibility remote access to the internet can give two people who have the means to enjoy it. To many of our neighbors on the reservation, access to the internet is not a luxury. According to , only 51 percent of households in the Blackfeet Nation had access to broadband internet. Only 60 percent owned a computer. And that鈥檚 hampered everything from economic development to access to education to healthcare. tells the story of one of our neighbors who has to choose between attending high school and helping his family raise cattle. An operator of a local tour guide service and cafe has been unable to collect payment from customers when her unreliable and painfully slow rural internet service goes out.

Data backs up those anecdotes globally. that a ten-percent expansion in access to broadband can lead to a 1.21 percent increase in Gross Domestic Product in developed economies like ours, and a 1.38 percent increase in developing countries. And there is room for that growth. Even here in the United States, of people living in rural areas do not have access to internet that reaches download speeds of 25 Megabits per second. In Tanzania, where Kilimanjaro is located, only of people in 2020 had internet connections exceeding 250 Kilobits per second.听

A report from the Center for American Progress of this limited access. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, 67 percent of American workers in non-metropolitan areas were unable to telework. In 2019, 18.7 percent of American households were 鈥渦nderbanked,鈥� meaning they were reliant on predatory institutions like payday lenders and check cashing services rather than actual banks, not because they didn鈥檛 have accounts at those banks, but because they didn鈥檛 have the internet access required to use them.听

Those inequities caused by lack of access to the internet exacerbate underlying inequalities. That same CAP report found that American children living in rural areas were twice as likely to lack access to the Internet necessary for remote learning compared to children living in cities and suburbs. Where only ten percent of white families in this country lack high-speed internet at home, that number grows to 15 percent for nonwhite families. Over 20 percent of homes making under $25,000 annually lack high speed internet. That number is under five percent for households earning $100,000 or more per year.听

What does all this have to do with internet access in outdoor playgrounds? Often, the places that privileged people treat as vacation or activity destinations are places others call home. That鈥檚 true for the Blackfeet Nation, up on the eastern side of , and it鈥檚 true for Kilimanjaro, where live within sight of the mountain.听

But what about you, and your precious time outdoors? If you don鈥檛 want your phone to ring, just turn it off.听

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Kilimanjaro could soon look quite different, and not just because of its听. The Tanzanian government听听construction of a cable car on the 19,341-foot peak, the highest summit in Africa听and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Still, while it may technically be approved, the project is far from a sure bet.

The nation鈥檚听government听 the cable-car idea in May 2019. Its goal: to increase the area鈥檚 tourism by 50 percent. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kilimanjaro attracted some 50,000 tourists a year,听roughly 35,000 of whom听attempted the summit. Others admired the landmark from its surrounding national park. That same year,听Constantine Kanyasu, then deputy minister of tourism for Tanzania, told me the cable car would help students and travelers under 15 years old and older than 50 experience the mountain鈥檚 beauty.

But听 urged the government to reconsider, and听 erupted with opinions. Porters and guides joined forces in opposition through local lobbying groups, while climbers launched听. Tanzanian officials听remained听mostly quiet on the topic, promising that they鈥檇 study feasibility and environmental and societal impacts before moving forward.

But in December 2020, the government gave its blessing for the cable car.听Paul Banga, the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) spokesperson for the project, has emphasized听that approval does not mean confirmation, however. 鈥淲e are waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism before we start looking for investors,鈥� Banga said during a TANAPA workshop, according to the听. When听Banga听responded to me on WhatsApp in January, he told me that听if and when officials move forward on the matter,听鈥渢he government decision will be communicated to the public.鈥�

Timing for such a听decision, like many details surrounding this project, remains unclear. But as a Kilimanjaro climber and frequent Tanzania traveler, my curiosity got the best of me after the 2019 announcement. I鈥檝e spent nearly two years tracking this project, from messaging听Tanzanian government officials to speaking with at least a dozen local and global experts. Here鈥檚 what I鈥檝e uncovered about its听most pressing questions, including insider perspectives on whether it will actually happen.

Where Would the Kilimanjaro Cable Car Run?

All reports and inside sources point to Machame, a scenic and popular route on the peak鈥檚听southern side. Machame attracts nearly half of all Kilimanjaro climbers, with its high success rate (85 percent for a seven-day climb) and beautiful passage听through five听ecosystems. Machame is also easily accessible from A23, the region鈥檚 main road, so it鈥檚 a natural choice for this kind of tourist attraction.

Merwyn Nunes, a Tanzanian听who opposes the cable car, worked for the听Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism before serving as a tourist representative for the Kilimanjaro region. Nunes now owns , a company that runs tours听from the Serengeti to Kilimanjaro National Park. He shared his best intel on what a proposed route could look like.听

The plan, he said, is that 鈥渟ix pillars strong enough to carry 15听cable cars will be built along the route.听Each cable car will carry six people on a 20-minute ride to the Shira Plateau.鈥� One of three volcanic cones, the Shira听is located at about 12,000 feet on a high plateau that stretches for eight miles before meeting Kilimanjaro鈥檚 tallest volcanic cone, Kibo, and its summit, Uhuru peak. With Kibo鈥檚 views and a relatively flat, open plateau, this area would be the most practical cable-car landing pad.听

Could Altitude Sickness Pose Issues for Tourists?

While specifics are forthcoming, it鈥檚 likely the cable car would start near the Machame gate (elevation 5,380 feet) and climb roughly 7,000 feet to the Shira Plateau in 20 minutes, according to Nunes. Could this cause altitude sickness? Yes. Altitude effects can start anywhere from听4,900 to 6,500 feet. Ascending too quickly increases the chances听of altitude-related illnesses, like acute mountain sickness,听s that include听headache, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath.听

In fact,听 from the Mayo Clinic suggests that 20 percent of those traveling to higher altitudes below 18,000 feet will suffer some form of altitude sickness. But a lot depends on the amount of time visitors remain听at high elevation. One study in the peer-reviewed journal听 notes that symptoms typically present upon 6听to听12 hours of arrival at altitude鈥攂ut that鈥檚 much longer than tourists usually spend atop a cable-car route.听

Will a Cable Car Affect Kilimanjaro鈥檚 Biodiversity?

The project鈥檚听environmental impact is a major concern among opponents. Kilimanjaro鈥檚 five diverse vegetation zones encompass everything from forests and farmland to desert and glaciers鈥攚hich have听, a fact that has made many a headline. But Kilimanjaro鈥檚 receding glaciers highlight more than a rapidly changing climate; they鈥檙e representative of the area鈥檚 fragile ecosystems, home to vulnerable species like elephants, who wander the surrounding听forests, and migrating birds that travel through the nation鈥檚 Endemic Bird Area, which encompasses both the peak听and much of southern Kenya.

To protect Kilimanjaro鈥檚 ecosystems and natural beauty鈥攖wo factors that helped Kilimanjaro National Park earn Unesco听World Heritage status in 1987鈥攖he Tanzanian government promised to conduct an environmental and social impact assessment before approving the cable car. In August 2019, Kanyasu, the former deputy minister of tourism, told me that the听environmental element of that study was complete.

But the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) isn鈥檛 convinced. A听spokesperson for the organization said that while the environmental and social impact assessment did recognize the area鈥檚 diverse ecosystems, it 鈥渄oes not assess how they will be impacted by the cable-car development.鈥� As the nature advisory body for the Unesco听World Heritage Center, the IUCN sent a letter to the state party of Tanzania recommending it听not pursue the project due to negative effects on the environment and 鈥渙utstanding universal value.鈥� The group has听yet to hear back.听

On the other hand, the mountain鈥檚 tens of thousands of annual climbers already stress Kilimanjaro鈥檚 environment with litter and trampled vegetation, according to the听. Steven Dale, a principal at the architecture and engineering firm听, which specializes in听cable-car consulting, and who is not affiliated with the project, says a cable car in and of itself is environmentally benign. 鈥淎s a means to convey people from the bottom to the top of a mountain in an environmentally sensitive area, there鈥檚 probably no better means to do that,鈥� he said.

Will Porters, Guides, and Climbing Outfitters Lose Business?

The 2019 announcement left Tanzania鈥檚 climbing community in shock. Would porters and guides lose their jobs? Would travelers choose the quicker, cheaper route up part of Kilimanjaro versus trekking for six or seven days to the summit? Concerned听parties joined Nunes鈥檚 local anti-cable-car lobbying group, Voice of Kilimanjaro, 鈥渢o give voice to a mountain that has no voice of its own,鈥� said Nunes.听

While many of these guides and porters are still not fans of the project, they鈥檙e less worried about job loss and more concerned about the sanctity of their treasured home mountain.听听

鈥淚 think people who really want to climb Kilimanjaro would still choose to climb Kilimanjaro to reach the summit instead of taking a short cable-car ride for sightseeing,鈥� said Vivian Temba, director of marketing for the Tanzania-based climbing outfitter听. 鈥淏ut the overall appeal of Mount Kilimanjaro as a natural attraction might diminish. Imagine听you鈥檙e beginning your Kili climb,听and instead of seeing the mountain in its natural glory, you see steel towers and cables.鈥�

So听Will the Kilimanjaro Cable Car Actually Come to Fruition?

From a purely logistical standpoint, it could. 鈥淎 system like this could be constructed in a year,听although my suspicion would be, in a location as geographically isolated and complicated politically and logistically, it would take one to two years,鈥� said Dale of SCJ Alliance. 鈥淏ut the proof is going to be whether or not they can get it across the line financially听and from a permit perspective. That鈥檚 really what this all boils down to. It鈥檚 not about the idea. We can debate about whether it鈥檚 a good idea or not. The question is really, Can they get it across the finish line?鈥�

Experts well versed in the Tanzanian government鈥檚 inner workings, like Nunes, have doubts. 鈥淭here appears to be some dragging of feet in government circles on this project,鈥� he said. 鈥淥n the other hand, I am holding my breath, not knowing what to expect. The danger that I see here is that the ruling party and present government鈥檚 policy is pegged on industrialism of the economy. Cable cars are looked upon as an industry. My personal feeling is that it will not happen.鈥澨�

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In October, the Department of the Interior proposed an entrance fee hike that would roughly double the cost to visit 17 of the country鈥檚 most popular national parks. The National Park Service carries a $12 billion budget shortage, leaving it without funds to repair things like roads, buildings, and restrooms. The rate increase was pitched as a way to fill the gap. 鈥淭argeted fee increases at some of our most-visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity,鈥� Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said .

The proposal ignored a lot of other factors, like the Trump administration鈥檚 simultaneous plan to cut $400 million from the Park Service budget. It also ignored the possible repercussions on surrounding towns. A from the University of Montana, however, focuses on just that. Looking at just Yellowstone National Park, the study found that Zinke鈥檚 increase would cost towns within a 60-mile radius of Yellowstone about $3.4 million each year. And this prediction accounts for only the price increase on seven-day passes, which is just 30 percent of visitors, says Jeremy Sage, associate director of the university鈥檚 Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. The overall impact is likely much greater.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not surprising, really,鈥� Sage says. 鈥淭hink about any good or service: When the price goes up, the demand for it goes down. Entry into the park and spending in neighboring communities is a complementary good鈥攊f peanut butter prices go up, demand for jelly goes down.鈥�

The proposed park fees would increase during peak visiting season鈥擩une to October鈥攁nd would raise vehicle passes to about $70, motorcycle passes to $50, and hiker and cyclist passes to $30. As a comparison, at Grand Canyon last year, those fees were $30, $25, and $15, respectively. Park fees have been rising in recent years, so in a sense this is continuing a trend. Campgrounds and parks across the country have increased fees on everything from senior citizen passes to picnicking. National parks are also increasingly more popular and crowded. Last year, a record 331 million people visited the parks, and with the lines and crowds, there鈥檚 a real demand to limit traffic.

In a way, the fee hike acts like surge pricing for Lyft and Uber. It deters some while charging a premium for those who can afford it, which in turn helps the budget shortfall. The question raised by the University of Montana鈥檚 study, however, is what鈥檚 the smartest way to do this?

The researchers knew that when travel becomes more expensive, fewer people visit parks; for every 10 percent increase in travel costs, park visits decline by about 3 percent. That figure may change a little depending on the type of visitor. While people who live in Montana may pay about $100 to visit Yellowstone, an international traveler is paying thousands of dollars, so a park fee increase doesn鈥檛 factor into the travel budget the same way. But nearly 80 percent of the people who visit Yellowstone are Americans from at least one state away, and the entry fee hike has a real impact on them.

For these people, Zinke鈥檚 proposed entrance fee hike adds about 14 percent to travel costs, which means tens of thousands of Americans will decide not to visit Yellowstone, according to the study. That adds up to millions of lost dollars for surrounding towns. And that鈥檚 only for people unwilling to pay the higher price for the seven-day pass. A lot of other fees could be raised, too. If you use this same arithmetic for the 16 other parks鈥攊ncluding Arches, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Zion National Parks鈥攜ou get an idea of what Zinke鈥檚 proposal might do across the United States. It鈥檚 no small matter, because money from parks visitors create in local U.S. communities.

What鈥檚 more, Zinke鈥檚 pay structure will hit low-income families the hardest. That鈥檚 raised a lot of complaints . There鈥檚 also a lot of anger and confusion over why other options weren鈥檛 explored. For example, to visit Kilimanjaro National Park, in Tanzania, the government charges foreigners $70 per person per day. Locals get in for $4.45. A fee structure like this, according to the study, also makes more sense because adding $40 or more onto an international plane ticket doesn鈥檛 affect the overall cost that much, and research proves these visitors will still make the trip. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not saying this is what you should absolutely do,鈥� Sage says, 鈥渂ut take a look at other options.鈥�

This gets at what most concerns Sage: He worries that Zinke鈥檚 department hasn鈥檛 done much research. The Department of the Interior figures the added fees will increase the Park Service鈥檚 budget by 34 percent next year. But that doesn鈥檛 seem to account for the loss in visitors or a number of other factors. When Sage鈥檚 department asked Zinke鈥檚 office for its research, he never heard back. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen any evidence to suggest they鈥檝e done a good enough job of exploring other options.鈥�

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Kilimanjaro is known for its packed summit during the high season; on a given day, you could be sharing it with one hundred other people. For filmmaker 听and his guide听, hiking it during the low season provided the solitude they sought.听Find more from Watson on Instagram听 and Motta's guiding outfit on Facebook听.听

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It鈥檚 easy to see why is known as the Queen of Pain.听For starters, the Red Bull athlete is an absolute monster on two wheels: she is a seven-time mountain bike world champion and has won the storied race a record-tying four times. She鈥檚 also won national and world championships in whitewater rafting, adventure racing, cross-country skiing, and orienteering, a sport that involves pathfinding in unfamiliar and rugged terrain. And although she is in her late 40s, Rusch has no intention of slowing down. This past March, Rusch and teammate became听the third party ever to summit Mount Kilimanjaro via bikes.听

I recently caught up with Rusch from her home in Ketchum, Idaho, to chat about her training, the ride up Kilimanjaro, and how she nurtures her body and mind for lasting peak performance.听

Training

I train on my mountain bike as much as possible. The majority of my riding is long and relatively slow. I鈥檇 say only about 20 percent of my total training volume is high intensity.听

I work with a coach who builds my workout schedule. Over time, I鈥檝e realized the importance of being flexible and evolving the plan based on both how my body is adapting and the other things going on in my life. It鈥檚 hard to nail a big training week at the same time you are remodeling your house.听

Favorite Workout

I love nothing more than a long 6 to 8 hour ride with friends on the mountain bike trails around Ketchum. I鈥檓 getting in the prescribed 鈥渓ong ride鈥� workout and the great aerobic and strength benefits that come with it, but it鈥檚 easy to forget about that when I鈥檓 out in nature with friends.听

Kilimanjaro Prep

In addition to my usual routine, I did some training that was more mountain-specific. While wearing a weighted vest and carrying a backpack, I walked up a steep incline on a treadmill in an altitude tent. I also slept in an altitude tent in the weeks leading up to the ride. Both strategies were immensely helpful鈥攎y body was well-adapted before I even stepped foot on the mountain.听

Dealing with Dark Spots

Whenever I get down and catch myself with negative thoughts, I pretend I鈥檓 saying those things aloud to another person. I ask myself, would you ever say, 鈥淲ell, it looks like you鈥檙e really blowing up, you鈥檙e day is over,鈥� to a training partner who is struggling? Of course not! You鈥檇 tell him, 鈥淜eep pushing and just make it through the next five minutes.鈥� Or maybe you鈥檇 say, 鈥淓at, drink, and hang in there until the next aid station.鈥� Going through this exercise helps me replace negative thoughts with positive ones.听

I guess what I鈥檓 saying is that you鈥檝e got to be kind to yourself. If you are kind to yourself, most of the time you鈥檒l get through the dark spot in a better mood and without wasting precious energy ruminating.听

Mind Over Matter听

Meditation has become a key part of my routine. I use an app called and meditate for 10 minutes every day. This small part of my day carries over into everything else I do. It helps me stay more present and focused in the moment, which is integral to solid performance in just about any endeavor, including bike racing.

Daily Nutrition

My guiding credo is that I try not to eat anything that comes in a package. I eat a well-balanced diet of whole, natural foods. I鈥檝e tried going gluten-free and vegetarian, but neither stuck. For me, staying away from processed foods is most important.听

Performance Fueling

During longer endurance races, I aim for between 150 to听200 calories per听hour, almost all of which are from sports drinks. It鈥檚 hard to take your hands off the [mountain bike] handlebars for too long, and eating can feel like a chore, so drinking a bottle, which I can easily and quickly consume with one hand, every hour works best for me.听

The specifics of fueling鈥攅.g., solid vs. liquid, what brand of energy gel to use 鈥攊s individual. But once you have developed a plan that works for you, I can鈥檛 stress enough the importance of sticking to it. If you fall behind on nutrition and hydration, you start to feel crappy, which makes you want to eat and drink even less, which only makes you feel crappier. It鈥檚 a vicious cycle and a hole this is almost impossible to climb out of.听

Recovery

I like to wear compression clothing after hard training and races and I also regularly use a foam roller. I鈥檓 not obsessive about it, but whenever I turn on the TV, I鈥檒l hop on the [foam] roller at the same time.听

Tactics like compression and foam rolling help at the margin, but by far the most important thing for my recovery is sleep. I sleep a ton鈥�8 to 10 hours a night.听

Aging Gracefully

You don鈥檛 need to be 25听years听old to have your greatest performance. At age 47, I鈥檓 still improving and having some of the best days of my career. I may not be as strong or have the same VO2 max as when I was younger, but wisdom is the great equalizer. I鈥檓 smarter about things like nutrition and race tactics, and I have a special self-knowledge that only results from years of experience.听

Motivation听

I tend to thrive most whenever I link what I鈥檓 doing to a greater purpose. For the Kilimanjaro ride, I worked with World Bicycle Relief, a charity that provides bikes to students and workers in rural Africa, to raise a dollar for every foot of elevation climbed. Those $19,341 dollars will purchase something like 120 bikes.听

[Note: Rusch is just shy of her fundraising goal. You can learn more about World Bicycle Relief and donate .]

The post How Did Veteran Endurance Athlete Rebecca Rusch Summit Mount Kilimanjaro on a Mountain Bike? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Earlier this year, adventurer teamed up with professional mountain biker to attempt something that's only been done once in history: climb and descend Mount Kilimanjaro on mountain bikes. To make things even more interesting, the two decided to keep听the mission totally self-supported, meaning they didn't accept help from porters, or from medicine to help with altitude sickness. The goal of the expedition was to raise one dollar for every foot of climbing they did (that's $19,240) for , a charity that builds burly bikes for folks living in remote areas throughout Africa. This exclusive clip is a behind-the-scenes look at the trip, and the gear they used听to make it possible. Look for a full documentary on the expedition later this year.听

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Climbing the highest peak on one or more of the world鈥檚 seven continents is a worthy goal鈥攁nd I understand why you, and so many other people, gravitate to 19,340-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and 22,840-foot Aconcagua in Argentina

The climbs on the main routes to the top of each are generally considered 鈥渓ong walks鈥� rather than actual mountaineering expeditions. Yet they can still pose considerable challenges. Both hikes are exhausting and will take multiple days to complete. Plus, you鈥檒l be battling against the unpredictability of the weather on them, the thin air of high elevation, and the potentially dangerous effects of altitude sickness. So, there鈥檚 no guarantee you鈥檒l reach the top of either one.

But which one would I recommend? Not so fast. Let鈥檚 go through the pros and cons so you can make your own semi-informed decision.

Kilimanjaro
Aconcagua

To Climb: Kilimanjaro

TREK DURATION: 5-6 days

PROS: With tea stands along the way for drinks and snacks and huts for spending the night, the hike up the popular Marangu Route is definitely the most luxurious, foreign, high-altitude adventure you鈥檒l find. Another bonus: most reputable guide services on the mountain bring along a team of surprisingly excellent cooks to prepare your meals and a group of porters for your gear. Kilimanjaro is easy to access, with the trailhead only about an hour from the local airport, and reaching its snow-covered volcanic cone really will leave you breathless鈥攁nd not just because of the thin air.

CONS: The crowds. Roughly 15,000 people reach the summit each year, and you鈥檒l feel like they all reached the summit at the same time as you. This is not a solitary experience, nor is it a technical one in any way (That鈥檚 either 鈥減ro鈥� or 鈥渃on,鈥� depending on what you鈥檙e looking for.)

SUCCESS RATE: The general statistic used says that 40 percent of climbers make it to the top.

GUIDE SERVICE: Of all the great guide services on Kilimanjaro, might be the best. Its success rate is close to 90 percent, and though its treks are longer and pricier, they avoid the jam-packed Marangu Route. Climb prices start at $4,000.

To Climb: Aconcagua

TREK DURATION: 18 to 21 days

PROS: This jagged, humpbacked 22,840-foot peak is the tallest mountain in the Western and Southern hemispheres鈥攐r anywhere else outside of Asia. Yet, if you follow the popular Normal Route on the north side, you can make the long slog to the top without using the crampons and ropes you should pack.

CONS: On the frigid summit, the weather can change at any moment鈥攁nd the strong winds can be brutal. When you鈥檙e climbing well above 20,000 feet, the sense of vulnerability and exposure is almost as strong as the ultraviolet rays beating down on you through the thin, dry air.

SUCCESS RATE: No concrete records are kept, but the average seems to be around 50 percent of climbers reaching the summit.

GUIDE SERVICE: Mountain Guides International has been leading climbers to the top of Aconcagua with relatively high success for more than two decades. Its 20-day trips limit the number of guests to six to eight people, accompanied by two guides. Price: $4,400.

THE CHOICE: Aconcagua. Despite all the reasons to climb Kilimanjaro鈥攊ts scenery, its beauty, a chance to see the famed snows frosting its summit before global warming melts them鈥攖here鈥檚 something about some day being able to brag to your grandkids (and yourself) that you climbed a 22,000-foot-plus mountain peak. Aconcagua takes nearly two weeks more time to climb, so it鈥檚 definitely a much bigger time investment, and the weather conditions definitely can get more extreme. But the payoff of peering down at the surrounding, 20,000-foot peaks of the Andes makes it all worth it.

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Your dream vacation is waiting. Ski Antarctica, fly-fish Alaska, beach-hop in Cuba, and cross four more adventures off your bucket list with our picks for the best classic trips.

Knock Off Two Icons

Machu Picchu and the Gal谩pagos

Hit Machu Picchu and the Gal谩pagos in one adventure with 鈥檚 new multisport itinerary. The 14-day trip includes rafting Peru鈥檚 Class I鈥揑II Urubamba River, a train ride to Machu Picchu with a guided hike among the ruins, and hiking, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, and cycling in the Gal谩pagos. From $5,799.

Float the Grand Canyon in a Dory

Much more elegant than a raft

A classic 87-mile trip from Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch with , the grandfather of Colorado River running. Pass the cliffs of Marble Canyon, hike to Native American ruins, camp on sandy beaches, and ride 19 major rapids in a storied wooden dory, which holds four guests and is much more elegant than a raft. Six-to-eight-day trip from $2,943.

Ski-Trek Antarctica

Re-create Shackleton鈥檚 1916 route

Twelve skiers pull their own 70-pound sledges from Antarctica鈥檚 King Haakon Bay more than 20 miles to Fortuna Bay, re-creating portions of Shackleton鈥檚 famed 1916 route. The precipitous alpine route, with hazardous crevasses and high winds, makes for an unforgettable journey. From $14,630, .

Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

See the Big Five

This journey starts with a ten-day climb of Kilimanjaro via the Grand Traverse, a little-traveled route that virtually circumnavigates the famed 19,341-foot peak. Add on a 12-day safari, including game drives in the most wildlife-rich area of northern Tanzania and three days walking in the Great Rift Valley. $14,500, .

Fly-Fish Alaska

All about the fish

, on the shore of Lake Iliamna, the largest lake in Alaska, has always been the gold standard for serious fishermen. Under new ownership, the rustic, seventies-era cedar-log lodge underwent a makeover with major upgrades. But it鈥檚 still about the fish. With three DeHavilland airplanes and private leases to more than 98,000 acres, fly-fish for trophy king in the morning and deep-sea-fish for halibut in the afternoon. , except for air transfer.

Trek New Zealand

A new long-distance trail to get lost in

After ten years of trail building, New Zealand鈥檚 Te Araroa鈥攖he Long Pathway鈥攊s open. The 1,864-mile path starts at Cape Reinga, at the northern tip of the North Island, requires a ferry ride across the Cook Strait, and ends on the southernmost tip of the South Island. For routes and map notes, go to .

Explore Cuba

(Legally)

Take advantage of thawing relations between the U.S. and Cuba with ‘s 100 percent legal, nine-day, total-immersion trip, which includes visiting a tobacco plantation, an organic farm, artisan cooperatives, and a tour of Old Havana led by the city’s official Historian’s office. Dine on traditional meals in private homes, stay at the five-star Melia Cohiba, and cruise the seaside Malec贸n in classic American autos from the 40’s and 50’s. $4,498.

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