2013-05-23T03:46:56-04:00 Richard Byerley http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=richard-byerley Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Richard Byerley Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1015678 2011-10-17T11:38:59-04:00 2012-02-22T06:51:28-05:00

Richard Byerley http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-byerley/ Richard Byerley, 84, has broken the world record as the oldest person to summit Mount Kilimanjaro on foot. His climb was fully documented and is expected to be entered successfully into Guinness World Records™. British retired professor George Solt earned the title in 2010 at age 82.

Byerley and his two grandchildren all reached the summit of the 19,340-foot mountain in Tanzania before sunrise on Oct. 6, 2011.

A YouTube video highlights his climb.

Byerley's achievement and lifelong active lifestyle have inspired countless people, prompting the creation of a "Fans of Richard Byerley" Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RichardByerleyKilimanjaro

Richard Byerley as told to Karen Goodwin, a freelance writer based in Boulder, Colorado.

At age 84, I'm glad I made it to the top of Kilimanjaro and back down again, but truth is I missed my wife, Beth. We've been married for 63 years, and we're pretty much inseparable.

Beth summited Kilimanjaro 30 years ago, but I chose not to go back then. I asked her to come with me this time, but she said no, once was enough. Now I know what she means.

We took the six-day Machame route up Kilimanjaro. I didn't get altitude sickness, thank goodness. My only problem was that my hand warmers gave out on the summit, so my hands were cold. We were probably at the top for about 30 minutes taking pictures and looking around. My granddaughter Annie, who is 29, and my grandson Bren, who is 25, went with me on this trip. They are cousins, so they thoroughly enjoyed themselves talking about family and what they're up to these days.

We got to the summit before sunrise on Oct. 6. We left base camp at 11:45 p.m. and arrived at the top at 6:15 a.m., so it took about six hours to go four miles. It was dark, so all the different hiking groups had lights. I remember looking down and seeing the lights and feeling relieved that I was already up ahead. I remember one other group passed us, but we passed a couple of groups ourselves.

As we climbed, there were about two inches of snow on the ground and more on the summit. Our guide said it was unusual to encounter snow on the way up. Of course, it never rains on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, only snows, because it's so high at 19,340 feet.

I'd say it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit at the top that day with no wind. It was clear as a bell. There were layers of clouds underneath us.



Richard Byerley at the summit of Kilimanjaro, flanked by granddaughter Annie (left) and grandson Bren (right).

Going back down was no problem. We did those four miles back to base camp in three hours. Our guide strongly suggested that we rent hiking sticks for the way down, and they helped in some places but were a hindrance in others. The last day I didn't use them at all.

I'd say maybe the second day was the hardest. There was no defined trail, so we had to make our way up large boulders and ridges. That was tiring.

So now it looks like I'm the oldest person to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. When I bought this trip at a charity auction in Sun Valley, Idaho, I didn't know anything about climbing records for Kilimanjaro, it just sounded like a nice trip. But Robin Paschall, the owner of Adventures Within Reach, told me that if I made it I'd be the oldest person to do so. She has summited twice herself. I had no idea if I'd make it or not. No one knows until they try.

My four kids, who are 53 to 60 years old, were all busy working, and of course Beth didn't want to do it again, so that's when my two grandkids volunteered. Annie and Bren both had headaches from the high altitude, but they were okay otherwise. They're both First Responders.

I was very impressed with the guides and the porters. They were carrying a lot of weight, like portable toilets, tents, cooking gear and the like, and they were mostly wearing ordinary street shoes. One even had dress shoes on, and he kept them clean looking the whole time.

Hikers often leave their boots or shoes for the porters. Beth did that some 30 years ago, too. She said her feet were so sore she never wanted to see those boots again. I brought with me some down coats as gifts for the porters. These folks basically rely on tips and gifts as a way to make a living, and they work extremely hard.

People have asked me how I feel now that I'm suddenly a world record holder, or will be once Guinness World Records officially verifies all the videos, photographs, signatures and sworn statements from this trip. I say I'm still the same person I was before I left. It's like when you buy a new house or car--you're still the same person.

And then I get asked how I stay in shape and whatever. We've always exercised a lot and worked hard on our alfalfa farm in Walla Walla, Washington. Beth cooks a lot of veggies and serves salads, and we eat small portions. We may split a sandwich for lunch and share a hot chocolate when we go skiing, which we do nearly every day in the winter. We each have a small glass of wine while we watch the evening news. I don't have much caffeine because it doesn't agree with me.

We were in transit for more than 18 hours on the way back from Africa, and when I got home Beth had a party for me. People ask what's my secret to living a long and healthy life, and I say it's having a great wife. I owe everything to her.
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Richard Byerley http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-byerley/ Richard Byerley is an 84-year-old American seeking to earn a spot in Guinness World Records™ as the oldest person to summit Mount Kilimanjaro on foot. Kilimanjaro, in northeastern Tanzania, is Africa's highest peak at 19,340 feet (5,895 meters). Byerley makes his attempt in October through a travel company called Adventures Within Reach. If he succeeds, he'll beat the current Guinness World Records™ holder: British retired professor George Solt, who earned the title in 2010 at age 82.

Richard Byerley as told to Karen Goodwin, a freelance travel writer based in Boulder, Colorado.

Maybe it's because I know five or six people who have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, including my wife Beth, who summited 30 years ago. Or maybe it's just because it's there?

But here I am, at age 84, about to climb Kilimanjaro. They tell me that if I make it, I'll be the oldest person to do so, and I'll be entered into the Guinness World Records. That will be something to tell the great grandkids someday, I suppose. I already have four children and nine grandchildren.

We're alfalfa farmers in Walla Walla, Washington, but we also spend a lot of time in our home near Sun Valley, Idaho. You should know that people who live in Sun Valley are very active and well traveled. You probably have a pre-conceived notion about the health and weight of the average American, but I can tell you that people in Sun Valley don't fit that mould. People here do adventurous things all the time, like hike all summer and ski all winter. Our family has done these things our whole lives.

It hasn't always been that way. My father lived to age 96, but he fizzled out by the time he was 60. My mother died in her 70s. I learned by their example not to live that way.

People have been really excited about my climb, and many have offered the same advice: go slow. I'll be traveling with two of my grandkids, Annie, who is 29, and Bren, who is 24. They're very active, but I'm starting to wonder if they have enough leg strength to make it down. Annie does ski patrol in Sun Valley, and Bren is on the best Frisbee team in Seattle. They're hale and hearty. It sure helps being young.

In early summer my wife Beth and I bicycled a lot, but now we've been hiking most every day, between four and seven hours and between 6,000 and 10,000 feet. That's been most of my training. I only take a daypack because that's all I'll be carrying up Kilimanjaro.

I'm taking the Machame route up Kili, which will take six days. Robin Paschall, who booked my trip, says this route has the best success rate. I bought this trip at a charity auction in Sun Valley, and I didn't even know that I'd be the oldest person to make it until Robin told me. She's sent a lot of people up Kilimanjaro through her company Adventures Within Reach, and she's summited twice herself, along with her husband. The process to document the climb with Guinness was so mind boggling that Robin said just go and have fun, she'd take care of all that, too. She couldn't be more helpful.

We'll be camping along the route, but we'll have plenty of help. This is the deluxe trip, so each guest is assigned three porters, who are like sherpas. They're all young men. So we'll have at least nine porters carrying things like food, water and even portable toilets and showers. I can't quite picture it.

I reckon the bigger challenge will be going up. I'm less concerned about coming down. A lot of people get altitude sickness at around 12,000 feet. When my wife did it, there were 13 people in her group and only two made it to the top, including her. Kilimanjaro's summit is at 19,340 feet.

On the third day we'll climb from 12,600 feet climb to nearly 16,000 feet and then back down to 12,600 feet to help acclimatise to the altitude. But on the fifth day--the day you summit--you have to walk 18 miles, ascending 4,000 feet and descending nearly 9,000 feet to a campsite. That will be one long day. You camp at about 15,000 feet and get up at around 2 a.m. and climb that last 4,000 feet to watch the sun rise on Kilimanjaro. I hope it's not cloudy. It's real cold up there, so people don't stick around long.

The descent from the summit to the campsite is arduous and lengthy, and much of it is scree, or loose rock. You have to wear gaiters to keep the rocks out of your shoes.
I'll keep pushing along, as long as I don't get sick. If they tell me to go back, I'll do it. It's not worth risking my life. Altitude sickness can be fatal. My wife said that some people got goofy on her trip--liquid gets in the brain, and you get real disoriented. I'm told that oxygen will be available, so we'll see if it comes to that. Right now I don't anticipate needing it.

Not long ago, I climbed Mount Whitney in California, which is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states at 14,495 feet. I found that I had to slow down for the last 500 feet, so I did.

My wife says the glaciers on top of Kilimanjaro were really thick and big when she climbed it 30 years ago. It will be interesting to see how much snow is left up there now.

I feel good about my trip. If I make it, I guess it might make senior citizens look good. And who knows, maybe I'll get some credit just for trying. If you are active and stay active, you can aim high. Even at my age. ]]>