After running a marathon, a break is on most people’s minds. But for Tyler Senecal ‘13, he was thinking about the next big thing. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

“I had just finished running my first marathon, and Gabe Mens ‘15 reached out to me because he had run one,” Tyler said. “Gabe asked me what some of the other big-ticket items, like adventure-type things I was interested in doing, and I mentioned Kilimanjaro.”

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa. Around 16,000 people climb the mountain yearly, all aiming to reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point at 19,354 ft. 

Gabe and Tyler spearheaded the trip's planning while recruiting old friends from their days at Coker to come along. They were joined by Matthew Kron ‘19, Luke Elliot ‘18, Andrew Moros ‘13, and Tyler’s wife, Halee Polson Senecal ‘13. 

Nerves were high as the July 2024 trip loomed closer. Many people in the group hadn’t even met in person, which sparked some uncertainty. But while there were nerves about the unknown, there was also excitement. They all had a common background - Coker. There would be memories to reminisce about, like their favorite Cow Day or a shared love for a professor. 

Actually, maybe there was too much excitement; Matthew didn’t begin packing until the night before his flight to Tanzania, and Luke only brought a school book bag. 

“I think my flight left at 11:30 in the morning, and it was midnight,” Matthew recalled, laughing. “I was like, oh, I should start doing this. But I knew what gear I had and what gear I needed. I had everything. Luke started packing weeks before the trip but only brought a school book bag and one water bottle, like a third of the amount you needed.”

There are seven established routes to Uhuru Peak. The group's route took eight days, from July 1 to July 9, 2024. It guided climbers to reach the peak as the sun rose after climbing in the dark for nine hours. Locally known as the “summit night,” the group recalls this as “one of the hardest things they’ve ever done physically and mentally.”

“It’s pitch black; you can only see six to eight feet in front of your face from your handlamp,” Matthew said. “You don’t know how far you have to go because you can’t visually see it. It’s pitch black, and it’s just you and your thoughts.” 

As they neared the peak, bone-chilling cold seeped in as the group experienced thinning oxygen at such a high altitude. Gabe recalled having a moment where “he thought he would break,” but he was encouraged by the porters and the guides who let them on the hike.

“I think you can’t talk about the summit night specifically, but also the entire trip, without talking about the people that made that night possible,’ Halee said. “The porters and the guides that help you on the trip are singing Swahili prayer songs to you while you’re experiencing everything they’re also experiencing. They’re kind of that push for you when you can’t do it yourself.” 

Nothing, Tyler said, could compare to the light at the end of the tunnel - the sunrise - shining over Tanzania’s vast landscape. 

“It was a spiritual experience,” Tyler said. 

The group credited Coker as helping them prepare for international travel. Tyler said he had some of his first significant international travel experiences in college. Enactus helped Halee and Luke get out of their comfort zone, instilling a desire to experience new cultures, places, and things. 

“There were so many international students at Coker, so I wasn’t worried about culture shock,” Luke said. “I even had Kenyan teammates.”  

As our interview ended, I had one more question for the group. 

Would they do it again?

“I know if I had the opportunity to do it again with this group, with the same orders that we had, 100% I would do it,” Andrew said. “I’d absolutely do it again. It was so worth it.” 

Halee agreed. She remarked on how important it was to find a group that would challenge you, support you, laugh with you, and have fun with you. 

“I know it’s cliche, but something really special happens when you do that,” Halee said. “After the climb, everyone was on their phone, looking up where we should go next. Something will make it out of the group chat again.” 

“What about Everest base camp?” Gabriel said.