"It’s day seven of a week-long climb. I wake up at 3:30 a.m. at a slant because my tent is pitched close to the top of the highest peak on the African continent.

It's time for the last push to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

I must go slow because up this ancient volcano, there’s no soil or plants— just ash and dust. My breathing is labored and my headlamp guides me as  each footstep kicks up small clouds. Above the actual clouds, the Milky Way gleams brightly in a vast sea of stars. This has already been a peak experience.

Step-by-step I ascend. Slowly, the sun rises, too.  I look out and colors are streaming over the horizon.

I’m starting to get a headache. At 19,000+ feet, the elevation is finally getting to me. I feel a sense of accomplishment for reaching this far, but also determination to summit. I’ve spent a week on this mountain with fellow  hikers and emotions are running high, so when we get close enough, we all  just start running. 

It is pure joy.” 

—Renea Rathmacher (MBA21)

This article appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Tippie Magazine.