You are never too young to dream big. So why not climb Mount Kilimanjaro? Coaltan Tanner, a 6-year-old young man from Albuquerque New Mexico took this statement to the extreme when he summited Mount Kilimanjaro last September. In the process, he smashed a previous record held by a 7-year-old girl, also from the USA. That’s right, Coaltan is now the youngest to ever summit Kilimanjaro.
“If you don’t give up, then you can do anything,” said young Coaltan, in an interview with KRQE News. Coaltan’s parents accompanied the record holder the entire way. Coaltan, who has also dreamt about climbing Mount Everest, is not the youngest child to make it to Uhuru Peak, but the difference with other children lies in the fact that he made it by himself. He did it all on his own.
This was not Coaltan’s first summit attempt. Earlier in the year, he was denied by government officials because of concerns about his young age. To make Coaltan’s big dreams reality, his parents had to get special permission from the Tanzanian government.
If Coaltan’s feat inspires you to bring your own children up Mount Kilimanjaro, then this is possible. The minimum age for climbing Kilimanjaro is 10 year old. Trekking companies can however always assist in trying to obtain special permission. In this blog post, you can compare the different climbing routes. As children need more time for acclimatization, always opt for the longer option and choose comfort over roughing it. Take it very easy and prepare well ahead of your ascent.
Check our Kilimanjaro Guide for more blog posts about the Roof of Africa.
Photo credit: KRQE News