Watch Vanessa O’Brien’s compilation video of the Explorers Grand Slam, where she climbs the Seven Summits and the North and South Poles. Extreme mountaineer and Thomson Advisory Board member Vanessa O’Brien has a seemingly endless list of accomplishments. She’s summited the Seven Summits (which includes Kilimanjaro and Everest), and she’s the first woman to set a speed…
How does a non-climber prepare for the mountain trek of a lifetime? Erin, the next Thomson staffer scheduled to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, is a bit of a trekking novice. “I haven’t hiked or camped since I was in girl scouts!” she laughed. After being motivated by the many Thomson guests who have summited the…
Kristina always lights up a room everywhere she goes, but when she returned from her Tanzania safari and Mount Kilimanjaro trek recently, that light was blinding. Three weeks in the serene central Serengeti and otherworldly terrain of Mount Kilimanjaro will have that effect on you. During her stay, Kristina wanted to experience as much as…
The Start of a Dream Twenty years ago, I met a group of women who were planning to hike Kilimanjaro. They invited me to train with them; I could barely keep up. I loved their energy, and they were so enthusiastic about their adventure, that I put Kilimanjaro on my bucket list, too. They sent me…
