What does it take to fulfil your dream of travelling from the lowest to the highest point in Africa?
In January 2011, Kyle Henning left the shores of Lake Assal, Djibouti (508 feet below sea level), destined for the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (19,341 feet above sea level). For sixty-eight days, he travelled by bicycle and on foot to connect the lowest point on the African continent to the summit of its highest mountain, following the Great Rift Valley from the Afar Depression through the Horn of Africa. Traveling alone after finishing his Peace Corps service, he faced the physical demands of cycling through four countries, growing uncertainty as the Arab Spring gripped the continent, and the effects of his own post-traumatic stress from four intense years of working in crisis/disaster management in the USA and his international work in the Peace Corps.
We also discuss how his 10-year-old beginner mountain bike stood up to the harsh road and weather conditions, the kit he took, how he made provisions for water and food, and some of the hair-raising experiences he had cycling including being chased by a local woman with a seven feet spear, before being met with the ultimate challenge: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro!
Kyle Henning was worn in Buffalo, New York, USA, and has spent part of his career working in the Peace Corps service and has recently returned to Washington after being based in South America for the Department of State. You can follow Kyle on Instagram at @FromAfarBook or email him at FromAfarBook@gmail.com
Other Links:
"From Afar" by Kyle Henning is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats:
100% of profits from sales of "From Afar" go to two charities:
Production (for this episode)
Creator, producer, writer, host: Ruth Millington
Music credit: Epic Orchestra - Blockbuster Adventure Music by JuliusH
Additional Music: African-rythmn-african-groovy-sport-stomping-music-2062 b
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