Mercer Island residents Jaden Krauser, a freshman at Mercer Island High School, and his dad, Jary, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in July. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, at 19,341 feet.

The Krausers took a photo with the Mercer Island flag once they reached the top, after six days of climbing and more than 30 hours of plane travel time.

“My dad and I were excited to finally make it,” Jaden wrote in an email to the Reporter. “When we got to the top, it was clear and cold. There was a thick cloud layer far down below us, similar to the view from an airplane. The sun was reflecting off of the glaciers at the summit, which was very cool.”

Jaden and Jary reached Tanzania after flying 16 hours to Dubai, watching movies to pass the time, then flying five hours to Nairobi, Kenya and one hour to Kilimanjaro.

The two decided on Kilimanarjo, after doing several hikes in Cascades, because their family was invited to a wedding in Mombasa, Kenya, and they were looking for an adventure nearby.

Jaden and Jary hiked for five days before their summit day. It took eight hours to reach the top of the mountain, as the group climbed 5,000 feet “at a slow pace.”

“We departed camp at 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night and hiked throughout the night with headlamps. The wind was blowing about 15 miles per hour, and it was cold, around minus 5 degrees,” Jaden wrote.

The thin air can cause altitude sickness, and about three hours into the hike, Jaden became ill, but kept going.

“We made the summit around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and watched the sunrise,” he wrote. “We then walked down about 10,000 feet, which took seven hours, to the next camp. After a long 15 hour day, I was exhausted, but happy to have done this journey.”

Jaden said that his favorite part of the experience was meeting the local guides and porters, who went with them up the mountain.

“They would get up early and walk up the mountain with 60-70 pounds of gear, just for only a few dollars a day,” he wrote.

One, named Ali, was responsible for setting up the group’s camp and cooking meals.

“One day I saw him cutting his shoelace with a rock, so I gave him my pocket knife,” Jaden wrote. “It really impressed me that a person could do such a hard job, smile and get paid so little.”

Jary said that the day they summited, July 8, had special significance, as it marked the one year anniversary of his father’s death. Jaden and Jary buried his ashes near the top of Kilimanjaro.