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The Greatest Man I’ve Ever Met

By ddorr | December 9th, 2012

I used to dream about climbing mountains, of achieving greatness by conquering cliffs and peaks around the world; or writing a best selling book that might inspire thousands of readers.   But the recent loss of a dear friend has taught me what it means to be truly great. The man who taught me this lesson [...]

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5 ways Kilimanjaro is like fatherhood

By ddorr | July 23rd, 2012

Whenever I do a presentation about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro someone almost always asks me what mountain I plan to climb next.  And my response is always the same: “I have two young daughters right now and raising them is the mountain I’m climbing right now.” That leaves some of my more hardcore adventure fans lacking.  [...]

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Is your brain limiting your mountain?

By ddorr | May 22nd, 2012

A recent lunch with a friend has had me thinking a lot about how I define myself; do I think more about the things that limit me (bad knees, have a cold, busy with kids, blah, blah, blah) or do I spend more time thinking about the things I want to do and accomplish (another [...]

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Kilimanjaro Stories – Why Climb Kilimanjaro?

By ddorr | March 2nd, 2012

[excerpt from Kissing Kilimanjaro: Leaving it All on Top of Africa] I used to wonder what would ever possess anyone to trudge up a mountainside on the far sides of the planet, into harsh, frigid winds and thin air, thousands of feet above sea level. For decades men have died trying to reach Earth’s highest [...]

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Kilimanjaro – Follow your dreams to the top of Africa

By ddorr | January 7th, 2012

We all have dreams.  And many of us have those dreams we’ve been nurturing for years, just waiting for the right moment or excuse to take action and go for it.  That’s what Kilimanjaro was like for me.  I had dreamed about climbing Kilimanjaro for years before I finally got off my butt and went.  [...]

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5 Ways Tanzania Changed My Life

By ddorr | December 7th, 2011

Several years ago I flew off to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and try to impress a beautiful woman. In the end I failed to reach the summit, but I did impress the woman enough for her to marry me. It’s been years since my first visit to Tanzania and I long ago reached Uhuru [...]

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5 Lessons from Family Camping

By ddorr | September 6th, 2011

This long, Labor Day weekend we decided to try our hand at family camping again.  Our daughters are almost 4 and 6 years old and we’ve been aching to get outdoors more.  So off we went to Heuston Woods State Park for a little family adventure.  It was predicted to be 100 degrees on Saturday, [...]

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5 Ways Kilimanjaro Changed My Life

By ddorr | August 30th, 2011

My journey to the top of Africa changed my life Several years ago I flew off to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and try to impress a beautiful woman.  In the end I failed to reach the summit, but I did impress the woman enough for her to marry me.  It’s been years since my [...]

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Seeing the Light of Kilimanjaro

By ddorr | July 18th, 2011

In Kissing Kilimanjaro: Leaving it All on Top of Africa I shared with readers the life-changing bus ride I took from Arusha to Moshi, Tanzania.   I ended up packed onto a local bus sitting next to a young boy who was going blind from Trachoma.   This simple bus ride effected me so deeply because just [...]

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Original Trails

By ddorr | June 13th, 2011

Original Trails specializes in unique adventures with a focus on community based tourism. Their core philosophy is giving back on all their trips by visiting a project to support.  They do Kilimanjaro treks up the Rongai route as well as Zanzibar “spice” island exploring, historical tours and beach breaks. They include cultural experiences like trekking [...]

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The Amazing Kilimanjaro Porters

By ddorr | June 13th, 2011

I was at work the other day and our leadership team was talking about how important it is that people feel empowered to make a difference.  One VP said we needed to see more “everyday champions.”  He meant we needed to see more ordinary people who just did their jobs well and made the company [...]

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Heart of Kilimanjaro

By ddorr | May 14th, 2011

In Kissing Kilimanjaro: Leaving it All on Top of Africa I shared my one experience of climbing Kilimanjaro with my friend Mike and his 73-year old father.  In the end, the 73-year old not only beat me to the summit, he made such a positive impression on the guides and porters while we climbed that [...]

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Beyond Kilimanjaro

By ddorr | March 5th, 2011

Last week I gave a motivational presentation to the employees of Woolrich, the outdoor clothing store.  Woolrich is located in the small, mill town of Woolrich, PA (surprise).  It’s a lovely, tiny town in the middle of Pennsylvania.  We had the presentation right in one of the old mill rooms, with looms and cloth equipment [...]

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Mountains of Motivation

By ddorr | February 27th, 2011

Last week I got a surprise present from my brother Matt.  A t-shirt with a Latin phrase on the front:  Res Firma Mitescere Nescit.  He sent it to me as a gift after I had run the Chicago marathon in October but it had been back-ordered until now.  The phrase may not mean that much [...]

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Blind Climbers Break World Record on Kilimanjaro

By ddorr | November 27th, 2010

Nomadic Adventures helps a group of blind climbers set a world record for the most blind climbers on the top of the African continent.

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Drugs on the Mountain, Do They Help?

By ddorr | November 20th, 2010

Climbing Kilimanjaro can put you at higher risk of altitude sickness. But there are a few things you can do to mitigate the risks and ensure you enjoy the climb every step of the way.

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Mountains and Marathons

By ddorr | October 16th, 2010

Climbing Kilimanjaro is a lot like running a marathon. I know because after climbing Kilimanjaro I’ve now finally run a marathon. Both were exhausting experiences that tested me deeply. But they were also a lot of fun, and a chance to interact with some amazing people.

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Vets Amazing Kilimanjaro Journey

By ddorr | August 30th, 2010

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Kilimanjaro is all about helping ordinary people do something extraordinary.  And it doesn’t get any more extraordinary than 3 men with only 1 leg between them making it to the top of the African continent. The 3American veterans wre from three different wars , veterans of [...]

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The Images of Kilimanjaro

By ddorr | August 18th, 2010

Mt. Kilimanjaro’s famous flat top has been reproduced in a number of beautiful and iconic photos including one we mentioned in a prior blog post.  But there have been a number of new and unusual photos of the mountain that bear mentioning. The first, and most striking, is a recent photo taken from earth covered [...]

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Helping Kilimanjaro Porters

By ddorr | August 11th, 2010

Rainier Mountaineering Inc and the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project have partnered to get 10,000 pieces of mountain clothing and gear to help protect Kilimanjaro’s porters while helping clients on Africa’s tallest peak.

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