In 1992, aged 21, Tim travelled to Kenya for the second time with three fellow students looking for an adventure on a minute budget. They hiked through Naivasha and Hells Gate National Park, then south to cross into Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

 

Entering the National Park at Marangu gate (1800m), the first night was spent at Horombo Hut (3720m) before continuing onwards to Kibo Hut (4750m) for a few hours of light sleep before a 1am departure for the summit. The final push took the team to Mawenzi Peak for sunrise and then Uhuru Peak (5896m), the highest point on the African continent, a little after 9am and 47 hours after starting the climb.

 

From here, a superb view of Mount Meru could be seen poking through the cloud below. It was bitterly cold at the summit and Alex was suffering from the altitude, so it was time for a rapid scree run down the volcanic ash cone. Dropping nearly 1000m in half an hour brought almost instant recovery.

 

That view of Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second highest mountain, inspired a return visit in 1996 to attempt the steeper and more technical of the two mountains. With a similar climb time, Tim summited the 4562m peak to enjoy clear views of Meru's ash cone in the crater below and Mount Kilimanjaro rising from the plains 40 miles away.