26 SEPTEMBER 2024 By Sherry Sklar Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier’s journey from sports reporter to nationally recognized attorney and world explorer illustrates a lifelong commitment to overcoming challenges and setting ambitious goals. At 65, her decision to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was driven by a blend of “Iowa stubborn” determination and meticulous preparation. Staudenmaier contemplated the challenge of summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro for over a decade. After enjoying a seven-day trek to Machu Picchu with her husband when she turned 60, she began planning an even more impactful adventure to mark her 65th. “I look back on my emails from when I started my research in 2020 or 2021,” Staudenmaier said. “I was thinking about what I would do in the future and researching the ages of people who make the ascent (the average age is 37) and travel adventure companies that help participants prepare for the climb.” Through recommendations from fellow hikers, Staudenmaier decided on K2 Adventure Travel based in Scottsdale. Staudenmaier joined an all-female group of ten, including eight enthusiastic young women in their late 20s and early 30s from Washington, D.C., who knew each other through church and became supportive friends. The climb took place in June, culminating in a two-and-a-half-year preparation process. Rising above 19,000 feet, the seven-day ascent to Kilimanjaro’s summit presented its share of obstacles. Staudenmaier said she faced physical and sleep-related challenges during the climb. “Controlling altitude-induced headaches and managing my breathing were constant concerns,” she said. “As we climbed higher, it became increasingly difficult to breathe and control my racing heartbeat, despite taking altitude medication.” Staudenmaier revealed that one team member had to descend early due to breathing complications. The porters pitched tents for the group on the frozen tundra each night. Harsh conditions and early starts made sleep elusive, particularly for Staudenmaier, who was accustomed to Arizona’s warm climate. “We were up before sunrise, hiking up the mountain guided by our headlamps during the first hour in the freezing cold. I think I wore every stitch of clothing, including my ski pants,” she said. It took Staudenmaier and her group five days to reach the summit base camp at 13,000 feet – a journey strategically broken into segments to mitigate the risk of altitude sickness. On their most challenging days, they ascended as much as 3,000 feet. There were also days of descent, dropping 1,000 feet only to climb again the following day. “It was very carefully planned,” she noted, emphasizing the attention to safety and acclimatization. Despite the physical and mental strain, Staudenmaier found the effort profoundly rewarding. “We practically sprinted up the last leg, turning what was scheduled as a seven-hour trek into just five. Our guides were quite impressed,” she said. “Reaching the Uhuru Summit (‘Freedom Peak’ in Kiswahili – the highest point in Africa at 19,341 feet above sea level) was an accomplishment that took more than a week to comprehend. Realizing that I had completed the climb was incredibly surreal.” They say the way back is quicker than the journey there, and coming down Kilimanjaro was no exception. “In just twelve hours, we were back down the mountain. That evening, we celebrated our achievement over dinner, where the Tanzanian government handed each of us a commemorative certificate,” Staudenmaier said. She’s already thinking about the next challenge. “My husband and I are ticking off all 63 National Parks across the country. We’ve hit 40 so far, and we’re not slowing down. Great Basin National Park is next,” she said. For anyone feeling tentative about tackling outsized challenges, Staudenmaier has some straightforward advice: “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right. All through that climb, I kept telling myself to stay positive and place one foot in front of the other,” she said. “It’s never too late to do things you’ve been dreaming about. You should never give up on yourself and your capability to achieve.” For her 65th birthday, this Arcadian conquered Kilimanjaro It took Heidi (left, in the yellow hat) and her group seven days to reach the Uhuru Summit. PHOTO COURTESY OF HEIDI STAUDENMAIER

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