Bayshore BOC Joe Melton pauses for a photo during his climb up Mount Kilimanjaro.
Bayshore BOC Joe Melton has only ever climbed one mountain. But you’ve probably heard of it.
Joe traveled through Africa from Aug. 24 to Sept. 13 and spent eight days of the trip going up and then coming back down Mount Kilimanjaro. The ascent took him, his cousin Adam Lechter and family friend Joey Komisar to the mountain’s highest point, Uhuru Peak, 19,341 feet — or more than three and a half miles — above sea level.
Joe stops on Kilimanjaro’s Lava Tower.
An avid bicyclist who has also traveled to Canada, China, Israel, Jamaica, Japan and Mexico, the 24-year-old Joe had never done any climbing before this trip. But when his cousin proposed it, “there was no way I could pass it up,” he says.
The group took six days going up Kilimanjaro, to allow their bodies to acclimate to the altitude, and two coming down. The first part of the trip was easier than Joe had anticipated — mostly a lot of hiking. “It was exciting, but not as thrilling as I had hoped,” he says.
Joe savors his moment of triumph on Uhuru Peak.
That changed on the last day up. They left at midnight to reach Uhuru Peak by sunrise. “We had to climb in the cold and dark with just a headlamp for light, scrambling up the last 3,200 feet of rock and ice,” Joe says. “I have never felt so exhilarated. It was an amazing feeling, all due to the lack of oxygen, sleep, water and food, combined with the knowledge that one slip could be deadly.”
A lion lies in the tall grass in Tarangire National Park.
Besides Kilimanjaro, the travelers visited the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa and the cities of Moshi and Arusha in Tanzania. They also explored Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. On safari in Tarangire, they pulled up between a male and female lion in their (open) jeep.
A mother cheetah and one of her cubs elude a pursuing hyena.
“Another day at Serengeti National Park, we followed a female cheetah and her two cubs being tracked by a hyena for about 30 minutes. The cheetahs ended up using our vehicle as a wall to block the line of sight of the hyena and get away safely,” Joe says. “It provided for amazing photos, as they were only feet away from our vehicle.”
If you or another bank employee have taken a great vacation or done something else fun and noteworthy, we’d love to hear about it.
Wow, Joe! Just amazing! I love to travel, but haven’t done anything like this….yet! All on my list of things to do/see….
You are very lucky to have been able to do something like this. Keep it up!
Wow, what an amazing experience!
Very neat, Joe. It’s so great you were able to have an opportunity like that.
Congratulations Joe, that is amazing!
Waaaay cool, Joe!
Wow, what an awesome experience for you. I wish I could do stuff like that, but I’m not as adventurous but I love reading about it and seeing the pictures.
Way to go Joe! Thank’s for sharing your pictures.
WOW!!! What an amazing opportunity and accomplishment. There is nothing like pushing yourself to reach the top of the mountain. To be able to look out and see for miles is so rewarding. I have back packed the mountains in New Mexico and Montana but the highest peak I hiked was 12,441. That’s just a small bump in the land compared to what you climbed.
Joe, what an outstanding experience. Thanks for sharing with us.
What an exciting adventure. You did what I wished I had done in my younger years. Way to go. Thanks for sharing.
This is an awesome story! Congrats on the climb!
Thanks for sharing Joe! Amazing!