Southwestern students to hike first trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro

Twelve Central Texas college students are starting the new year on the world’s highest free-standing mountain. Branndon Bargo, assistant director of outdoor adventure at Southwestern University, is gearing up to take students on a hike up the snow capped volcano of Mount Kilimanjaro for the first time in Tanzania.

The trip, according to Bargo, has never been done before at any other university in the state, and is part of the university’s outdoor adventure program. Along with climbing the highest peak in Africa, students will also visit an orphanage during the two week long trip, which Bargo hopes will allow the students to immerse themselves in a new culture and way of living.

“There’s a reason why other universities don’t take students to climb Kilimanjaro. It’s, a risk,” Bargo said. “Taking people to 19,000 feet and you know, a lot of people go every year to try to climb Kilimanjaro and don’t make it. But it’s all these little things, of just prepping and preparing them you know, so we’re going to go slow and steady.”

Southwestern is a small, private institution located north of Austin in Georgetown and is the oldest-running university in Texas. Bargo said the campus’ rich history and prestige, along with his experience traveling, is what inspired him to suggest the idea for the hike to Kilimanjaro, which peaked the interest of Southwestern’s President Laura Trombley.

“I thought what can we do that would allow our university and our outdoor program to stand out,” Bargo said. “And having all the experience that I have…I can bring this to campus and the students.”

Bargo, who’s a lifelong adventurer himself, has traveled to over 60 countries and has a travel show with his brother on PBS called The HighPointers where they climb the highest geographical points in all 50 states. He’s also hiked Kilimanjaro three times and has taken several groups of people on excursions in the past, but this will be his biggest group yet. 

Unlike most study abroad trips at higher institutions, Bargo’s hike to Kilimanjaro is not a class through the school’s study abroad department but rather one of the school’s new “high impact experiences” for juniors and seniors that’s almost all fully funded by the university. The university is paying $5,000 for each student to attend the trip, while the student’s out-of-pocket expense is only $500.

“We wanted to give students an opportunity and so that $500 is all inclusive,” Bargo said. “It includes their flight, it includes everything. So I basically just said, Hey, we’re going to offer this trip, you know, almost for free, and we just put it out there for any junior and senior at our university to apply.”

The program had over 80 applicants that Bargo narrowed down to 12 based on an extensive application process that involved interviews and high rope courses to complete. Bargo said he’s very pleased with the students he chose and happy to have a “broad and diverse group.”

“We have guys that play on the football team, the baseball team, the soccer team, but then we also have, you know, biochemistry majors and it’s a really, really unique group,” Bargo explained.

Southwestern’s President Laura Trombley, who also loves the outdoors, was even planning to attend the trip herself with Bargo and the students but will be unable due to an injury. Bargo prepared the students not just physically by taking them on hikes, but also mentally through endurance training and advising them to pack layers for the trek.

“We’re doing this in eight days, and the way that we’re able to do that is by moving really, really slow,” Bargo said. “So in Swahili, they have a term and they say it over and over. It’s Pole Pole! And it just means slowly, slowly and by going extra slow, it just helps you acclimate better.”

The group will also have local porters to help carry equipment and cooking necessities for the hike, who Bargo mentioned usually wear flip flops and short sleeves on the snowy mountain because of the country’s poverty. Bargo said it was important for him to add the orphanage visit to the trip because he wants students to fully immerse themselves in the country’s culture and better understand the people who live there.

Bargo is hopeful that the trip will not only allow students to reach the summit, but also change their lives for the better. 

“I just hope that the students they come away with a greater depth, that they can learn more about themselves, and about the world around them outside of a classroom,” Bargo said.

Bargo and his group of 13 Southwestern students and staff leave on Sunday, December 31 and return on Saturday, January 13.