OWENSBORO, Ky. — A Kentucky man has completed one of the most difficult hikes in the world, scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, a hike that is nearly 20,000 feet above sea level.

What You Need To Know

  • Brandon Cox of Owensboro, hiked Mount Kilimanjaro

  • He spent months training for the rugged climb, even traveling to Colorado to get accustomed to higher elevations

  • Cox's journey wasn't just for fun, he also collected money for St. Jude for cancer research

  • He collected $15,000

Hiker Brandon Cox from Owensboro has walked the city’s trails over and over this past year.

Cox said, “I know these trails, the Owensboro trails, well now. I’ve done them so many times.”

He traveled across the U.S. before hiking Kilimanjaro to get used to the elevation.

Cox said, “Can’t really get a whole lot of elevation here in Kentucky, so I flew out to Denver a couple of times and hiked a few 14,000 foot trails.”

But it’s still 5,000 feet less high than Mount Kilimanjaro’s peak. When he saw the mountain for the first time in October, he was shocked to see its size.

Cox said, “The morning of, woke up in the window of the hotel, it was clear skies, no clouds, I was like ‘Whoa, that is a big mountain.’”

The hike consisted of a six-and-a-half day up trek known as the Lemosho Route, crossing through five climate zones along the way.

Cox said, “We began in what they call the cultivation zone. You’re in Africa, near the equator, so it was hot.”

As the group trekked up the mountain, things got colder and colder, eventually hitting the arctic zone up at the top.  

Cox said, “Ten to twenty degrees below wind chill, much colder than the rain forest. There were times where in every direction, all we could see was white. We had no idea where we were going. We just trusted our guide.”

The hikers made their way up. Ironically, when they got to the peak, the blizzard stopped for the 30 minutes they were up there.

Cox said, “I wouldn’t say it was a religious experience, but an out-of-body experience.”

The hikers, a day and a half later after seeing the summit, made their way to the bottom and were greeted with a certificate.

Cox said, “The very last stop, they have a park ranger station. The one at the very end, they print you off a certificate for ones who completed the climb and actually summited.”

Best of all, Cox partnered with St. Jude throughout his entire journey, and raised over $15,000  for the nonprofit by collecting donations for his hike.

Cox said, “Thank you to all of them. Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

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