Original subtitles

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ANNOUNCER: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL YOU KNOW YOU'RE

WATCHING TELEVISION THAT'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: I'M DYLAN DREYER.

TODAY, WE'RE CLIMBING TO THE VERY TOP OF THE

HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN ALL OF AFRICA,

THE ROCKY, SNOW-CAPPED SUMMIT OF MOUNT

KILIMANJARO.

WE'RE ON AN EPIC ADVENTURE FOLLOWING A GROUP OF BRAVE

MOUNTAINEERS ON THE MOST DIFFICULT AND EXCITING

CHALLENGE OF THEIR LIVES.

OVER A WEEK OF HARD CLIMBING AND MORE THAN

18,000 FEET IN ELEVATION, WE'LL DISCOVER WONDERS

UNLIKE ANY OTHER ON EARTH.

FIGHTING ALTITUDE SICKNESS,

INJURIES, AND EXHAUSTION, THESE CLIMBERS NEED

STRENGTH, SKILL, AND COURAGE MOST OF ALL.

THE JOURNEY STARTS RIGHT NOW.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: MOUNT KILIMANJARO TOWERS HIGH OVER THE LUSH

AFRICAN COUNTRY OF TANZANIA.

THE PEAK IS ACTUALLY MADE UP OF THREE DISTINCT

VOLCANOES THAT STOPPED ERUPTING LONG AGO.

KILIMANJARO CLIMBS OVER 19,000 FEET

ABOVE SEA LEVEL AND HAS BECOME ONE OF THE

MOST POPULAR MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING

DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD.

THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO EVER REACH THE SUMMIT WAS

ONLY SEVEN YEARS OLD.

TODAY, WE'RE JOINING OUR OWN GROUP OF MOUNTAINEERS

AND HEADING TO THE TOP OF KILIMANJARO WITH SOME MUCH

OLDER CLIMBERS, 11 AND 12-YEAR-OLDS.

WELCOME TO EAST AFRICA.

THIS IS THE LAND OF OUR EARLIEST HUMAN

ANCESTORS...

[ELEPHANT TRUMPETING]

DYLAN:...WHERE THE WILD EARTH OF LONG AGO STILL

LIVES ON.

BEYOND THE ABUNDANT LIFE THAT FLOWS ACROSS THESE

ENDLESS GRASSLANDS, THERE IS ONE GREAT LANDMARK OF

BEAUTY AND MYSTERY REVERED LIKE NO OTHER.

IT LOOMS ABOVE THE CLOUDS, THE LARGEST FREE-STANDING

MOUNTAIN ON EARTH.

THIS IS KILIMANJARO, THE ROOF OF AFRICA.

THIS MOUNTAIN IS A SOURCE OF ANCIENT FASCINATION.

PEOPLE COME FROM EVERYWHERE TO SEE FOR

THEMSELVES AND MAYBE EVEN CLIMB TO THE TOP.

JACOB: I HAVE SPENT A LIFETIME CLIMBING THIS

MOUNTAIN.

I WAS BORN HERE.

MY NAME IS JACOB KYUNGAI.

I AM A MOUNTAIN GUIDE.

I TELL EACH TRAVELER WHO COMES HERE,

TO LEARN THE SECRETS OF KILIMANJARO,

WE MUST BEGIN BENEATH THE CLOUDS,

NOT IN SNOW, BUT IN WOOD.

DYLAN: EACH GROUP THAT JACOB GUIDES TO THE TOP OF

KILIMANJARO IS DIFFERENT, ALL DRAWN TO THE MAGIC OF

THIS PLACE.

IN THIS GROUP, THERE'S ROGER BILHAM,

A SCIENTIST WHO UNDERSTANDS HOW THIS

MOUNTAIN WAS MADE.

ROGER: IT'S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE,

NOW THAT I'M HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS INCREDIBLY

LUSH FOREST, THAT ACTUALLY,

I'M SITTING ON THE VOLCANO THAT IS A HALF-A-MILE OF

VOLCANIC ROCK BENEATH ME.

DYLAN: AND THERE'S AUDREY SALKELD,

A WRITER WHO HAS READ ABOUT KILIMANJARO FOR

YEARS AND HAS FINALLY COME TO SEE IT FOR HERSELF.

AUDREY: ALL MY LIFE, REALLY,

I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT MOUNTAINS,

BUT RARELY DO I EVER GET TO THE TOP OF MOUNTAINS,

AND SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE MYSELF ON THE TOP

OF THIS ONE, BUT I CAN DREAM.

DYLAN: FEW 12-YEAR-OLDS HAVE ATTEMPTED THIS CLIMB,

BUT NICOLE MADE HER FATHER PROMISE TO SHOW HER THE

GREAT MOUNTAIN.

NICOLE: TODAY HAS BEEN REALLY HARD,

GOING UPHILL IN MUD FOR EIGHT HOURS.

EVERYBODY HAS BEEN TELLING ME THAT,

LIKE, "YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.

JUST KEEP ON GOING.

YOU'LL MAKE IT TO THE TOP."

DYLAN: HANSY HAS DREAMED OF CLIMBING KILIMANJARO

FOR YEARS AND YEARS.

HANS: I WANT TO CLIMB KILIMANJARO BECAUSE I WANT

MY FAMILY TO BE PROUD OF ME,

AND I THINK I CAN MAKE IT BECAUSE I'M STRONG,

YOU KNOW?

JACOB: THE CLIMB AHEAD IS LONG AND DEMANDING.

IN THE COMING DAYS, WE WILL HIKE MORE THAN 45

MILES AND CLIMB TO OVER

19,000 FEET.

FROM HERE, THE ROUTE TO THE SUMMIT PASSES THROUGH

MANY DIFFERENT WORLDS.

WE BEGAN FAR BELOW IN THE HUMID RAINFOREST THAT

ENCIRCLES THE MOUNTAIN.

WE WILL REACH THE UNUSUAL TREES OF THE HEATH ZONE,

THEN GRASSY MOORLAND, AND ABOVE THAT,

INCREASINGLY HARSH CONDITIONS.

THERE IS AN ALPINE DESERT

ABOUT 15,000 FEET.

HIGHER UP, JUST BELOW THE MOUNTAINTOP,

WE WILL ENTER THE ARCTIC REGION,

WINDSWEPT AND BITTER COLD.

IT IS LIKE WALKING FROM THE EQUATOR TO THE NORTH

POLE IN ONLY A WEEK.

DYLAN: OUR GROUP OF CLIMBERS HAVE MADE IT ALL

THE WAY TO TEN THOUSAND FEET.

FROM HERE, THEY CAN SEE MOUNT MERU,

KILIMANJARO'S SMALLER SISTER VOLCANO.

THE ROAD AHEAD WILL ONLY GET MORE DIFFICULT.

EACH MORNING, A HEAVY LAYER OF MIST ROLLS

THROUGH THIS ZONE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

THE MIST BRINGS ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR EXOTIC PLANTS

TO THRIVE.

HANS: THE MIST ROLLING IN QUICKLY CHANGES THE MOOD

AROUND US.

IT SHUTS OUT THE WORLD, AND IT FEELS LONELY AND

MYSTERIOUS, AS IF KILIMANJARO IS HIDING ITS

FACE.

IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE TRAVELING ON ANOTHER

PLANET.

JACOB: THREE THOUSAND FEET HIGHER,

I LIKE TO TAKE PEOPLE TO A PLACE OFF THE MAIN TRAIL,

WHERE MELTING SNOW FEEDS A SPECIAL HIDDEN VALLEY FULL

OF LIFE.

AUDREY: THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE,

AND IT COMES AS SOMETHING OF A SURPRISE,

BECAUSE SUDDENLY, YOU DROP INTO THIS VALLEY WHICH IS

WALLED IN BY MOUNTAINS.

AND BEST OF ALL, IT'S WALLED IN BY KILIMANJARO'S

SUMMIT ITSELF.

DYLAN: AT 13,000 FEET IN ELEVATION,

THE INTENSITY OF THE SUN MAKES IT SUMMER EVERY DAY,

BUT EVERY NIGHT, IT TURNS TO WINTER AND FREEZES

SOLID, ONLY TO MELT IN THE NEXT DAY'S SUN.

IN THESE EXTREMES, PLANTS HAVE INVENTED INGENIOUS

TRICKS TO SURVIVE, NONE MORE CLEVER THAN THE

LOBELIA, WHICH WRAPS ITSELF UP TO WARD OFF THE

NIGHT FROST, THEN UNFURLS THE NEXT MORNING TO ABSORB

THE WARMTH OF THE RISING SUN.

HEIDI: TO SUCCEED UP HERE, NEAR WHAT FEELS LIKE ON

TOP OF THE WORLD, YOU, YOUR BODY,

HAS TO CHANGE JUST LIKE THE PLANTS.

DYLAN: BUT ONLY HALF OF ALL THOSE WHO BEGIN THE

TRIP WILL MAKE IT TO THE SUMMIT.

THE GREAT HEIGHT OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THE THING AIR

FORCE MANY TO TURN BACK.

ON THE WAY TO THE TOP, CLIMBERS MUST PAY CLOSE

ATTENTION TO THEIR BODIES, MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE

THEY'RE EATING AND DRINKING WELL,

AND ALWAYS FOCUS ON SAFETY.

FOR OUR GROUP OF CLIMBERS, THE REAL CHALLENGES ARE

ONLY JUST BEGINNING.

COMING UP NEXT, THE MARCH TO THE SUMMIT,

BUT OXYGEN LEVELS ARE GETTING LOW,

AND ALTITUDE SICKNESS IS SETTING IN.

HANS: SO, I'M REALLY SCARED.

DYLAN: DO THESE KIDS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT

TO THE TOP?

DON'T GO AWAY.

"JOURNEY" WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: WELCOME BACK TO "JOURNEY".

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

OUR BRAVE MOUNTAINEERS ARE MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE

TOP OF MOUNT KILIMANJARO, THE HIGHEST PEAK ON THE

CONTINENT OF AFRICA.

THEY'VE LEFT THE PLEASANT FOREST BEHIND,

AND THEY'RE ENTERING A COLD,

HARSH WORLD 14,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

THERE ARE STILL SEVERAL DAYS TO GO BEFORE THEY

REACH THE SUMMIT, AND THEY NOW FACE A NEW CHALLENGE,

ALTITUDE SICKNESS.

EXPERT CLIMBER JACOB KYUNGAI IS OUR GUIDE TO

THE TOP OF KILIMANJARO.

HE KNOWS THE GROUP HAS ENTERED A NEW,

MORE DANGEROUS STAGE IN THEIR JOURNEY.

JACOB: WE HAVE REACHED THE COLD AND BARREN ZONE OF AN

ALPINE DESERT.

WE ARE HALFWAY NOW, FOUR DAYS TO THE SUMMIT.

I TELL THEM TO AVOID ALTITUDE SICKNESS,

WE MUST GO SLOWLY AND ACCLIMATIZE TO THE

DECREASING LEVELS OF OXYGEN.

AUDREY: THINKING HOW I HUFFED AND PUFFED UP HERE,

I'M A BIT WORRIED ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO MANAGE

IT, BUT I GUESS IF WE TAKE OUR TIME,

WE'LL BE FINE.

I SINCERELY HOPE WE ALL DO MAKE IT UP THERE.

I'M LONGING TO SEE THE CRATER.

JACOB: THE ALPINE DESERT IS A BATTLE ZONE FOR

PLANTS.

IT IS HARD TO GAIN A FOOTHOLD IN SUCH AN

UNWELCOMING HOME.

DYLAN: THE GROUP HAS REACHED THE LAVA TOWER,

A MASSIVE THREE-HUNDRED-FOOT-HIGH

ROCK THAT FORMED AT THE MOUTH OF A VOLCANIC VENT

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

HEIDI, ROGER, AND EVEN YOUNG HANSY ALL DECIDED TO

CLIMB IT.

[HEIDI GASPING]

ROGER: AT THE TOP OF LAVA TOWER,

HANSY AND I TALKED ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST

EXTRAORDINARY NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA.

THE MOUNTAIN WE ARE SITTING ON EXISTS BECAUSE

OF THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY, A FOUR-THOUSAND-MILE-LONG

CRACK IN THE EARTH'S CRUST THAT IS SLOWLY SEPARATING

EAST AFRICA FROM THE REST OF THE CONTINENT.

THE VIOLENT FORCES BENEATH HAVE DEEPLY ALTERED THE

FACE OF AFRICA HERE, BUT THEY HAVE ALSO SHAPED A

LAND OF MESMERIZING BEAUTY.

DYLAN: AS THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY FLOOR MOVED,

MOLTEN ROCK BENEATH IT WAS SQUEEZED OUT AT THE SIDES

AND SPEWED TO THE SURFACE, PRODUCING VOLCANOES THAT

STAND TODAY AT THE FAR EDGES OF THE RIFT.

THE GROUP HAS REACHED ARROW CAMP,

16,000 FEET IN ELEVATION.

HERE, THERE IS ONLY HALF AS MUCH OXYGEN AS AT SEA

LEVEL.

THIS BARREN WORLD IS THE LAST OUTPOST OF LIFE ON

KILIMANJARO.

AUDREY: FEELING A LITTLE BREATHLESS HAVING GOT TO A

HIGHER ALTITUDE, AND IT WAS A BIT SOBERING WHEN WE

ARRIVED TO FIND THAT THERE'S A MEMORIAL TO A

YOUNG MAN OF 27 WHO DIED OF ALTITUDE SICKNESS IN

THIS CAMP.

IT BRINGS HOME TO YOU WHAT ALTITUDE MEANS,

REALLY.

YOU CAN SEE THE PHYSICAL DANGERS ON THE MOUNTAIN

THAT THE SCARCENESS OF OXYGEN TO BREATHE IS

INVISIBLE.

JACOB: THE CLIMB TOMORROW IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE,

AND IT REQUIRES STAMINA AND STRENGTH OF HEART.

THEY WON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE IT UNTIL THEY NEED

IT.

HANS: SO, I'M REALLY SCARED.

I'M NOT SURE IF I'M GOING TO MAKE IT UP THERE.

DYLAN: DON'T GO AWAY.

"JOURNEY" WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: OUR BRAVE BAND OF MOUNTAINEERS HAVE CLIMBED

OVER 16,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

AT THIS HEIGHT, OXYGEN LEVELS IN THE ATMOSPHERE

DROP CONSIDERABLY, AND ALTITUDE SICKNESS BECOMES

A VERY REAL THREAT.

THE CLIMBERS NOW FACE THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF

ALL, A FINAL ASCENT TO THE TOP THAT REQUIRES NOT JUST

PHYSICAL STRENGTH, BUT STRENGTH OF THE MIND AS

WELL.

MORNING COMES TO KILIMANJARO.

OUR CLIMBERS WAKE TO SEE THE EDGE OF THE ANCIENT

CRATER OVER THREE THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THEM.

TODAY, THEY MUST PUSH THEMSELVES UP A SHEER ROCK

FACE FOR SEVEN HOURS TO REACH THE CRATER'S RIM AND

THE WONDERS BEYOND.

NICOLE: AT FIRST, MY FEET GOT REALLY COLD.

IT WAS WAY BELOW FREEZING, BUT I WAS DETERMINED TO

SEE THE GLACIERS.

DYLAN: EXPERT CLIMBER JACOB KYUNGAI IS MORE THAN

JUST A GUIDE.

HE IS ALSO THE HEAD MOTIVATOR.

JACOB: UP HERE WHERE THE AIR IS THIN AND COLD,

I TELL THEM, KEEP MOVING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE

OTHER, AND YOU WILL MAKE IT.

I STAY CLOSE TO THE YOUNGEST AND SAY IN

SWAHILI, POLEPOLE, SLOWLY, SLOWLY.

JUST BREATHE AND CLIMB.

HANS: I REALLY GOT A HARD TIME GETTING UP HERE.

MY LEGS ARE VERY TIRED.

MY LEGS ARE LIKE -- JUST, LIKE,

FINISHED, YOU KNOW?

AUDREY: IT'S A VERY STEEP PULLUP HERE,

AND THERE WAS A TIME HALFWAY UP WHEN I WONDERED

WHETHER I'D MAKE IT OR NOT.

AND I CERTAINLY SAID TO MYSELF,

"YOU'RE A SILLY OLD FOOL TO BE DOING THIS WHEN YOU

COULD BE SITTING AT HOME ALL COMFY AND WARM." BUT

NOW WE'RE NEARLY UP TO THE CRATER,

AND THERE'S TINY BITS OF BLUE SKY SHOWING THROUGH.

AND I THINK I'M IN FOR A BIT MORE OF THIS YET.

JACOB: THEY HAVE REACHED THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO.

NICOLE: IT WAS THE HARDEST AND STEEPEST TRAIL I'VE

EVER BEEN ON.

I WAS SO HAPPY THAT WE MADE IT TO THE CRATER AND

THAT WE MADE IT TOGETHER.

I COULD HARDLY BELIEVE A KID LIKE ME HAD MADE IT TO

A PLACE LIKE THIS.

DYLAN: THESE GLACIERS ARE A GREAT PART OF THE

MYSTIQUE OF KILIMANJARO.

THE ICE LOOKS ETERNAL, BUT THESE GLACIERS ARE ONLY

THE SMALLEST REMNANTS OF THE MASSIVE ICE CAP THAT

COVERED THIS MOUNTAIN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

BACK AT CAMP, HANSY TELLS THE GROUP HE HAS HURT HIS

KNEE DURING YESTERDAY'S CLIMB.

HANS: I WAS JUST VERY TIRED,

BECAUSE THE DAY WAS TOUGH.

SO, WHEN I GET TO THE CAMP,

IT WAS REALLY HURTING.

MAYBE -- I DON'T KNOW WHY.

HEIDI: DID YOU TAKE SOMETHING FOR IT?

DO YOU WANT SOMETHING?

I HAVE SOMETHING.

ROGER: WHAT'S WRONG, HANS?

HANS: MY KNEE.

DYLAN: HE WAS TRYING TO BE BRAVE AND DIDN'T WANT TO

SLOW ANYONE DOWN.

JACOB: WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT HANSY'S KNEE AND HIS

SPIRITS RECOVER SOON.

WE STILL HAVE TO CLIMB TO THE SUMMIT,

WHICH RISES ABOVE THE GLACIERS BEHIND US.

DYLAN: DON'T GO AWAY.

"JOURNEY" WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: JACOB HAS CLIMBED MOUNT KILIMANJARO MORE

THAN 250 TIMES.

THE AWESOME POWER AND QUIET MYSTERY OF THE

MOUNTAIN DRAW HIM BACK TO THE SUMMIT AGAIN AND

AGAIN.

NOW HIS NEWEST FRIENDS ARE ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET

AWAY FROM THE TOP, AND THEIR DREAM OF CONQUERING

THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN AFRICA IS ABOUT TO BECOME

REAL.

JACOB: I RISE AT DAWN ON THE DAY WE WILL FINALLY

CLIMB TO THE SUMMIT.

I CAN SEE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE CLOUDS COVERING THE

WARM FOREST WHERE WE STARTED

14,000 FEET BELOW.

MY NEW FRIENDS WILL FIND THE STRENGTH AND THE

SPIRIT TO MAKE THE SUMMIT THEY HAVE DREAMED OF

REACHING.

IT IS NOW ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET AWAY.

NICOLE: I'M THINKING OF HOW HAPPY I AM TO BE UP

HERE AND THAT I'M HERE WITH MY DAD AND THAT I

MADE IT.

AUDREY: IT'S SUCH A RELIEF TO KNOW THAT WE'D ALL DONE

IT, AND HERE WE ALL WERE ON THE ROOF OF AFRICA.

HEIDI: AND I'M A STRONGER PERSON THAN I WAS WHEN I

CAME, AND I'M HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

ROGER: I'M EXTREMELY PLEASED TO HAVE

EXPERIENCED THIS FIRSTHAND.

AUDREY: I DON'T REALLY THINK I EVER THOUGHT I

WOULD DO IT UNTIL WE DID IT.

DYLAN: MOUNT KILIMANJARO IS A PLACE WHERE ORDINARY

PEOPLE COME TO DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,

TO LEAVE THEIR DAILY LIVES AND CLIMB TO A MAGIC PLACE

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH.

THE MOUNTAIN REMINDS US THAT YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD

OR TOO YOUNG TO REACH YOUR DREAMS.

ALL IT TAKES IS ONE STEP AT A TIME.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR JOURNEY TO THE ROOFTOP OF

AFRICA.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, SAFE TRAVELS.

♪ CREDITS ♪