Meet an 81-year-old African American who has climbed Kilimanjaro thrice

More than 40 years ago, when Ms Carol Masters was a registered nurse in the coronary care unit, she observed that most patients she encountered were overweight and did not exercise.

That was alarming, and in that moment of epiphany, Ms AZ decided to make stress management, a good diet, and exercise part and parcel of her life! At the age of 38, she ran the New York City Marathon, and since then, she has competed in more than 25 marathons and two Ironman triathlons.

Deemed one of the world’s most challenging athletic competitions, the Ironman consists of three sports: swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running 26 miles in under 17 hours. Ms Carol is an Ironman!

About two decades ago, Carol and her husband Charles went on a trip called ‘The Best of Africa.‘ Whenever they got to the airports, they would always be greeted by the locals with “welcome home.” As an African American, Carol truly felt that she was back in the motherland.

In her 60s, Ms Carol transitioned to hiking with a local group of hikers called Friends of Friends. They first went to the Camino de Santiago, a prominent Christian pilgrimage route found in Spain since the Middle Ages.

They hiked 180 miles. She found the experience exhilarating, so they went to Japan for their next hike at the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route.

They then went back to hike other parts of the Camino in Spain and then Italy! “In 2014, a friend suggested that the group should do the seven summits, and Kilimanjaro was one of the seven summits,” she said.

Her first stare up the mountain Kilimanjaro that she was about to climb was in 2014; by then, Ms Carol was 71 years old.

She had physically prepared for the ascent; she worked out, swam, ran, and hiked in the San Antonio area to increase her endurance and get ready for the highest peak in Africa.

Her daughter Kathy loves hiking also and joined the group! Ms. Carol ascended through the terrain and challenging weather, aiming for the summit, but unfortunately, her friend broke an ankle, and Ms. Carol and her daughter got altitude sickness, so they had to descend.

Nevertheless, in just two years, she was back on the same mountain with her daughter, who was also determined to summit! Again, both Ms Carol and Kathy experienced altitude sickness and had to descend.

In 2024, Carol chose an Arusha-based tour company called Urth Expedition to help her put together the next climb. We used the A-Team Company.

That team of guides and porters was awesome and provided an incredible experience!

Ms Carol was back climbing the same terrain, becoming one with nature and enjoying every moment with every step. “My resilience comes from my African DNA. We don’t give up.

Our people persevere,” she said. The porters were amazing, and during the hike, they asked her what tribe she was from; she had to explain to them that slavery and colonisation stole their identity;

she didn’t know her original tribe, and at that time, Carol realised how much she had missed. “When I go back to Tanzania, I love it because I can reconnect,” she said.

In 2024, at 81, she was ready for her third climb. And she was strong and in good spirits.

When most people that age would live daily with constant dependency on prescription pills, Carol does not take any prescription pills.

“I don’t eat regular American food, I don’t eat processed food, I make my bread, I haven’t eaten red meat in 10 years,” she explained.

She eats mostly fruits, grains, vegetables, and fish. At her age, Mama Simba is at her happiest and healthiest, and her advice is:

Always follow your bliss, a saying she quoted from Joseph Campbell, an American writer, and mythologist; the saying urges one to follow your passion in life.

To Ms Carol, what brings her bliss is being outside, close to nature. “I know who I am; I know my lineage; I draw much of my energy from Mother Earth and from being outside connecting with the elements,” she declared.

Ms Carol made her third climb; this time, she was accompanied mainly by Maasai, who helped in her expedition. “They sang and sang, and they were just accommodating every day,” she remarked.

For the third trip, Carol chose a VIP treatment, whereby she had a personal porter so she didn’t have to carry her backpack.

The tents were much bigger, and she even received two hot water bottles at night. At 81 years old, Carol remained as robust as ever.

The locals nicknamed her “Mama Simba” a term of endearment and praise for her courage and strength.

The name stuck with that is how everybody greeted her during the expedition, even after.

During this climb, she noticed that, for the first time, female porters were in her team; it was recommendable progress in bridging the gender gap.

Furthermore, she was glad to have a female assistant guide.

In Tanzanian culture, respect for elders is of utmost importance, and Ms. Carol felt that the way they honoured her “was just amazing,” she noted.

The climbing was not all a serious stern-faced endeavour; the climbers and their team of porters chatted on their way up about family and life in general, and every so often, the porters would bust into songs that would rejuvenate the team as they were ascending.

“They would sing their songs, and amidst, they would say “hallelujah,” she had observed.

Though Mama Simba didn’t summit, she reached Kosovo Camp (the last camp before summiting) at 15,978 feet, and on what would have been “summit” day, she hiked about two hours up to more than 17,000 feet before turning around.

Ms Carol’s daughter Kathy, however, reached the very top of the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

She was the first of the group to reach the summit, which was a joyous experience. When my daughter summited, a part of me summited with her,” she said with a smile.

As they reached the base, Ms Carol felt privileged to have this experience that many African Americans might not get.

As she gave the porters thanks for the jobs well done, she took some time to explain to them that, many years ago, theirs and her ancestors were stolen from this beautiful land, but now many are returning, and she was back.

Mama Simba was home! She felt the love and the honour of being in the presence of her people and her distant relatives.

For all the three times she has been to Tanzania, Ms Carol, and her friends went on safaris to see the magnificent landscape and wildlife of Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater.

Carol even got to see the Great Migration! Life is GOOD!