Summit Murder Mystery Series

Maria Popo President of a Tech Company. Founder of a Non-Profit. Leader of the Unnervingly Brilliant. I recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the seven summits and the highest peak in Africa at 19,341 feet. Here are my post-climb observations. 8. Climbing one of the seven summits makes you “skinny.” I wanted to be sure I could physically make it to the top of the mountain and survive the experience, so I became a running, spinning, kickboxing, weightlifting fool for at least eight weeks before the climb. I lost over ten pounds finally becoming my version of skinny. 7. Climbing one of the seven summits makes you cool. You’re cool if you do something that seems slightly stupid and physically difficult, so upon my return I posted photos of the trek. The unanimous feedback was that I am incredibly impressive and inspirational! 6. Skinny and cool lasts less than six weeks. The weight is now back. My social media friends have since moved o...

By Jo Piazza Mt. Kilimanjaro is a climb of 19,340 feet through all kinds of terrain and vastly fluctuating temperatures.  When my husband-to-be asked what I wanted to do for our honeymoon, I was stumped. I’m a travel editor. I’d traveled all over the world. We’d met in the Galapagos. How do you top that? Do you even try? We both love adventure and the outdoors, and we wanted a once-in-a-lifetime trip that would leave us with a sense of accomplishment, not just a tan. Then one night it hit me: “We’ll climb a mountain!” What better way to start a marriage than by scaling a high peak together? How symbolic. I paused and added, “What mountain can we climb without a lot of training or ropes?” Related Image There are plenty of mountains where you can do that in the U.S.; Colorado...

Staff Reporter /Sharjah Rashid Al Kous holds the flag of the Knowledge without Borders and a '1001 Titles' logo at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located at a height of 5,895 metres in Africa. (Supplied photo) Reading initiative flag hoisted at Mt Kilimanjaro A team from the Knowledge without Borders (KWB) has raised a flag of the organisation and a '1001 Titles' logo at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The event took place following a five-day trip undertaken by the team with Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Corporation, and Mohammed Khalaf, Director of Sharjah TV and Radio. Rashid Al Kous, General Manager of Knowledge without Borders who raised the flag, said: "I am extremely proud of Sharjah's achievements in supporting education, knowledge and culture under the directives of His Highness Dr Shaikh Su...

by Megan Barber Google Maps Street View of Camp Colera at 19,685 feet, on the way to summit Aconcagua From Mount Everest , the tallest mountain in the world, to Mount Kilimanjaro , the highest freestanding mountain in Africa, the world's highest peaks are stunning in their beauty. And while most of us use Google Maps to scope out a new coffee shop, the street view application lets you explore these awe-inspiring mountains without ever leaving the couch. ↑ Everest Base Camp: The Climbers Memorial is a sacred site located just above 14,000 feet, which honor the lives of fallen climbers on Mt. Everest. ↑ Most expeditions to the highest point on Earth are staged at Everest Base Camp, pictured here. ...

DEHRADUN: Ankur Bahl, 54, went missing for two days soon after the April 25 earthquake in Nepal. He was stranded two nights at Camp II, at a height of 22,000 feet above sea level, while attempting to summit Everest for the first time. His anxious wife sent out tweets and messages on social media, and was flooded with offers of support and help. "The ministry of external affairs and the office of the President too reached out to help," Sangeeta Bahl says, recalling that ordeal and the kindness of strangers. Her husband says it was a dream to scale Everest. He was training under the guidance of Garret Madison, seven-time Everester. "I started my expedition for Everest on April 4. At 12 in the day on April 25, when it was all clouded and visibility was poor, the earth shook violently and two pronounced avalanches of approximately two minutes, one from the Nuptse side and the other from Everest side devastated the entire ice-fall route, sweeping ...

Conquering Mount Kilimanjaro: 10 essential lessons By Brooke Baldwin , CNN Climbing Kilimanjaro: The hardest thing I've ever done 04:34 Story highlights CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin stepped out of her comfort zone to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak "Check your ego at the Machame route gate," she says. "The mountain is the boss" About half of the 35,000 tourists who attempt the climb each year make it to the peak When she's not climbing mountains, Brooke Baldwin anchors CNN from 2 to 4 p.m. ET. (CNN) You normally see me on TV, holding down two hours on CNN every day. And while I absolutely love my job, I needed a break. I'd moved to NYC last summer, threw myself into my life up here and have never been happier. But at the same time, the wheel started to spin faster than ever. And after a particularly tough news cycle, I needed a REAL break. ...

Gigi Silk Here’s what you need to know before climbing Africa’s tallest peak. It pays to be prepared when climbing Africa's highest peak. Photo: Shutterstock Two years ago I climbed 5895 metres to the roof of Africa with no boots, no jacket and no idea. Nestled on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, the goal for Mount Kilimanjaro trekkers is to reach ‘Uhuru Peak’ and watch the sun rise over the Serengeti National Park, home of The Lion King. As it’s the world’s highest ‘walkable’ mountain (meaning you won’t need ice picks and ropes to reach the top) you definitely don’t need to practice trekking for months beforehand to conquer Africa’s highest p...

by Nancy Atkinson       Award-winning photographer Babak Tafreshi from The World At Night (TWAN) has been traveling the world to captures nightscapes in various locations. He has shared five beautiful timelapse videos of night sky landscapes “from locations that never been filmed like this before,” he said. A view of Mt. Kilimanjaro at night. Credit and copyright: Babak Tafreshi. Kilimanjaro at Night Here, travel to Mount Kilimanjaro and view it under the starry skies of Amboseli. You’ll see the Magellanic Clouds and fast-passing satellites, along with African wildlife. For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Everest, CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Kilimanjaro , CLICK HERE Follow Charles Irion on Twitter HERE Friend Charles Irion on Facebook HERE Visit Charles Irion's YouTube channel HERE 

According to her obituary, published in Saturday’s Connecticut Post, Norma Brewer’s dog contributed to her death — chewing off her boots and socks, leading her to succumb from hypothermia. According to the obituary, this occurred while Brewer, who was 83 and in a wheelchair, was attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. “There is suspicion that Mrs. Brewer died from hypothermia, after Mia ate Mrs. Brewer’s warm winter boots and socks,” read the death notice, which had been submitted to the newspaper by a funeral home. Brewer, the death notice read, never realized her life goal of reaching the summit of the 19,341-foot mountain. But, it said, she had made it to the base camp, where she died in the company of her daughter, her cats and dog “Mia.” If all this is sounding a little too unbelievable to be true, that may be because it isn’t — not entirely. While Norma did die, the obituary was a joke — one final prank (or was it?...

Webster resident Robert J. Wheeler becomes oldest person to reach mountain's summit by Linda Jarrett Robert J. Wheeler and his son Jack at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. photo courtesy of Robert Wheeler ( click for larger version ) What do octogenarians do to keep in shape? Swim? Run marathons? Not Webster Groves resident Robert J. Wheeler. He climbs mountains. Wheeler, 85, recently returned from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak at 19,340, and will soon be listed in the Guinness World Records as the oldest person to reach the summit. Enjoying a well-earned rest in his Webster Groves century home, Wheeler, who returned Oct. 7, said he wanted to "demonstrate to people that they don't have to become couch potatoes just because they're old." Wheeler gave two reasons for doing this particular climb. In 2010, he published a book, "Mountains and Minds," that alternates chapters wi...

Volcano climber edging closer to record    A WORLD-RECORD chasing Bucks woman has just finished climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro as she edges closer to the overall finish-line. Sophie Cairns, is attempting to climb seven volcanoes in just four months, in memory of her late father. It is the second time she has reached the summit of Africa’s highest peak, after also scaling all 5,895m in 2009. She said: “I’m not sure if I was dizzy with exhaustion or happiness, but it was fantastic to reach the top. “All this in memory of my father – all donations go towards a cure for oesophageal cancer.” Sophie, 35, from Denham, is hoping to climb the highest volcano on every continent in just four months. Originally from Hong Kong, Sophie has got just two more volcanoes to climb and has until April 28 to finish, if she wants to do it in four months, which would slash the pre...

Welcome to all the new people stopping by the blog!  It's been a while since I've shared my Summit Murder Mystery series video and so I thought I would do that.  Take a look below!  Get lost in the climb...

Hi Everyone!  Thank you for reading my blog!  Did you know that I'm the author of not just one, but thirteen books?  For more information, please visit www.charlesirion.com , www.irionbooks.com and/or www.summitmurdermystery.com 9 & 11 Year Old American Girls Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa With She Climbs TANZANIA, AFRICA-- Helen Simons "HS" Berenyi, 9 year old Silverton, CO resident  and Alexis "Lexi" Peats of Perrysburg, OH summited Mt. Kilimanjaro on January 10 th , 2014  at 10:08 am, Tanzanian time. HS and Lexi were 2 of 4 climbers who successfully summited with She Climbs , a non-profit organization whose mission is to build and strengthen the self-esteem of female individuals of all ages, one mountain climb at a time. This is both girls' first time climbing and living on a mountain for 7 days. Lexi Peats said shortly after the summit, "I learned that if I try hard enough, I can do anything!" While fact ch...

  If you’re considering taking on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, there are a few interesting facts you should know about the peak - we’ve compiled a list of our favourites. Hopefully they’ll prove inspiring and will help you on your way to the Roof of Africa. 1. There’s more than one way up Yes, that’s right, there are, in fact, six routes to the summit of Kilimanjaro and two different trails leading back down. The ascent paths are Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe, Machame and Marangu, while coming down you can follow either Machame or Mweka. 2. Kilimanjaro is a volcano Although it’s often called a mountain, Kilimanjaro is actually a volcano and it has three cones. The largest is Kibo - with the highest point on its crater rim - as well as Mawenzi and Shira. The latter two are extinct, but Kibo is classed as dormant and could, therefore, erupt again. 3. It’s the highest freestanding peak in the world As well as having the honour...