Failing to Summit Mt Kilimanjaro 

You made the right call going down, buddy. Kilimanjaro ain't going anywhere. You'll get it next time!

being surrounded by that many people while hiking is my ultimate nightmare

It was an honor hiking with you, young man. I had altitude sickness on this hike. I’m still coughing. Headed to the doctor next week to get checked out. Otherwise, beautiful video and thank you for this memory.

From a medical perspective, you absolutely made the right decision. In the hospital, once someone's O2 Sat is below 88%, we give them supplemental oxygen. Anyone who's below 80% with supplemental oxygen usually buys themselves a bed in the ICU or Step-down ICU and regular respiratory breathing treatments. 55% is like "let's keep the crash cart nearby because that big a strain on the cardiopulmonary system could start causing cardiac arrhythmias" Very dark urine for two days sounds like some degree of rhabdomyolysis, or muscle breakdown - far beyond what we get from exercise alone. The oxygen scarcity probably killed muscle tissue when it couldn't meet the demands put on it. Definitely a hit on the kidneys too - that's why anyone with rhabdomyolysis in the hospital gets pretty high volume IV fluids to protect the kidneys when all the products of muscle breakdown have to be excreted in the urine. I totally get not wanting to take any medication on an attempt like this… it can feel like cheating. We really do want to earn our achievements on our efforts alone. So don't beat yourself up over not taking altitude sickness medication. You'll summit soon, I'm sure of it. Heal up stronger, Kraig!

The dude carrying the red holdall on his head. Incredible

Honestly, Kraig's videos are so calming. Some of the most incredible shots.

the guides carrying all the bags (some of the guys with huge bags on top of the head) are the true heroes/hikers! cheers to them!

I'm so glad you left so much of this without music. The sounds of this piece were really special to me, especially when the porters and guides started singing.

Being able to bei honest with this whole situation makes you so authentic. I've seen other videos about the summit but none about a failed summit attempt. I would even say your video may be more interesting than the summit videos. I learned that hiking should not be all about the summit.

"Altitude Sickness, it's serious." Good that your group organizers were well prepared with Oxygen saturation meters. Your experience echoes that of mine and millions of others who climb. It's unpredictable and the best prepared/trained are almost as vulnerable as those "mostly" prepared/trained. That you chose the smart move and went down shows you to be a hero. Thank you for All of your videos.

That amount of noise from other people would drive me insane within a day.

Extremely valuable lesson from a seasoned solo adventurer. Thank you for reminding us that failing is sometimes just as important as succeeding at something.

I’d go bonkers if I had to hike with that many people. Always hearing everyone’s chit chat, footsteps etc. waiting on the slow pokes

Can't blame you man, all those other people didn't have to keep running back to retreive a camera.

The sound editing is so expertly seamless. ✨👍👍 Also, glad you're safe more than anything.

How did you pull this off with no music? Next level travel vlogging hahah Also I'm pretty sure I stayed in that exact hotel in Hong Kong. Also there's no shame in not summiting. Your health comes first.

voices, silence, voices, silence, voices, silence = spectacular sound editing and mixing

Your filming style and editing is awesome I feel like going through the adventure with you

The timing of this video coming up in my feed is uncanny...I just got back from a failed backpacking trip, in which I suffered from heat exhaustion and had started the beginning stages of a heat stroke. I too listened to my body and cut the trip short. Upset with myself, frustrated, embarrassed, all similar emotions. Thank you for sharing this experience and being real with your audience. I appreciate it.

I failed it too dude, I can still remember that feeling of weakness and helplessness, so no shame. you're doing a great job with your channel

My husbands friend felt altitude sickness on this trip 5 years ago. They both decided to continue and unfortunately my husbands friend passed away on summit night. So good decision to turn around.

these 3rd person shots, when you are solo, thats like climbing 2 times at once hats off dude

So many mixed emotions… having so many people in so wild a space seems out of place, and yet they can on occasion make some of the most memorable moments … Seeing so many locals carrying more and also setting up and tearing down camp, and yet they can earn a living and tell their own story of this place because of the tourism industry …Not being able to summit, and yet having the chance to experience the people and the space of this mountain is a blessing in itself So different from your usual work Kraig, and truly special! Thank you for sharing!

I don't know who needs to hear this but the sound of you rolling up your backpack is truly satisfying.

Craig, it's all about the JOURNEY, and never the destination. I love this so much. I can only imagine how hard the descent was too. Glad you made the right call. Glad you're ok.

There is nothing emberassing about, it is so much harder to turn around and be safe than stupidly just push on. Respect for that and for the great video too!

Great video, splendid images... Return to the mountain as often as you'd like, but if I may, please consider forgetting about "beating the mountain" (23:50). When in doing high altitude hiking you absolutely need to change your mindset, it can never be about conquering the summit, beating the mountain... The mountain is just there... it doesn't care if you live or die, but you should care and should always be mindful of your safety. Focus on having fun, on the journey, on getting great images of what you can. The end goal should be to come back alive and healthy. Cheers

Tough decision but the right one. I made it to the top, and I was meant to paraglide down, but, unfortunately, I had to accept my condition was not right. I actually felt good, but the overnight walk from 11pm to 6am really got me. Mind you, managed the 10 hour walk down. I've lived my life at sea level and was fully committed to not summiting. I dont like medication but I took one full dose of diamox the day before starting then took half doses each day. Eat well and often. Drink about 10 litres (water) per day. Learn some swahili, even if it's just samahani, tafadhali and asante. (Excuse me, please and thankyou). No one conquers a mountain. The mountain let's you visit for a while. One of our team died. This is not to be taken lightly.

Definitely not a failure... through your beautiful filmography you have brought many of us along to places we'll never get to see in person - that's a triumph! Altitude sickness is out of your control - listening to your body is the smartest thing you can do in that situation. Cheers to many more journeys ahead!

The filming style makes me feel like I’m on a hike with Kraig

8:17 Never before seen footage of Kraig going back for the camera..

Dude got so minimal almost didn't breathe. It's a great vid, K. Thanks!

Sounds like beyond “Altitude sickness” and into HAPE. Very glad you made the right decision.

10:15 This is the most stunning shot I've seen in your videos Kraig, I'm blown away by your camera work bro.

It's just crazy to me how much load those guides carry every day. What a life!

I would call this a SUCCESS and NOT a failure! You succeeded in knowing when to stop and turn back. A failure would have been to not heed that call of your body and let your ego continue and the outcome could have possibly been death...that would have been a failure. Congrats to you for your success!

So happy to see that you’re ok and doing your trips again!

Being successful in the mountains entails knowing when to turn around. Love your videos man keep them up!

I had to return 6 hours before reaching the Everest Base Camp while coughing blood for 2 days and had really bad stomache problems. I know how you feel. I was totally empty after days of suffering and then I had to helicopter out shortly before reaching the goal. Cheer up man ! - it's a super bad feeling right now - but it will get better. There is a saying "Every frozen corpse on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person." - sometimes it's better to "give up" and listen to your body than the alternative. You come back one day - prepare better, drink more water and then you will conquor this mountain! Andi

I summitted Kili in September 2016. Next time you try it, I'd recommend a September summit. The weather and temperature are so much nicer. I did the Lemosho route, which gave me the maximum acclimatisation time. I did my trek with G-Adventures, who (hired guides that) were fantastic, and I believe they have a great track record. I did NOT take diamox, nobody in my group did and we all summitted. However, we were REQUIRED to drink a MINIMUM of 3 litres of water per day by our guides, to the point where it was strictly enforced by the guides for our own benefit. We got a talking-to if we didn't drink this amount. Other trekking groups had lower requirements which we discovered when speaking with them - we noticed them dropping off as the trek progressed, evidently they did not have the 100% success rate that our group did. Good luck for your next attempt. NIce videos. I miss the views and the hospitality. My favourite camp was Karanga Camp and the descent from Lava Tower to Barranco Camp was my favourite stretch of the trail.

I was literally checking out your channel yesterday for any uploads, and then today here we are! I love your videos and I enjoy watching your journey a lot. Such an inspiration!

The shot of you looking at those amazing clouds while they sing was really breathtaking, had to pause for a minute, I dream of seeing something like that, being above the clouds.

Thank you for putting up this excellent video. Reminds me of my trip there in August 2019. Your decision to come down is the correct one. Not embarrassing at all. You are a champion. The mountain is always there. Live and come back another day.

Thank you for this video. Glad you turned back, because we need you for a whole lot of more videos! Again on this one, amazing shots of everything!

I've waited for so long. He's back!

Introvert in me is SCREAMING!!!!

Kraig, I so appreciate how honest you make these videos. This kind of transparency is hard to come by!

I dont usually comment on youtube but wanted to say how much I love and appreciate these films. Thanks and safe climbing.

Hard to believe that we were in the same trail (Machame) and I didn't even recognize you! We are the group at 1:01 and i'm the guy who made the blowing sound. Sad to hear that you didn't make it. I was also trying to summit without taking any medications, but during the 4th day, the headache was just too much that I ended up taking Diamox. Fortunately, we were able to reach the summit and I believe you will too someday! You are correct that medication is really needed if you want to go to the top, and you made the right decision of not pushing through and it's not one bit embarrassing because the mountain is always gonna be there!

Get well, Kraig!

Thanks for your honesty. That takes balls. Sharing your experiences -even the negative ones- remind us of the dangers and helps prevent accidents. Awesome work!

This is your absolute best video. Thank you for sharing and I’m glad you’re OK!

ED nurse speaking here/you're my favorite content creator but... Dude, anything below 90% is concerning in a hospital setting. 55% is... let's get ready to put a breathing tube in bad (intubation). That's scary. Don't beat yourself up for not summiting Kilimanjaro if that's what was happening. You NEEDED help.

I failed to summit in June 2019, also tried going without Diamox on the Machame route. Went back and tried the Lemosho route in Sept 2019 with Diamox and summited.Would recommend the longer route and the use of Diamox, as one/both of these enabled me to summit. Well done on your attempt.

Hey Kraig. Recently found your channel. It’s been a rough week and we don’t need to loose any more Heroes. Coulda...woulda...shoulda. Kilimanjaro isn’t going anywhere. We need you. Keep yourself healthy and looking forward to you conquering Kilimanjaro!

I’m glad you’re OK!!! Your videos are very inspiring and you are an extremely humble man which is a breath of fresh air in itself these days!

Just great to see an honest self appraisal! So often hiking videos go through what I call the Facebook family filter (everything perfect here!) so (no pun intended) this is a breath of fresh air! Hope you make it next time!

No soundtrack! Interesting! 8:17 - That's cute ahahaha - and you kept it in the video! 10:15 - That's an amazing shot 12:26 - At this point I think you need a snickers sponsorship. Contractually obligated to eat at _least_ one per video Another amazing video. Love the details at the end as usual - it did sound pretty serious, ouch. You did your best considering your decisions, I think that's formidable! I hope you don't see this first attempt as a negative Glad you recovered! NOW BE SAFE IN CHINA. From Altitude Sickness to Potential Pulmonary Inflammation caused by virus, that can get pretty harmful!

Glad you're safe! This video is amazing and I enjoyed every second of it. Thanks, Kraig!

Thanks for the title. No clickbait. Love it even more. You made the right call. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

Bucket list hike right there! Looks like an awesome time

Forests during rainfall smell amazing, I could almost smell this video

What a great video! I love how there is no commentary just experience. These are the sounds I hear when I'm among people I don't know doing a certain activity. It's how I made most of my friends and I love the feeling of not knowing anyone. You will complete it some day keep it up!

This is so raw and real. Props Kraig for sharing such transparency, showing the trials you face and not just the peak of life's highs but the struggles along the way. What a trip! No genuine person is centered on this as a defeat, just life and these things happen as our bodies react in personalized ways. Plenty more adventures to come, betting my bank you'll summit the next one. -Favored treks ahead ^_^

Great documenting as always Kraig. I was watching it feeling stressed and claustrophobic, I can't do so many people, now I know why I also do solo or with one best friend.

Loved having you there brotha. Hope to trek with you in the future

Good on you for listening to your body and the guides. Can't hike when you wake up dead. Nothing to be embarrassed about! Keep up the good work.

I love how normal of a guy you are, openly discussing your failures and learnings. Hundreds of thousands of subs, breathtaking videos, no arrogance or hubris. Keep it up!!!

I'm just imagining all the hundreds of times he had to turn around and go back for his camera

Bruh, glad you called it when you did. Sounds rough AF.

Thanks for producing this. I went through a very similar experience on the mountain, going in with a respiratory infection and having AMS and HAPE. Turned around on summit night at 17K ft. after a terrible night of being sick. Diagnosed with walking pneumonia upon returning to the US.

Imperfect is perfect. Enjoyed it a lot as well as your other hiking videos. Thanks for sharing!

10:11 stunning shot.

This video is such a stark contrast to your others. Beautifully done. It was almost depressing like I was watching a forced labor camp slogging along. If this is what climbing Kilimanjaro is like- must miss.

I'm not a hiker, but have such admiration for those who are. I love your stories, Kraig, and am really pleased that you have demonstrated how to fail with style. Seriously, I think one of the smartest things a person can do is to say I made an error and I think I need to back out of this. You many actually have saved lives by teaching other hikers how to avoid the killer voice of ego. I like to share your videos with my 16 year old grandson and your example is important! Keep up the good work! So very happy that you are okay and took good care of yourself. Your work is a blessing to my quarantine experience.

One of the very few silent videos i enjoy watching! Amazing video like always. Thank you!

Love the thumbnail. Orange all the way!

The disappointment on his face clearly indicated something isn’t right. Anyways nice video.

Glad you're safe. You are such a talent. No one makes hiking/travel videos like you. They are stunning, inspiring and good for the soul

Thank you for this video! Failing to reach the summit is a risk for all. I've heard multiple stories of people preparing for Kilimanjaro, but still falling sick. Good to see a tour guide that handled it properly. I know that it is kinda a bummer, but I am glad that the event produced this video :D

10:25 insane view

I love how beautiful this was but I can't help but notice that Kraig just looks a bit sad (right from the start) and the energy of this video was just a bit more... Less

Knowing your limits and understanding your body is one of the basic aspects of a good hiker! Well done Kraig!

Wow so glad you and the porters did the right thing. HAPE is no joke! We stumbled across your videos just today and are binge watching them. Great work!!!!! Thank you for sharing.

We all have our limits.. Don't worry, you'll get there and overcome yours. Keep it up!

Well, the ascent failed... but everything else was perfect - and inspiring 😉

Really engaging video!! Glad that you’re doing much better now! What a crazy experience!

The mountain will be there when you go back! Glad you made it out. Excellent film, especially with the reality you shared! Real.

One of my least favorite things about the human species (in general)... the incessant need to chatter and talk, continuously.... when if they just walked in silence they could experience their amazing surroundings 100 times more acutely, more spiritually. Good to see at least one of them attempting to do that. Kudos Kraig.

That is a video of my hell. Having to be around all of those people...ugh. Thanks for sharing! Love the vids.

Thanks Kraig. I learn more from the failures than the successes. Your lesson was well taught.

Как-же хорошо под твои видосы засыпается, спасибо большое очень атмосферно ❤️

10:00 Hakuna Matata

3 minutes in and all that noice is making me wanna stop watching - it must have been hell to actually be there as a more introverted, calm person

At 10:15, facing the clouds. Epic shot! Amazing video. RESPECT for those guides, too!

It's okay to Fail. That's where the amazing story comes! You'll get it next time! Love you Kraig!

Didn’t look like u were enjoying yourself at all!

Might have been ‘noisy tourists sickness’ instead hahaha

One of the best videos I have ever seen about Kilimanjaro Hiking. Congrats from Brazil!

Great video! Glad you are well again and know how to move forward for next time.