Eight Year Old Mangalorean Boy Creates History: Youngest One to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Highest Peak in Africa

Eight Year Old Mangalorean Boy Creates History: Youngest One to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Highest Peak in Africa

Eight-year-old Mangalorean boy Ayaan Mendon became the youngest person in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa on August 4 by holding the Indian flag after finishing a eight-day hike. Ayaan Mendon is from Mangaluru who resides in Dubai. He is currently studying at the North London Collegiate School Dubai.

On a practice hike in Nepal, he did very well, which gave his parents the confidence to take him to Kilimanjaro. With courage, determination, years of training experience, and support from his parents, he started his journey towards the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak. A few times, he had fallen sick, and his parents helped him climb up, holding his hands and they even held him when he was tired at times. There were also times when he would go faster than the guides. Seeing him sick, Ayaan’s parents were not even worried about completing the hike. Anytime he was told that this hike could be done later, seeing his condition, he said, “No, let us go up! I want to go up.”

His tiredness vanished entirely in a few hours after reaching the foothills.