Conquering Kilimanjaro: APSU graduate student scales Africa’s highest mountain

By: Ethan Steinquest February 18, 2026

Madison Pertuset, a graduate student in APSU’s Department of Communication, navigates the Barranco Wall while summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest freestanding mountain. | Contributed photo

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Madison Pertuset set her sights on Africa’s highest peak with the same determination she brings to her marketing studies at Austin Peay State University, and her persistence paid off when she reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro over winter break.

The weeklong trek to the 19,341-foot summit tested Pertuset in ways she had never experienced, demanding she dig deeper—mentally and physically—as she journeyed through five distinct climate zones.

“I’ve never even camped before this,” said Pertuset, a graduate student in the Department of Communication. “Waking up in a tent on a mountain above the clouds, I hadn’t imagined that was something you could experience. There was also a huge sense of pride in reaching the summit because of all the work I put in to prepare for the trip, especially as a college student.”

Preparing for the challenge

Although scaling one of the Seven Summits was a first for Pertuset, she and her family are experienced hikers who have visited smaller peaks across the U.S. and Europe since she was younger.

“I think hiking is one of the best ways to see different parts of the world, and I love taking in all the different landscapes,” she said. “My cousin did the Everest Base Camp trek several years ago, and since then she’s always wanted to do Kilimanjaro. She asked if I wanted to go with her, and I couldn’t think of a reason not to go for it.”

To prepare for the trek, Pertuset trained to minimize altitude sickness and conditioned herself to walk four to eight hours each day.

“There aren’t many difficult hikes at high elevation in Middle Tennessee, but it’s important to find the most challenging ones to replicate what you’ll be doing on Kilimanjaro,” she said. “Other than that, it’s a lot of strength training and cardio. I have a long, steep driveway that goes up for about a quarter of a mile, so I’d walk up and down it with my pack multiple days a week.”

Through rainforests, deserts, and thin mountain air

Madison Pertuset reaches the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania that stands 19,341 feet above sea level. Kilimanjaro is among the Seven Summits, the tallest mountains on each continent. | Contributed photo

Pertuset and her cousin trekked with a 10-person group from WHOA travel, an adventure company focused on empowering women. They were accompanied by guides, porters, and chefs working on Kilimanjaro to ensure travelers’ safety.

“It felt like we were climbing a different mountain every day because there were five climate zones,” Pertuset said. “On the first day, you’re essentially hiking through a rainforest, but eventually you realize you’re in a different area surrounded by trees and bushes. There are also alpine deserts, and the top of the mountain is an Arctic zone.”

The group spent a week on the mountain, walking for hours each day and resting at campsites in the evening. Pertuset’s favorite stretch was climbing the Barranco Wall, a steep ridge formed thousands of years ago by landslides and volcanic activity.

“I was really excited about that part because my family had done a via ferrata a few months prior, which is like being cabled into the side of a mountain,” she said. “When I’m looking at the pictures of myself on the mountain, the one of me smiling the hardest wasn’t at the summit - it was me on the Barranco Wall, just climbing away.”

While each group member experienced personal joys throughout the trek, acclimating to the thin air proved universally difficult.

“Altitude was the biggest challenge, because from day one we were camping at 11,000 feet,” Pertuset said. “I didn’t sleep well the first night because I was in my head about being so high up. By the third day, we had hiked to 15,000 feet, everyone had headaches, and people were throwing up.”

Pertuset said following the guides’ advice was essential for getting enough food, water, and rest, while the staff and the WHOA travel group’s support motivated the team to push forward.

“Everyone struggled at some point, so it was great to be surrounded by people who were so encouraging,” she said. “The WHOA leader with us was on her third summit of Kilimanjaro, so we could ask her all sorts of questions, and she reassured us that everyone was prepared.”

The staff members were also a major source of inspiration, whether they were hosting dance parties to help the group unwind, cooking high-altitude meals, or demonstrating strength and positivity.

“I loved getting to know the porters - they would carry my 30-pound duffel bag straight up a mountain in two hours, and it took me six hours to do the same with a 10-pound pack,” she said. “When you got up there, they’d have the biggest smiles on their faces, asking how you were doing. They were constantly so happy and encouraging, even though they were clearly doing much harder things than we were.”

Reaching Africa’s highest point

Madison Pertuset’s WHOA travel group celebrates a successful summit alongside Mount Kilimanjaro staff, including porters, chefs, and guides. | Contributed photo

After days of ascending, the group reached the volcanic summit, where ancient glaciers still cling to the mountain’s rim despite decades of recession.

“There’s a crater at the top that’s covered in snow and ice, and you can hike around on the rim,” Pertuset said. “As you keep going up, you can see Mount Meru, another of Africa’s highest mountains. We saw it on the first day of the trek, and it looked huge, but at the top of Kilimanjaro, it looks like a tiny hill in the distance.”

Standing at Africa's highest point, Pertuset reflected on the week-long journey that brought her there and the pride that came with pushing through every challenge.

“I’ve always liked to challenge myself, but never to the extent of summiting a mountain,” she said, adding that she plans to trek to Everest Base Camp in the future. “Knowing I can do something like that if I set my mind to it was a big thing for me.”

Charting the path forward

One of Pertuset’s next major accomplishments will be earning her master’s degree in marketing communication. She currently works as a graduate assistant for the Division of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy, gaining hands-on experience with social media marketing and analytics.

“Being able to set goals and reach them is very rewarding for me,” she said. “It’s interesting to see what kind of content is working, and what needs to be changed from month to month to help with engagement.”

The analytical and creative skills Pertuset has developed through her classes are helping her succeed as a GA, and she plans to use them to explore her career options in higher education, advertising, and sports entertainment.

“A lot of my classes as an undergraduate felt very repetitive, but at Austin Peay, it’s been a lot deeper,” she said. “You get to actually go out and do the research, and if there’s a topic you’re interested in, you’re encouraged to explore it. I’ve learned a lot more about how people interact with media, why they interact that way, and what makes them interact differently.”