59-Year-Old Establishes Women’s FKT on New Kilimanjaro ‘Sea to Summit’ Hike

August 20, 2024

Fastest known times (FKTs) are the most popular type of record thru-hikers and endurance athletes are trying to set these days. People now run the Colorado Trail end to end in less than a week, hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail in just 46 days, complete calendar year triple crowns faster than ever, and the list goes on.

Lorrie Hess took a different approach when she set her sights on bagging an FKT on Mount Kilimanjaro. The Texas native had caught the thru-hiking bug on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in 2017. Then, she started pursuing the U.S.’s highest points in each state — a goal she’s still working toward. She had traveled to Tanzania last year to hike Kilimanjaro for training, for the experience, and to test how she’d fare on such a big peak. Gear Junkie