So I am a newbie to everything and anything dealing with climbing a mountain. I am in great shape and looking for a challenge. I ordered books about Kilimanjaro ( which have not arrived yet) and have been doing research on the web. I figured the best way to go about this is to ask the professionals. I need to know everything from when & where to fly to, what company to go through, equipment that is necessary and not necessary, and what to expect. I live in St. Louis so I would be flying out of Lambert. It will be in January, if that is a good time. This will give me time to purchase all equipment and be prepared. I apologize if there is already a blog about this. I skimmed thru the pages and didn't see what I was looking for. All the web sites online say similar things but not what I need to know. Thank you

"So I am a newbie to everything and anything dealing with American Football. I am in great shape and looking for a challenge. I ordered books about the NFL (which have not arrived yet) and have been doing research on the web. I need to to know everything in order to play as a quarterback in the NFL next year, what team to play for, equipment that is necessary and not necessary, and what to expect..."

Now, as mountains go, Kilimanjaro isn't as extreme for a newbe as aiming for the NFL without ever having played the sport, but you'll get my drift. I suggest that you get some experience first and pick goals that you know are within your reach. You can start by weekend trips, and if you want to progress quickly, then this summer you could consider spending a week in, say, Colorado or California, hiking and climbing a couple or 14 000-ers in the process. If that works out well and you like it, then you can set your sights higher. You'll also have a better idea about what gear you'll need and, to some extent, what to expect.

In fact, it doesn't have to take long before you're ready for something like Kilimanjaro, and aiming for January 2017 certainly isn't too far to reach. The main difficulty is the altitude: lack of acclimatization is the main reason people don't make it to the summit. Poor weather can also play a role, though good gear and determination can overcome that. It may rain, which is unpleasant at best, and dangerous if you don't have proper rain gear. And It's cold on top, which can be a problem if you're not prepared - but Illinois winters are much colder so that shouldn't bother you. Shortly before going to climb Kilimanjaro, the best thing to do is to pre-acclimatize. The cheapest agencies tend to have too few days for the climb, and consequently their clients are not acclimatized well. On the other side there are agencies offering programs that climb Mt Meru first, which helps a lot.

Good luck on your endeavours, and welcome to the mountains (and to SP).
Cheers, Rob

@boxer141c, Rob has given you perfect answers. I can only reiterate what Rob has said: Acclimatization and proper gear are critical to successfully getting to the summit and back. I just successfully hiked Kilimanjaro last month (February 2016) and the only issue I ran into was altitude sickness. That almost derailed my plans of getting to the summit. Weather was quite favorable – dry and no rain. Work on getting acclimatized and carry some medication if you can.

Good luck !