Preetham Goli, a 16-year-old student of Delhi Public School, has made history as one of the youngest climbers from his city to successfully summit Mount Kilimanjaro. The ambitious young climber reached the summit on July 17, 2024, after an 8-day expedition that tested his physical endurance and mental resilience.
Preetham, who is currently in the 12th grade, embarked on his journey on July 12 with a group of four climbers, guided by the experienced mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta. The group faced numerous challenges during the ascent, but Preetham’s determination and perseverance saw him through to the top.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to summit Kilimanjaro was that after finishing Everest Base Camp, I was not satisfied. I wanted to do more, climb more, achieve more,” Preetham shared. “While climbing Kilimanjaro, sometimes I felt lonely, but I learned to enjoy it. Being away from everyone and everything made me realize how simple our life was. Sometimes I felt really peaceful, which I had never felt before.”
The summit day was particularly gruelling, starting at 3 AM in freezing conditions. “The summit trail was very hard due to the steep ascent and slippery ground made of fine gravel or sand. Right before reaching the summit, I started having a really bad headache, which I know is common due to the altitude, so I kept pushing on. The feeling when I reached the summit was just magical – all the problems I had while climbing just disappeared.”
At the summit, Preetham proudly unfurled the Indian national flag, the NCC flag, and his school flag, a moment that he describes as one of the best feelings in the world. Although the group had planned to stay at the Crater Camp, bad weather forced them to descend to Barafu Camp the same night.
“I thank my school, Delhi Public School, Nacharam, for all the support, and I especially want to thank Satyarup Siddhanta Sir for helping me summit the mountain. Without him, the summit would have been very hard,” Preetham added.
