It took seven days for Paradise Valley Police Chief Freeman Carney and his son to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, leaving a lot of time to think and reflect.
In executing one of the greatest feats, Carney was reminded of a core value of the Paradise Valley Police Department: To remember the small and simple things.
Hiking the highest freestanding mountain in the world was part of a fundraiser for Angels on Patrol, a Phoenix-based organization that provides financial assistance to police officers who are responding to calls involving people in need. Carney and his son Freeman Carney V raised $16,262 thanks to the support of the community.
They also volunteered in Arusha, Tanzania for K2 Adventures, the guide for the Kilimanjaro trip.
“It was an honor to participate in a fundraiser for such a fantastic organization,” Carney said. “Our department’s partnership with Angels on Patrol allows our officers to better help community members in times of crises. When the police department and community partner up, great things can be accomplished.”
Overall, Carney’s favorite day and highlight of the whole trip was serving at Summit Happy Home, an orphanage supported by K2 Adventures Foundation.
Carney arrived in Tanzania two days early, ready to explore Africa. The next morning when he got ready to leave the hotel, guides stopped him and suggested they stay by the hotel pool so as not to get hurt or put in danger. With some convincing, they let him go.
“I love African culture and honestly, I was as excited about that as the actual hike,” he said.
The next day, more people from Angels on Patrol arrived and Carney found a waterfall hike to do. It was a good way to adjust to the altitude and it took them through a village where the people showed the group how they make their own coffee.
The volunteer service they did was for the William Francis Cherilla K2 Prosthetic Center and then Summit Happy Home. Carney was significantly impressed by what K2 Adventures does for its community.
The prosthetic center was started by a co-founder of K2 whose grandfather lost his leg when he was seven. Carney explained that in the community there, if you have a deformity or you lose a limb, people won’t do business with you because they think it’s bad karma.
“By giving these people legs, it completely changes their life,” Carney stated.
The orphanage is also changing lives by creating plans to send its 10 kids through college and providing for all their needs including doctor and dentist visits.
The orphan’s stories were what so profoundly impacted Carney.
“My wife texts me and she’s like, ‘you’re going to want to adopt some kids,’” he said.
In addition to serving at Summit Happy Home, Carney and the group bought toys from the market and went to church with the kids.
He said the church building was old and beat up with holes in the walls where you could see cows outside and a chicken ran around on the ground floor inside. But the choir’s singing rang above this circumstance.
“It was super spiritual and peaceful. And it’s just so humbling,” Carney reflected.
Then began the seven-day trek of Kilimanjaro, a feat unlike anything Carney has done before.
He’s physically active, works out every morning and periodically hikes Camelback Mountain, but he hasn’t done many long hikes. In preparation, his family hiked Mount Humphreys in Flagstaff a couple of times. That’s 12,637 feet.
Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit is 19,341 feet.
The night before setting out on the hike was pure excitement for Carney. He was also excited to spend time with his son in a beautiful country with no distractions.
It rained the entire first day as the group of 28 people went through a rain forest, but the rest of the week was clear skies. They wouldn’t see the rain forest again until the last day.
Every day was a different type of terrain or scenery, like walking on the moon or Mars, Carney shared.
The hike up Mount Kilimanjaro started in the rain forest and went through various types of terrain.
Submitted photo
Campsite one was at an elevation of 9,840 feet. Day two they were already past the highest point Carney has ever hiked, camping at 12,450 feet.
“Day two took six hours, but we only went three miles, which was crazy to me,” he said.
The third campsite was barely up 550 feet after eight hours.
Carney was full of energy and wanted to go faster, but that’s when he started thinking about the value of the small and simple things.
He realized the pace was slow so they could acclimate to the altitude, and it was important to eat and drink a lot on breaks because altitude sickness could be a big problem as they went higher.
These small and simple things are how they get to the top and reach their goal, Carney explained.
“And then day four was the most fun day,” he said. “There’s Barranco Wall. It’s more technical climbing. They have a section called the kissing rock because it’s a really tight turn, so they want your face on the rocks.”
If you step too far away, you’ll fall.
The day was fun, but that night Carney felt the worst altitude sickness. They had climbed up to about 15,000 feet and then back down a ways to camp at a lower elevation.
A lady in the group asked Carney about the potential of him not making it to the summit and if his son would turn around with him.
“I just looked her straight in the eye and said, ‘Oh, I’m getting to the top that’s not a question. I might not feel good, but I’m getting to the top regardless,’” Carney said.
Hiking day five, the day before summiting, was the quickest and easiest. They camped at about 16,000 feet.
“You’re sleeping so high at that point, any time you move or get up to go to the restroom you’re almost out of breath,” Carney said.
Summit day, the group woke up at 4 a.m. in the dark and set out with headlamps. It was the hardest and longest 10-to-12-hour day. After summiting, they went halfway down the mountain. Some people didn’t even come to dinner that night because they’re already sleep, Carney explained.
“You get down the whole thing in a day and a half, but it takes almost six days to go up,” he said.
Mount Kilimanjaro has three summit points. When the group reached Stella Point at 18,885 feet, Carney’s son had altitude sickness and was ready to stop and take photos. It was also a cold day and their water was frozen.
But Carney was set on reaching Uhuru Peak.
“It felt good to see my son push through adversity because it was going to make him better in the long run. That was by far his roughest day, but he pushed it through and didn’t quit, so I was proud of him,” Carney said.
Having his son accomplish Mount Kilimanjaro with him was special as a bonding experience and a life experience that will build “mental toughness to survive in a tough society.”
All five of the Angels on Patrol team also summited.
Teamwork and camaraderie characterized the Kilimanjaro hike for Carney. He relates this to his PVPD team and the community’s partnership in stopping crime.
“There’s an African saying: ‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,’” he said.
MacKenzie Brower can be reached at mbrower@iniusa.org. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
MacKenzie Brower
Lead News Reporter | Town of Paradise Valley
@mbrowerjournombrower@iniusa.org
MacKenzie Brower has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northern Arizona University and specializes in visual storytelling. She was previously the director of photography and Editor-in-Chief of The Lumberjack at NAU, breaking news intern for The Arizona Republic and column writer for FlagLive!
MacKenzie studied abroad in Prague at the beginning of 2021, where she practiced landscape and portrait photography. She is passionate about protecting the world’s environment and human rights and hopes to inform social change through reporting. You can find her portfolio at mackenziebrower.photoshelter.com.
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