I couldn’t have summited Kilimanjaro without trekking poles, it’s that simple. The physical strain on your legs is just too much without the support of these poles. Imagine, summit morning, you are awoken at 3am. Every inch of your body is screaming in pain. You are on 3 hours sleep. You have just been hiking for 5 days straight for many miles a day. The air is so thin that every movement takes your breath away. You head is pounding. Your legs are like jelly. What is your support? Trekking poles of course. Because of the lack of air I was hallucinating. Ascending slowly like an old man with a walker I was slowly chanting “pole pole” as I attempted to reach the summit. Without the trekking poles, I wouldn’t have made it. The majority of my weight was on my poles and my arms. My legs were barely keeping up. That’s why I stress the importance of good trekking poles. Even more difficult than the ascent is the descent. You get what they call’ shaky legs’ which can be more difficult than ascending. Having these poles for support is vital and helped me tremendously. I couldn’t have conquered this mountain without them. Do your research and purchase good trekking poles. Learn how to use them and go on multiple hikes to break them in. Having broken in trekking poles is far more important than going with brand new ones. I will post a video to teach you the right techniques for using trekking poles. Believe me it’ll make the difference in you summiting successfully or not. Everything you take on your hike will be important, but none so than good trekking poles. They are your support when your legs have failed you on the summit attempt. I couldn’t have summited successfully without them for sure.