Jackson County's McMahon climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro

Standing high above the clouds on the highest peak in Africa in early September, Jackson County resident Jennifer McMahon said she had pushed beyond her limitations in order to honor her late husband, Captain James McMahon.

“When I was that high up, I felt really close to him,” McMahon said. “It was just really emotional. It took a lot of physical strength, but it took just as much mental and emotional strength.”

McMahon took part in an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro alongside nine other widowers and family members who have had a loved one killed in military action. 

“It was such an amazing accomplishment,” she said of reaching the summit. “We all were tearing up because we had made it that far. We all did it for someone and so I think that brought out more emotions.”

In May, McMahon was selected to participate in the expedition up the volcano through TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), a non-profit organization that offers support and programs for people grieving the death of a loved one who served in the military. McMahon had to apply for the trip and then was interviewed by TAPS representatives.

Although she’s always led an active lifestyle, she took the next several months to really focus on training for the climb.

“I actually hired a personal trainer and worked with them five to six days a week and that helped me a lot,” she said. “I would do cardio, Stairmaster and lots of different high rep weights. It was rigorous.”

McMahon left Kansas on Aug. 24 and flew to Amsterdam and then Tanzania, Africa.

The group’s first day in Africa was spent checking their gear for the climb. McMahon funded her entire trip herself and her own pack of equipment weighed between 20 to 25 pounds. Each group member, however, also hired a porter to carry some of their equipment along the climb, such as their tent and extra gear and water.

“There are many African men waiting at the base to be hired because that’s their job,” she said. “They’ll climb the mountain two, three or four times a month carrying people’s extra gear.”

Mount Kilimanjaro is considered one of the seven summits, which are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. The base of Kilimanjaro rests at 5,000 feet above sea level and the summit is at 19,334 feet.

It took the group seven days to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and McMahon said they would climb eight to nine hours a day.

“We would start climbing around 8 a.m. each day and end each day between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.,” she said. “At the end of each climbing day, our group was welcomed into the camp by our porters dancing and singing in Swahili.”

The first day on the volcano was an easy hike through a rainforest with a variety of vegetation, she said. It also included gaining more skills needed for the climb such as learning how to breathe when oxygen becomes limited.

“It’s called pressure breathing,” she said. “There’s a certain way you have to breathe so you don’t start hyperventilating and panicking.”

The group reached 11,000 feet, which is above cloud level, on the second day of the climb.

“We tried to go up about 3,000 feet a day,” she said.

The third day brought a different challenge.

“We had to go through sludge - little pieces of rock and dirt mixed together - and basically we just shuffled our feet because there wasn’t any traction,” she said.

The group ascended to 15,000 feet that day but hiked back down to 12,000 feet to camp in order to acclimate to the elevation.

“We really didn’t go very far on the fourth day because we were still getting acclimated,” she said.

McMahon and the other TAPS climbers reached 16,000 feet on the fifth day, and after a few hours of sleep, they began the final push to the summit.

“We started our summit at midnight,” she said. “I think they do that because they don’t want you to see how far you still have to go. In actuality, they want us to try to catch the sunrise at the top, but we actually saw the sunrise at the ridge.”

She said the trek to the top was long and laborious.

“It took us from midnight to 8:30 in the morning to go less than a mile because you have a third of the oxygen,” she said. “You burn 4,500 calories a day just because your body is trying to compensate for breathing thin air.”

When the group reached the top, it was 19 degrees and sunny.

“It was just beautiful,” she said.

The view from the top was short-lived as the climbers started back down the volcano after just 15 minutes at the top due to the thin air.

“There was lady in our group already feeling the effects of the lack of oxygen, and they brought her down immediately after we reached the summit,” she said. “She was slurring her speech and starting not to walk right.”

Fortunately, McMahon said she personally did not suffer any altitude sickness during the climb.

“We all went through our own trials though,” she said. “Some of us had a breakdown one day or another because it takes a lot to get up there emotionally and physically. We all wore buttons with pictures of our husbands or loved one. We took them with us. There was a lot of time to think on the climb. It was very therapeutic.”

After the climb, the group spent several additional days in Africa sightseeing and going on a safari. During this time, McMahon marked the fifth “sadiversary” of the death of her husband, who was killed in action in Bagram, Afrghanistan in 2010. 

“That was really hard because the girls and I always decorate his grave and spend the day together,” she said. “Being with this group though, they understand and we said a little prayer at the dinner table.”

McMahon said that her daughters, Trinity, 14; McKenzie, 12; and Azlyn, 9; were eager for her to return home from the trip and surprised her with a special welcome home sign.

“They are very proud of me,” she said.

McMahon said the group from TAPS dubbed themselves “adrenaline junkies” and have already talked about scheduling their next adventure.

McMahon has been involved with TAPS for five years and has also participated in trips to Alaska, Montana and Utah.

Captain Jason Thomas McMahon, 35, of Dover, Tenn. was killed in action on Sept. 5, 2010 in Bagram, Afghanistan.

Jason attended Emporia State University where he met Jennifer prior to joining the military.

He joined the Army in November 1996, gained his commission in 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in September 2008.

He held numerous awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Jennifer McMahon’s parents are Ernest and Lavon Keehn of Netawaka. Her siblings are Mike and Julie Keehn, Alan and Tery Keehn, Kertis Keehn and Kathy and Bob Mikesell.