Girl Breaks Mt. Kilimanjaro Climbing Record, Becomes Youngest Female To Scale Mountain

An Austin, Texas, girl in March set the record as the youngest person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain. She and her mother together braved harsh conditions and high altitude for six and a half days to reach the top of the summit.

Montannah Kenney, 7, successfully scaled the 19,341-foot peak on March 16, becoming the youngest girl to do so, according to a website that tracks climbing information on the mountain. She accomplished the feat with her mother, Hollie Kenney, a former professional triathlete.

"It was beautiful the first day and then it rained, snowed and hailed the rest of the time," Hollie Kenney told the Houston Chronicle. "Everything we were carrying was soaking wet by day four - including simple things like toilet paper. We weren't totally prepared for that."

Besides her mother, the 7-year-old completed the climb with her mountain guide Dismass Mariki and about 20 other support team members, which is the protocol for the journey.

The young girl’s accomplishment spread throughout her town, eventually hitting various media outlets.

"She could care less. Even when she was on 'Good Morning America,' she didn't care about staying home to see the interview air," the mother told the publication. "She will never look at herself as doing something so great, but I hope it gives her an 'I can do anything' outlook on life later on when she's older."

A conversation between the girl's mother and her aunt influenced the expedition. Montannah, who overheard the discussion, decided she wanted to join them.

Then the family began to research the mountain and discovered that Montannah had to be at least 10 years old to perform the climb. However, they learned that she could go with a special permit and decided to set a 2019 date to make the trip.

After news broke in January that a 7-year-old boy had conquered the mountain, the Kenneys expedited their 2019 date to March and hired a guide. The plan was to break the record before Montannah turned 8 years old in May.

"It all fell together so quickly and easily," Hollie Kenney said. "We were able to do it over her spring break and her elementary school - River Ridge Elementary in Stiner Ranch - worked with us along the way."

Montannah revealed that the trip was about more than a record and that she did it in memory of her father, who died just after her third birthday.

"I wanted to be closer with my dad," she told CBS News. "I wanted to do fun adventures with my mom and learn about Mt. Kilimanjaro."

Kilimanjaro is located on the northern border of Tanzania and about 12 miles from the Kenyan border in East Africa. The mountain is said to be big enough to have its own weather pattern, which often alternates between rain and snow, with temperates ranging from very hot to freezing cold.