Episode 43 - Acanela Expeditions Review - Brett Climbs Mount Kilimanjaro

“I want to try to do it all.”

— Brett Siddell

Acanela customer Brett Siddell sits down with us and shares with us his experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (and great hiking advice). He also talks about his first trip that inspired his wanderlust, his favorite travels, what he loves about Acanela Expeditions, and more! Listen to hear his Acanela Expeditions review!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Brett’s most memorable travel experience (2:25)

• What made Brett want to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro (8:26)

• Brett’s favorite part of hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro (10:25)

• Brett’s advice for someone going to Mt. Kilimanjaro (15:16)

• Where Brett is going next (24:20)

Courtney: Hey guys, welcome back. It's Courtney. Today, I'm sitting down with Brett. Thanks so much for joining us, Brett. I'd love to just dive in and start this. Right, if you just want to tell us a little bit about yourself.

Brett: Okay. Sure. I'll start with the good stuff. Let's see. I was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I was raised in Cape Cod, which is allegedly basically just a pile of sand. It's the arm that hangs off of Massachusetts. There are some woodsy areas, but basically it's just a beach. So it freezes over in the winter, it's beautiful during the summer. But even growing up, I was like, this is beautiful, but I want to see more. Grew up in Cape Cod then went to college out in California. So literally went about as far as I could away from home in the continental United States and went to school at USC in Los Angeles, studied acting and creative writing and the performing arts, some film stuff, even some dance. I got kicked out of that class though because those people were all at like level 404 and I was just doing the running man. So I was not allowed to take that one, but still graduated in four years.

So I went from USC. I stuck around LA to do some acting and primarily some standup comedy in LA for a while, and then made the big move to New York where I've been ever since. In New York, I continue to be doing standup comedy, but my main bread and butter, so to speak is at SiriusXM Satellite Radio. So I am on the air every single day on the biggest radio company in the world going by how many people could potentially listen to our show. The show is a mix of spirituality, comedy, and music. So it's kind of a rare breed. And so am I. So it was a match and I've been on that show for about 12 years now, but yeah travel has been a huge part of that entire path. In fact, a big reason that I'm even on the show that I'm on for this long is that every time I was thinking of leaving, a whole big new trip or a series of trips was planned for the show. So travel has definitely been a big factor and motivator in my life since high school really.

Brett’s Most Memorable Travel Experience

Courtney: That transitions perfectly right into my next question. I was just going to ask about your most memorable travel experience.

Brett: Yeah. I mean, I'm going to go right to the source, which of almost all of my travel experiences, to be honest with you and very much plays into our Kilimanjaro experience through Acanela. So when I was a junior in high school, I was lucky enough to go to say a coat and tie prep school. My parents did not have a lot of money, but just about every penny we had, went to my high school education, which seems insane in retrospect. But it was very nice of my folks at the time. But as a byproduct of going to a school like that, we went on some, again, very lucky, very blessed enough to say that this is an opportunity of mine. But my junior year, a trip was scheduled to Kenya and I, for some reason just could not get it out of my head and heart and soul even, that I really wanted to go on this trip. It was going to be about 20 students and about 3 chaperones I believe, something around those numbers.

I was on, as a sidebar, I was on the varsity basketball team and we were really good. Like we were scheduled to win the national championship. I mean, it was all kind of headed in that direction. If I went on the Kenya trip, I was going to miss the championship game. I was going to make it for most of the finals, but I was going to miss the championship game. So even though I was by far the last one off the bench and I never went in the game. I mean, there's people who like went to the NBA after this. I wasn't close to that level. I had like argyle socks up to my knee, goggles, headband. Like I was basically a clown at the end of the bench, but it was still a big deal for me to miss the championship.

Coach would say, "We're only as good as our last player." I was feeling guilty about not being there for the team, even though I wasn't going to be winning the game-winning shot or anything like that. But I had to make the tough decision to go to Kenya because my whole kind of body and everything inside of me, was kind of pulling me to Kenya. So I went on the trip. Coach was upset, but obviously he had bigger fish to fry with actually winning the championship. But I went and I realized now looking back on it, why I was so called. That trip gave me the wanderlust for the rest of my life. As soon as we landed in Nairobi, I was like, I want to see everything, I want to go everywhere, I want to do everything. Most of my time and money since then has almost all been in one way or another, trying to figure out how to see and do everything I can while I'm here on this planet.

So it was more of a safari trip. We stayed in like little like huts/cabins that were in the middle of this nature preserve essentially. And we would go out and look for the big animals and stuff like that. But then we'd come back and have bonfires and maybe swim in like a local lake or something like that and everything about it just, I loved so much. Like something as simple as seeing a different tree or seeing an animal I hadn't seen before or just feeling the feeling in Africa felt different than it did in Massachusetts or any of the other States I had been. Or anywhere in North America, just felt different there. Not just on my skin, but inside me. And I wanted to see what everyone everywhere else felt, is the best way I can put it. And the only way you can do that is by going there. And so that really launched my wanderlust, my desire to kind of see the world in junior high school. And so it's hard for me to put something higher up than that because it really launched me, like put me on a launchpad.

Courtney: I love that you mentioned like the feeling, that it just feels different. Like Africa just feels different in that … you want to understand the feeling of everywhere else, because if it's such a different feeling going from like somewhere in America to Africa, where does everywhere else feel like? What's the feeling everywhere else?

Brett: Yeah. And I've tried to explain that only people who, and I'm trying not to make it sound exclusive. I'd rather have it feel like inclusive, but there's no real other way of me describing it. The only way that I can feel that is by being there. It's like people who run a marathon, like it seems insane and silly and you can't explain it to someone who hasn't done it. You almost have to be within this area or done this thing to feel this way. And I wanted to see what it felt like in different places. I mean, even the negative stuff. I don't know. I just wanted to take it all in because I'm just here on this rock just one time. Unless of course reincarnation is true. And in that case, I think even the person I turned into next is going to want to see whatever I didn't see. Cross off more stuff off the bucket list.

Courtney: Yeah. That's such a good way to explain things. I haven't really thought about it like that, but I've spent like a lot of my life in Africa and it's just so different. People keep asking me what takes me back there. And it is like that feeling is just, it's something almost tangible.

Brett: It was very tangible for me. Like not, and again, I really try and do it without judgment. Like I don't want to be like, if you haven't been, you don't know bro. But the subtlety of that is there. Like trying to explain or trying to make, bridge a gap between what I'm describing to something that maybe they've been through that I wouldn't know. Like fatherhood, like I'm not a father yet. Like maybe my friends who are fathers be like, listen, you just don't know until you're doing it. That there's just certain things that can't be replicated until you go through them. And a lot of travel experiences are that way for me.

The Deciding Factor for Brett to Hike Mt. Kilimanjaro

Courtney: Yeah. Yeah, that totally makes sense. And then what made you decide you wanted to hike Kilimanjaro? Because you've just come back off the trip. And sometimes I feel like hiking Kilimanjaro's pretty daunting. What made you decide that that's something that you wanted to experience?

Brett: I'm glad I prefaced it with the Kenya trip because I would never have picked that task. Unless of course it was prefaced with or precluded with what I just said, which is I really want to try and do it all. I'm going to have some limitations as I get older. So, each year that goes by, I'm kind of like, well I need to do some of these more active ones. I'm a comedian, I'm a radio guy, I'm a people person. Like hiking is not my thing. Like I just don't really connect to it like the people that I know who love hiking do. I'm like that seems so boring, you're walking uphill. That's what a hike is. So it's just exercise. There's not that much talking, there's not that much goofing around, there's no bar. It's just not what I would pick. I'm much more of a beaches and beers guy than I am a hiking guy. That's just always how I've been.

But that's exactly why I wanted to do this trip because if I'm going to sit there with people and say I want to do it all, I want to see it all, I want to feel it all. And then take myself completely out of a list of things that I wouldn't normally pick, well then I'm being a hypocrite at best, or a liar at worst. Like I'm not living fully into what I'm saying my philosophy is. So when this opportunity popped up, I was like, no, this is a perfect reason. This is the perfect time for me to test that theory and do something that's out of my comfort zone to use a cliche term. But it's true. I don't exercise that much. I don't really hike, this wouldn't appeal to me normally, unless I'm really facing up to my facts internally, which is I want to go and do something new. And this is certainly that.

Courtney: What would you say your favorite thing was about hiking Kilimanjaro?

Brett: I mean, it's so hard to avoid this answer, but getting to that summit sign, I will never forget that. I bristle still, even though I'm proud of the fact that I got to that sign and I'll explain. I typically fall in the category of, as cheesy as it sounds, that sort of notion of it's about the journey, not the destination, kind of have fun along the way. A Kilimanjaro trip where all you're really talking about and hiking towards is this sign, essentially the sign at the top of this mountain. It actually flies in the face of that, in part. That trip is very much destination-based.

Like, yes, you can have fun along the way. And yes, you learn things along the way and I'll get into those in a moment, but it flies in the face of that ethos. It's actually very destination-based. In fact, if I didn't make it to the summit sign, I would, even now, I would be super upset having this interview. I'd be sad. I'd be angry with myself. I'd be disappointed. And those things don't normally come with the territory so to speak if you're just doing it for the journey and not the destination. All of it would be positive. So I'm glad I made it, but now all that being said, again, it was just another way for me to test some philosophies that maybe I've held as too true for too long. I wanted to kind of explore some things that maybe I had been taking for granted for a while. Like just kind of going with the flow. No, let's have like a very discernible goal and reach that flipping goal. And I don't normally do that with myself, just personally speaking.

So I knew that this would be challenging something with myself that I don't normally do. So that being said, I did make it to the top and that is definitely the most memorable part. As soon as I saw that sign, I just started completely bawling because it was so hard at that point. Like every time you cross like a new ridge, I kept thinking I was going to see the sign and I didn't see it. And I was just out of breath and I was sapped of emotional capacity anymore. I was just like done, but I knew I wasn't going to give up, but I was just like where is the sign? Because there's signs before that, that looked like it. And all that did was hurt my chances. Like I was so faked out by those that it was like draining me a little bit. I was like, yes. And then they were like, no, you're not even close. I was like, wait, what? Like, what are you talking about? I thought this was it.

And they're like, oh no, you have, you still have like two more hours. I was like, I don't have two more hours. But all that being said about it being for me, even that was testing my typical philosophies, let's say. The team effort that it takes and ... So two things. The team effort that it takes to get that far, because it's so difficult. It played a big role in what it meant for me. I mean, not only do you kind of have to help each other along the way within the group, but the porters that help you up become much more of, almost like a shaman than just somebody who's helping you hike. And what I mean by that is that there's some times when you're actually not just struggling with physical issues, but maybe even psychological, maybe even mental, I mean maybe even spiritual. I mean, your body's going under so much duress there so your mind is, and your brain is and that can really start to do some really intense work inside yourself.

And these guys and even the help of the group, although obviously they're going through the same stuff you are in many ways, these guys are used to that. They've seen the looks on people's faces. They've seen the aches and pains that people get. They understand like the translation of certain sentences as to what they really need. Like is this time for like a snack or is this time for like a spiritual check-in? And they're very well suited and very well seasoned at that. And I thought that was really beautiful and also very helpful. And I was not expecting that that sort of bond going into it, but it's very much kind of a shaman, somebody who kind of helps you through the dark stuff to get you to this mountain top experience. In this case, literally and figuratively.

Brett’s Advice to Those Planning to Hike Mt. Kilimanjaro

Courtney: What would be your advice for someone going to Kilimanjaro?

Brett: Boy, oh man. The thing that I thought was funny and yet very, it's obviously a very big impact on the trip and of the trek to the top is this a pole thing. They tell you two things. They tell you to breathe. And this term, pole pole, which essentially is like slow. And why I think it's funny is that there's no option, but slow. By the time you get up into these regions of 10,000, 15,000, 16, 18,000, 19,000 feet, like of course you're going slow. You don't need to tell me to go pole pole. I can barely walk. Like I'm about to crawl and cry. You don't need to tell me pole pole. But the impact of that, the goal of that sentence, isn't just to remind you to go slowly. It's that if you remember to breathe and if you remember to drink water and if you go pole pole, you will make it.

I think that of course training comes into this and a lot of those things, but we noticed in our group that there was a wide variety of training that went into it. A wide variety of, there had been people who had done marathons and Ironman competitions and said that this was way harder. There was some other people that didn't really train that much, that their body is just affected differently at the top. But the three things that don't change are moving slowly, concentrating on your breath and your breathing, and staying hydrated and really having a full trust in those guides. And this is very specific to people who are really climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I mean, their goal is to summit. I mean, obviously the trip had a lot more to it than just those last whatever 4,000 feet, even though that's definitely where you're tested the most. But I trained, but only for about a month and I didn't do anything with the low oxygen, I probably would have done something. There's like that mask out there to try and replicate what it's without oxygen.

I decided against it. I don't really know anyone in our group that did it. You kind of look like Bane from Batman. And I didn't want to do that at the gym. I probably should have just said screw it to worrying about what other people think and just done whatever I needed to do, but I didn't do it. I did more like rock climbing to work on some core stuff. A lot of cardiovascular, very little on the arms. I mean you're not ... I just had the poles for the hiking. I think a lot of the stuff that I would suggest for people outside of maybe just ... I would say the training is just to get your confidence up. I honestly don't think it changes that much of your performance on the mountain personally, because I was going up against people who do Ironman competitions and I was just laughing. I was like, well, then I can't do it. If that's what's needed, then I'm not ... Well, I should just stay back here and drink hot cocoa and make people laugh because I'm more suited for that base camp.

And we passed an entire group. On the way down, we passed a group of essentially elderly people, people in their sixties, it looked like, maybe a little younger, but maybe even a little bit older. And I don't think they're all not going to summit. I don't think they were just given this sort of 0% rate. I think some of them are going to do it. So I think a lot of the training isn't just for your body, I think it's to give you the confidence that you will be able to do it. So I think it's more training your brain and maybe even your soul a little bit, and like your heart, like your psyche then just your body itself. I think it's just kind of the training gets you into this format of like, I'm going to be pushing myself. Let's do it in all of the ways, not just your legs or just your lungs. It's your whole system really.

That all being said, I would also say great socks. Buy really great socks and really great boots because you are on your feet a lot. Like if your feet start to have troubles, then you're going to have some ... Everything else is going to be a secondary priority. I don't care how much you've worked on your spirit.

Your life, your feet are peeling away at the bottom. You're going to be in rough shape. I had very good socks. I got lucky. I don't really hike. I got boots. I got socks that were recommended and I never had any issues. And I really think that that, just on a physical spectrum, was huge for me.

Courtney: Good socks and good shoes.

Brett: Yeah, if nothing else, if you hear nothing else. Make sure those are good. I used the polls and I'm very glad I did. I have some friends that said, no. But my friends who really hike a lot, they use the trekking poles. I think they helped in the backing defense of that, that I thought was really helpful is like, otherwise your arms are just there. They're not doing anything. You might as well ... Whatever help you can get, you should probably take because it's tough. Because they're really light. They're not really ... Otherwise your arms are just there. So I mean, why not use whatever resources you have to kind of lighten the load.

Courtney: Good to know. Good socks, good shoes and the hiking poles help.

Brett: I would suggest those three. I mean, I was pretty silly. I wore like some pretty silly stuff. So I could do silly stuff up at the sign. Thankfully ...

Courtney: I saw one your Instagram posts.

Brett: Did you happen to see that?

Courtney: Kylie was showing it off when she got back.

Brett: I wonder. I'm so curious how she prefaced it. Look at this idiot. I was happy that we were with a trip that like, obviously not everyone is gung ho, but everyone was laughing when I did that. And that's the other thing. I mean, it was an arduous journey, but we made it so we should celebrate. It's the main purpose of that.

And my final piece, when we were being filmed at the bottom, I thought it was almost disturbingly ironic that you learn all these lessons about yourself or about like your influence and working with a team and with others and all these things about yourself that it's not really about the mountain anymore. And it's almost like if it's not about the mountain, what the heck are you climbing this big, giant mountain about. Like you have to, in my case, and I don't think I speak for myself. I had to put myself through that pressure cooker of a situation to learn some things that I wouldn't have been able to learn otherwise. Like, even if I say I'm going to go push myself at the gym, I'm not going to push myself hard enough to get to where I went mentally and psychologically and spiritually, because I know I wouldn't be able to do it without such a daunting task, with such a huge goal at the end.

I know myself. I think everyone would probably list different things that they got to internally. But I think everyone would probably agree that no matter how hard you're pushing yourself in certain times, like to have this summit experience and really try and get to the top, like I need that. I need that goal to be able to push myself that hard. And I'm so glad that I did. And although I don't think I'll be doing anything quite similar to it for a while, I will be pushing myself in ways that I would have never thought possible again, because I did that. I'm very grateful for that for certain.

Courtney: That's so awesome to hear. That's such a big accomplishment to say that you made it to the summit of Kilimanjaro and that you had that great experience.

Brett: Right. And I guess if anyone's hearing this, that would debate it, it's definitely just a gut check. I honestly still don't think it's a lot about the training. I think the training is just to get your gut ready. As in like, this is going to be tough and you need to know it's going to be tough and you're going to need to fight through that. And I just didn't really do a lot of that to myself. I've done that to myself in mental ways, but this physical kind of pressure cooker really kind of grills some things out of you. Some of the things you might learn about yourself, you don't even like, but at least you know about them. I would suggest people do it. I'm never going to do something like Everest. That sounds completely insane to me. But all those people that are questioning doing it, I would sign up with Acanela and I would do the Mount Kilimanjaro trip and see what you learn about yourself and others. That's what I would say.

Courtney: That's great to hear because I feel like, yeah, sometimes Kilimanjaro is just super daunting. So I think people just think about it and they're like, eh I'm not climbing that mountain. Like it's not my goal, but that's cool to hear about your experience with that.

Brett: Yeah. I mean, I feel like in a nutshell, I think a lot of people would say no climbing a mountain is not really my thing. But if you set it in terms of, do you want to learn like really intense things about yourself? Like, do you want to bond with yourself? I think most people would say yes to that. And that's what this opportunity lends itself to.

Brett’s Next Trip

Courtney: What places are on your bucket list. Like where are you going next?

Brett: Oh, wow. That's good. Definitely not another mountain. I'm not even going to exercise for a while, nevermind climb another huge mountain. I've never been to India. I'd really like to go to India. I went to Japan last year. That was at the top of my travel list at the time. I went to Japan, I loved it. So I have to kind of reboot, look over the list. I really would like to go to India. I've been to Brazil, but just to Rio. So I'd love to see ... It's an immense country with a lot going on and a lot of beautiful aspects to it. So I'd love to see more of that. And just more of South America in general. I've only been to basically just Rio and it's just got this huge expanse of such beautiful places. And I'd love to do some more exploring of that.

Whether that's like a rain forest or floating down a river somewhere or seeing some more mountains or ... It's just got so much to offer and I feel like I've only reached the tip, which I did because I was in the bottom tip called Rio. So yeah, India and South America would be, in general terms, my next stops hopefully.

Courtney: Definitely awesome destinations to look into.

Brett: Yeah. And I'm ready now. Like things, the more you travel, the more you're like I can handle it. Let's just go, let's do it. We'll figure it out.

Courtney: Yeah, let's go, book my ticket the night before I'll get on a plane.

Brett: Let's just do it. Let's just do it. I'll figure it out when I get there.

Podcast made in partnership with Acanela Expeditions

Theme Song - I’ll Just Be Me by Gravity Castle

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