Arizona grandmother becomes oldest woman to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro

Anne Lorimore
Photo by Kandoo Adventures

Mountain climbing is often considered a young person’s game, which is why Anne Lorimore’s recent summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro is so amazing. The 85-year-old Arizona native spent most of July making her way up Africa’s tallest peak, and is the oldest known woman to have successfully climbed the mountain.

Lorimore does not consider herself a seasoned climber, but she does love to hike. When she heard that her niece and nephew were going to attempt the mountain, she asked them if she could come along.

“I said, ‘Please, I want to go,’ and they said yes. So I put it down on my bucket list that by 2015, I was climbing Kilimanjaro,” Lorimore told local TV channel KPHO.

She wasn’t just looking to get herself into the Guinness Book of World Records, she was also raising money for a charity she started in 2004. Challenge Youth Fund encourages at-risk youth to pursue their dreams, supporting them through mentoring and arts programs. Lorimore encouraged followers of her climb to donate to the charity on her website:

“I have challenged myself to meet some pretty lofty goals, and I challenge followers of this adventure to give a hand up to homeless, foster, orphan and disadvantaged kids through my Challenge Youth Fund.”

Lorimore came down with the flu about four days into the trip but managed to push through to the summit. She is now safely back at home in Paradise Valley awaiting Guinness officials to confirm her world record.