We rode the long, winding dirt roads from the Arusha Mountain Lodge to the Machame Gates in Range Rovers. Motion sickness required my eyes to be firmly shut for most of the trip toward the 19,000-feet tall mountain. On the flight from Nairobi, upon hearing that the airplane was flying at a lower altitude than the mountain, I began to seriously question my nerve.    Six months previously, I had signed up for    the climb on a whim; I’d read an article about a group of overweight men in their fifties who got in shape and had successfully made it to the top. Kilimanjaro is unique – it’s the tallest mountain whose summit can be reached without using any technical gear.    After a little research, it became clear that the only choice in terms of comfort and safety was Abercrombie & Kent, frequently ranked as the world’s most luxurious travel outfitter As it is known for offering private jet tours to exotic locales, I figured A&K would probably offer escalator service right to the top. But they warned me that despite a success rate of over 90 percent, it wouldn’t be a leisurely stroll.    I enlisted a personal trainer from the Sports Club/LA, a man whose business card (in the interest of full disclosure) should have read “making your life miserable for six months.” I ran, swam and lifted weights almost every