CLIMBER BLOG: Eddie O’Connor

My thanks to all. Kenna is like my oldest best friend. A person you can trust. A person who talks his friends into uncomfortable hikes. And you leave better off. And stronger. It was a very hard climb. We had fun. We got to know our porters well. The best thing I saw was the French film team [Eric Guichard, Ivan Maucuit & Antoine Sruys] load up all their climbing gear in packs after the climb and give it to their porters. So generous. They did not hesitate. That’s the spirit. I left without my shoes.

My love and thanks to you all.

- Eddie O’Connor (Sound Recordist)

CLIMBER BLOG: Michael Bonfiglio

Why I joined SOTSK

I ended up on Kilimanjaro after Kenna, the SOTSK team, and MTV contacted @radical.media, the company I work for, to create a film to document the expedition. I’d never climbed a mountain before, but after hearing about the project, I knew that whether I made it to the top or not, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

Climbing Kilimanjaro while making a film about the experience at the same time was unbelievably challenging (and given the ridiculously tight schedule we had for both shooting and editing, some might say it was insane). At any given time on the mountain, at least one of us on the film crew was sick and/or miserable, but everyone on our team showed an incredible amount of heart and dedication, maintaining great attitudes and capturing beautiful footage no matter what Kilimanjaro threw our way.

The climbers were extraordinary as well, allowing us complete access to their experiences and embracing us fully as members of their team. No matter how difficult things got, no one ever got irritated or scared about being filmed – even when they knew full well that what we were shooting was quite different from the polished images their fans are accustomed to seeing.

Without the incredible contributions and talents of any individual member of the team, our whole endeavor might have been an utter failure. Instead, we worked together and created something that we are all truly proud to share with the world. One of the things we all took away from this climb is that we can only accomplish so much as individuals, but when we work together anything is possible. This couldn’t be truer of the filmmaking experience. We hope that everyone who sees see the documentary “Summit on the Summit” gets as much out of our adventure as we did.

- Michael Bonfiglio

Director, “Summit on the Summit” Documentary