Gorge My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds

The inspiring memoir of a plus-size woman who summited Kilimanjaro while overcoming fat prejudice and her own demons -- "I was moved and inspired by every page of this beautiful book" (Cheryl Strayed)

Kara Richardson Whitely was determined to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. But she struggled with each step -- with the grueling conditions on the steep mountainside, with the 300-pound weight of her own body, and with her food addiction, which came from a lifetime of reckoning with feelings of failure and shame. Deep in her personal gorge, Kara realized the only way out was up.

Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds is the raw story of Kara's ascent from the depths of self-doubt to the top of the world. Her inspiring trek speaks to every woman who has struggled with her self-image or felt that food was controlling her life. Honest and unforgettable, Kara's journey is one of intense passion, endurance, and self-acceptance.

Don’t judge a girl by her blubber. Kara Richardson Whitely has hiked Mount Kilimanjaro three times while weighing as much as 300 pounds. Why three times? Because sometimes that’s what it takes to get over something. She finished Gorge, her inspiring and empowering book about the experience, while working with Cheryl Strayed in the French Alps.
Kara, who is also a motivational public speaker, has written for Self, Everyday with Rachael Ray and Runner’s World magazines. She was recently featured on Oprah’s Lifeclass, an Outside magazine 127 Defining Moments finalist and has been written about in Redbook and American Hiker magazine.
Kara lives in Summit, N.J. with her husband, Chris, and two daughters.