Ernest Hemingway made Mount Kilimanjaro famous with his story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”—though he never climbed the peak.

But many others have. More than 30,000 try each year, with two-thirds reaching the top.

Kili, as it’s called, is the tallest mountain in Africa but the easiest climb of the Seven Summits—the highest peaks on the seven continents.

Its high camps have hosted some world record sporting events, including the highest professional soccer game, with players hailing from 20 countries.

It’s a unique ascent, traversing five different ecological zones, from cultivated lands to rain forest, then moorland, alpine desert and finally an arctic summit.

The summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is actually three volcanic cones. The last major eruption ended 170,000 years ago, and all peaks are thought to be either extinct or dormant.

There are glaciers in the highest areas, but they’re disappearing quickly, down more than 80 percent since the early 1900’s. It’s thought this is mostly related to human deforestation in the valleys surrounding the mountain, disrupting its microclimate.

The valleys have fertile volcanic soils and ample rainfall, producing the tallest trees in Africa. Tanzania has recently pushed to protect them from logging and is now replanting millions of indigenous trees in an effort to reforest the area.

Through careful stewardship, the mountain could be protected from the further impacts of humans.