More than a dozen college students from Connecticut prepared Tuesday for their trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The students are from the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University. They say they prepared backpacks with the thought that they have to be selective about what they carry almost 20,000 feet up.

The trip will include five days going up the mountain and two or three days to go back down.

The journey is a dream for student Justin Schroeder from Fairfield, who hopes to climb the tallest peak on every continent.

Schroeder says his group raised more than $60,000 for Make-A-Wish. The group also includes climbers from Milford, Fairfield and Woodbridge.

The trip is organized by Choose a Challenge.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.