CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO – THE CLIMB OF YOUR LIFE

4th January 2010

Day 1 - Mt Kilimanjaro – Machame Gate to Machame Camp

We arrived at Machame Gate around 10.00 am and after registration and a false start (we’d filled in the registration for a seven day trip when it should have been six), the first major decision was if I should have a porter to carry my back pack up the mountain. The team leader suggested that I carry the back pack myself to encourage a correct posture and to ensure a slow pace. The pack when full weighed about 10 kilos but about 4 kilos of that was water so as I drank that lightened the load as the day progressed. So I decided to carry the pack. We set off then on our first day on the mountain at 11.00 am. It was a fairly easy climb and we were reminded constantly to keep drinking water and to keep snacking. I was feeling pretty good so at one stage I kind of sped up past the other team members but immediately got into trouble from the guides for going too quickly. “Pole pole” from the start became our mantra which is Swahili for “slowly slowly”.

Keeping water flowing was easy as I had a “camel pack” system which is a bag of water with a hose attached which threads through the back pack and you suck on the tube to get the water. By the time I had finished the day’s climb at 4.30 pm I had drunk all of the 4 litres of water that I was carrying, plus a mango juice for lunch. I received an “attaboy” for that, which kind of offset my being on report for going too fast earlier in the day.

We arrived at Machame Camp in the rain which turned the camp into a muddy mess. However dinner redeemed the situation – zucchini soup then filet of fish with vegetable sauce. We all retired to bed before 9.00 pm for a well deserved night’s sleep.

Just before bed we were each handed an envelope. One of our team members, Shean, unfortunately contracted pneumonia just before the trip and hence was forced to stay home. He was there with us in spirit however and he had for each of us prepared a hand written a note for each day, which I read first thing each morning. This morning ritual became an integral part of the climb and Shean’s notes really inspired me each day to keep on trekking.

Our guides, headed by Elias and ably supported by Stanford and Eliakim, were superb. They gave us excellent advice and helped us where the going got tough. For anyone contemplating a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, Tusker Trail is the only company to go with – they really look after you (this is a free ad).

Day 2 - Mt Kilimanjaro – Machame Camp to Shira Camp

Camp was raised at 6.00 am for packing and breakfast. We were served hot oatmeal, papaya, bread and jam and were feeling really satisfied. That was when the eggs and sausages were served. So we were really full setting out at 7.45 am. Today’s ascent was really steep climbing from 10,200 feet to ultimately reaching 11,600 feet (3,840 metres). The team leader suggested that I use my trekking poles today which was great advice as there were a lot of large steps as we ascended for about 5 hours. I can tell you that to come over that last crest and see the camp was a beautiful sight.

The fact that camp was already set up was in itself remarkable. Each morning we would pack our own gear and leave it outside the tent in the specially designed Tusker gear bag. We weren’t required to touch the tent. Once we started out, our porters (there were about 55 of them in total) would pack up the camp and carry all of it (our gear, tents for everyone, food, supplies, the portaloos, even chairs for the mess tent, etc etc) to the next camp. They would pass us along the trail, each of them carrying up to 30 lbs of gear. They would then unpack everything, pitch the tents, put our bags inside, and have some hot tea and snacks ready for us when we reached each day’s destination. These guys were the real heroes of our trip – without the porters there is no way we city slickers could have lugged all that gear up the mountain.

Today during the climb I learnt a great Swahili phrase “haraka haraka hyena barraka” which means those actions which are taken with haste, are not blessed.

Lunch at camp was as good as a gourmet meal – hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

The afternoon was spent at leisure, stretching, talking about the day’s climbing and playing Texas Hold ‘Em with the boys. We didn’t finish the game as by 6.00 pm we had to line up for our twice daily medical check. We have our pulse and oxygen level monitored twice a day and the guides listen to our lungs each morning. Today for passing the check we each were awarded a black plastic Tusker Kilimanjaro bracelet. That bracelet is now a treasured possession.

Dinner was a magnificent chicken curry. My appetite has been huge on the mountain (which is a good thing) and I enjoyed all of 3 plates of chicken curry and rice.

Bed time was again at 9.00 pm.

Day 3 – Shira Camp to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp

Today was an 8.15 am start with the first four hours being a relatively easy climb up towards Lava Tower. I started with the poles but it quickly became apparent that they were more of a hindrance than a help and one of our guides, Stanford, kindly took my poles for me to leave me free to walk. By noon as we approached 14,000 feet I started to really feel the altitude - it took all of my energy to slowly walk step by step up to finally reach Lava Tower at about 1.00 pm where we stopped for lunch and an impromptu medical check. I did okay in the medical check and ate most of the lunch but still just felt pretty average. But most of the afternoon was downhill so I took back the poles and traversed the rocks and streams down to the Barranco Camp.

Lava Tower is so named because it is the source of the lava flow of the now extinct volcano. I have to say that we descended from Lava Tower (just over 15,000 feet) at a cracking pace which was tough on the knees, hamstrings and quads. Especially the quads. In some respects going downhill was more difficult than trekking uphill but at least the oxygen level was improving as you descended.

When we reached camp just before 4.00 pm, I had my first mountain headache so I took a couple of Panadol and just felt generally poorly. Interestingly my oxygen result that evening was one of the best on the mountain. Go figure? Fortunately I still had my appetite however and I enjoyed a meal of soup (always the soup) and spaghetti Bolognese.

Bed time was 8.30 pm and I’m pleased to say that I slept for 9 hours which left me refreshed, relaxed and on the Tusker scale of mountain climbing, 10 out of 10 for the Day 4 ahead.

Day 4 – Barranco Camp to Karanga Valley

So fortunately after the 9 hour sleep I woke up feeling good again. We had a 30 minute grace period before breakfast today. Breakfast consisted of sweet corn porridge, pancakes, sausages and toast. We then set off up the Southern Circuit down into a river valley, crossed the river and started to climb up a rocky precipice. It wasn’t long before we encountered “suicide ridge” which meant a slow shuffle along a two inch wide ledge, clinging on to the mountain side for each life with one’s fingernails dug into the rocks. Letting go would mean a 1,000 foot plunge onto the rocks below. This was the only time so far during the whole trek that I wished I didn’t have the backpack on my back. But the guides were great and got us through unscathed. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

From there on the rest of the day’s climb was relatively easy. We ascended to 14,000feet, descended into the vast river valley, then walked up a steep slope to Karranga Valley. We arrived in the pouring rain to find ourselves stuck in our tents for about 30 minutes until the rain subsided.

Oh how I hate camping.

Anyway, finally the sun came out so we could dry our wet clothes. We were served vegetable soup, cheese and vegetable sandwiches, then chicken for lunch.

We stayed in the common tent to play cards for most of the afternoon. Then the usual medical test visit followed by dinner of the ubiquitous soup (it all tastes the same now) followed by mashed potato with beef stew and lentils. My appetite remains good but the food is becoming wearisome. But what can you expect half way up Mt. Kilimanjaro? Tusker did their very best to make the food varied and nutritious. Sanitation was also a huge issue on the mountain, which is why for the most part the food we ate was very well cooked. We also used our hand sanitizers often.

Day 5 – Karanga Valley to Barafu Camp to Cosovo Camp (16,000 feet)

I slept well again. My PA gave me a Phiten X50 necklace before I left which is supposed to assist sleep and well being in difficult conditions. I think this helps.

After breakfast and getting our gear packed once again, we set off on the uphill trek to Barafu. Not a difficult climb today, a bit of scrambling over rocks but mostly just trekking uphill.

Barafu means ice in Swahili and the camp there is perched on rocky slopes in a fairly hostile environment. Our guides earlier on had suggested that we carry on an extra hour to Cosovo and we were very pleased to have agreed with that suggestion once we saw the barren cramped conditions at Barafu.

So after lining up to “sign in” with the rangers, we started our climb up to Cosovo. As we departed our head guide Elias commented that every step was now part of the summit climb so we were pleased to have at least a small part of the summit climb behind us before the big day. The early part of this climb was quite tough as well as it involved scrambling over slippery rock surfaces.

We arrived into camp in time for lunch. After lunch we had a briefing on the summit climb then headed back to the tents for a nap before dinner. We were back in the sleeping bags by 7.30 pm to try and get a few hours sleep before the 10.45 pm wake up call.



Day 6 – To the Summit

We all forced down a bit of breakfast before assembling for the midnight departure. Fortunately the porters were going to pack up for us so we just grabbed our back packs and left.

I’d been told several times that the big advantage of leaving at midnight was that you couldn’t see the climb ahead and I have to say this was true. Basically for the next 6 hours we just slowly walked up a very steep dirt trail with numerous switchbacks. We did stop here and there for brief rests but it became so cold that stopping for long wasn’t really an option. About an hour into the ascent it started to snow, and whilst beautifying the landscape, it didn’t do much for our demeanor. About 2.00 am the moon rose which was a welcome sign and from then on we were all looking forward to seeing the top – but that was still over four hours away.

You couldn’t really talk much as we all needed the energy for climbing. So most of the time I just focused on the next step and sang nonsensical 70’s and 80’s pop songs in my head. I also sang a few musicals like “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Miss Saigon”. Why these popped into my head at 17,000 feet above sea level, I’ll never know but quite a few of us were experiencing some level of delirium so I was likely going through some phase of temporary insanity, just to trick my brain into letting me climb higher and higher while the rest of my body was demanding to stop with the craziness.

At some point on one of our frequent brief stops the guides pulled out some white powder for us all to consume which turned out to be pure glucose powder. The guides absolutely insisted that we consume the glucose and watched us eat it. It was like eating a handful of sand from the beach so the side benefit was that we had to wash it down with a lot of water.

I have to admit that the first two hours were very tough but once the moon came up it seemed easier and I just got into a “zone” and trudged up the mountain step by step. Fortunately I didn’t suffer any headaches or nausea (thanks to the Diamox I would think) and my lungs had sufficient oxygen to get me uphill. It was tougher on some of our group and a few of the group needed a shot or two of oxygen from the guides but in the end everyone dug deep and found that little bit extra to get them through. I was mightily impressed by all my fellow climbers’ strength and fortitude.

I had taken up my usual position at the rear of the group and just before 6.00am I looked up to see all my fellow climbers hugging and ‘high five-ing” each other. I thought that they had really been tipped over the edge and gone stark raving mad but it turned out that we’d reached the Stella crater rim, which was a significant milestone in the climb. From there it was a leisurely one hour walk up a gradual incline to the summit. As the sun came up we stopped often to take pictures as the surrounds were breathtaking with glaciers, snow capped peaks and the awesome scenery of Mother Nature at her finest.

Finally at around 7.00 am we all made it to the summit. It was quite a busy morning with about 20 other climbers reaching the summit at around the same time. While we waited for our turn to take a photo at the famous Uhuru Peak sign, we enjoyed the immense feeling of satisfaction to have made it up there under our own steam. In total we spent about 45 minutes at the summit. Having strived towards this peak for the previous 5 days, I wish it would have been possible to spend much more time up there on the “roof of Africa” but we had a long descent ahead of us so all too soon it was time to go. I will never as long as I live forget the feeling of being there at the top.



Uhuru Peak to Mweke Camp

Now came the really hard part – the descent. We had a descent from 19,340 feet to 10,400 feet ahead of us, over a total of about 15km. The first part took about 3 hours down to Barafu Camp. You descend over a different path than what you climb up and it is pretty slippery in part so you need to use your poles for balance and support and one needs to take extra care.

Coming down we were chatting about our being totally over the camp food and that the only thing we really felt like from the camp menu was the grilled cheese and vegetable sandwiches. Well fortuitously when we reached the Tusker mess tent at around 11.00 am that’s what they were serving for lunch.

We hung around there for about an hour before dragging our weary bodies back out on the trail to walk down to Millennium Camp. Of course it started to rain so it became a pretty miserable hike. My boots which had performed very well on the ascent weren’t so great coming down and after a while every step became agony as my toes kept banging up against the front of my boots. But stopping wasn’t an option so we just soldiered on downhill in the rain. Another issue was that we’d put on thermal underwear for the cold ascent and as we lost altitude it became warmer and warmer. We reached Millennium Camp around 1.30 pm and after a brief rest we trekked on downwards towards Mweke Camp. This stage was a huge challenge as most of the walking was through a rocky river bed and every step was potentially a twisted ankle. We walked past a stretcher left beside the trail as if to say be careful or you could find yourself stretchered out.

Finally our hot, sweaty, tired, rain drenched bodies arrived at camp around 3.30 pm. So all in all it amounted to a day of 15 hours of trekking starting out at 16,000 feet climbing to 19,340 feet and then descending back to 10,400 feet.

After a change of clothes (just from one dirty set to another really, the only difference being that we changed into drier clothes) and ditching the boots we met up at the mess tent for a couple of well deserved cold Kilimanjaro beers which the ranger station was selling for US$4.00 per can. The rain was still pouring down and in fact became a river through the floor of the mess tent but no one really cared. We forced down a little of the ubiquitous fried chicken and chips for dinner and then crashed for about 10 hours.

Thankfully that would be the last night in a tent for the trip and I don’t plan to sleep in a tent again for a long time to come.

Day 7 – Mweke Camp to Mweke Gate

Up early at 6.00 am as we were all keen to get out of there and back to civilization. At the guides’ urging I forced myself to eat some egg on toast and we set off at about 7.15 am. One of the guides suggested that I wear my running shoes and after putting on a “second skin” bandage over my many blisters I found that I could walk without too much discomfort. The trail was pretty easy but very muddy at times. We stopped to watch a family of black and white Colobus monkeys jumping around the jungle canopy and finally arrived at the Mweke Gate at 9.50 am. We signed in with the rangers for the final time and then boarded the Tusker bus for the drive back to the Keys Hotel for a shower, lunch and many more beers. Ironically that afternoon I suffered a blinding headache and had to sleep for a couple of hours before I could eat dinner. I guess it was just an accumulation of all the challenges over the week that finally got to me and forced me to sleep for a while.

Summary

Although I had never previously aspired to climb a mountain it became somewhat of a challenge once suggested to me by my good friend and fellow climber, Sam. The fact that we were supporting a very worthwhile children’s charity decided it for me.

Over the seven days we climbed from 6,000 feet to 19.340 feet and back down to 5,500 feet over approximately 60 kilometers. I didn’t do any special training for the climb, but without doubt you need a certain level of fitness to be able to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I only found out on our return that the Machame Route that we took was the most challenging of the various routes, so that gave me a little extra satisfaction.

Camping out is not at all my thing and this was probably the most uncomfortable aspect for me. I actually enjoyed most of the climb, and the camaraderie with my fellow climbers was fantastic. But of course reaching the summit was a personal achievement. What was interesting to me personally was that the one thing that I was expecting more than anything else, a really tough “out-of-breath” slog to the summit on the last day, didn’t materialize. Then again, I also didn’t experience the oxygen rush on the descent that so many climbers had described to me.

Looking back I guess I mentally determined that I was going to make that summit one way or the other unless it became physically impossible due to altitude sickness. So in the end that is what I did.



Postscript

Pretty much all of the ailments that I managed to avoid on the mountain got me in the week after. First the headaches (these lasted for several days), then the nausea and stomach upsets, and finally I came down with acute bronchitis and had to succumb to a dose of antibiotics to help me to recover. Even now, some 2 months after the climb, I feel that my body is still adjusting back to normality. Interestingly I have just come back from a trip to Ecuador and traveled as high as 4,000 meters (by car this time), with no ill effects, although some of my colleagues did it tough. So my Kilimanjaro experience has left a lingering impact on my constitution, it would seem.

Our team leader asked us at the end to summarize our Kilimanjaro experience in just one word. I can’t recall what if any answer I gave at the time, but for me now it would have to be:

“Attitude”

-David

Reflection & Thanks From Jennifer

We did it. 19,340 feet. All the way to the peak of Africa.

It was a great week with challenges that don't come close to those faced by the kids supported by Power To Be. But to us, on that mountain, the tests we faced were very real. The cold, the rain and the intense long days were both thrilling and at times overwhelming.

Kilimanjaro was beautiful. Every morning when I faced the climb ahead, I was a little worried and a lot excited. Every day seemed to bring a different mountain. The views and the experience changed so much as we gained altitude. The lack of oxygen affected every one of us in different ways. Some greater than others but everyone felt it.

The night we climbed to the summit was awesome in every sense of the word. The climb started at midnight with a couple hours of sleep and a belly full of yet another great meal prepared by our Tanzanian team. It was a long slow shuffle with few breaks. The temperature seemed to drop with every step and the available oxygen was less and less with every breath. I climbed right behind our lead guide and all I could see ahead was darkness and the glowing headlamps of other groups moving ahead of us.

I struggled with the oxygen reduction differently than I expected. I fought an extreme need to sleep for about 3 hours. I had to have powdered glucose and energy bars and candy every 10-15 minutes. It was not what
I expected but it was manageable so I can't complain too much. Another member of our team made it to the top only with the aid of an oxygen tank supplied by our guides.

The Summit was reached at 7:00am. It was overwhelming and I don't think any of us had dry eyes. Every step had been worth it. The glacier and the clear view of the mountain was something I wish every one of you could experience. I can't explain the beauty and the feeling of being part of something so big.

I want to thank everyone who supported me in our drive to raise funds for the children and youth of Power To Be. It is an extraordinary organisation and worthy of every penny.

Thank you all so very much.

-Jennifer

Reflection & Thanks from Sam

My Family, Friends and supporters,

We did it, 19340 ft, to the peak of Africa, Uhuru (Freedom) Peak, Mt Kilimanjaro

Now I’ve had time to settle into life back home and had time to let the whole journey sink in, I wanted to express my gratitude to you all.

What can I say, this has to go down as one of the most amazing weeks of my life, and needless to say of the Teams. From the rain forest to the barren landscape midway, to the blizzard on the last day, we went through all the elements. Hot and humid, cold and dry, this mountain had it all, and it wasn’t afraid of letting you know! It definitely wanted to test the endurance of the team yet teased us enough to let us know that what awaited us at the top was worth every ounce of energy we would spend getting there.

I could go on and on, but feel that you all need to know the main event. With limited sleep due to the climb earlier in the day and the lack of oxygen the group assembled at 16,000ft at midnight. This was it, the final push, the remaining 3,340 ft. Exhausted yet silently excited, the team knew what was required. This was the moment of truth, no matter what, we needed to ensure we all made it, 12 climbers one great cause. The evening was clear, you could reach out and grab the stars, we were even treated to a display of shooting stars, with a moon in the background that looked like it was on fire. But for the guides voices, you would have thought you were dreaming, yet the bitter cold told you it was real. It all seemed too good to be true, sure enough, it was, the clouds came in and then the snow. It just added to the drama, one step in front of the other, one breath at a time, head down, oh the monotony. Pole, Pole, slowly, slowly in Swahili, we all thought the same, when will it end?? But that’s part of the experience. And then before you know it, and to your surprise, you’re at the crater rim, hugs all around, we’ve done it. Not that easy, this is just the crater rim, Stella Point, after 6 hours of climbing we’re still not there. The top of Africa lies further afield, another hour away. (We all knew this but inside, secretly we were all thinking about turning around, what’s the point, this is good enough, who will know)? The hike starts again, at this altitude each step takes your breath away, each step takes all the energy you have, but again, all you think about is the end goal. (Not the top of the mountain but the cold beer that awaits you at camp, 10,000 ft below. Only joking, but it’s these thoughts that keep you going).

The blizzard still howled all around yet you don’t notice it any more. Then, as if to give the team the additional boost it needed, the snow stopped, the clouds cleared and the sun rose. The guide informed us that the top of Africa was just around the corner. Uhuru Peak, Freedom Peak. Could this be it, could we be this lucky that the clouds and weather would clear so much that we would be blessed with pure sunshine. Sure enough, upon reaching the summit of Africa, with not a dry eye between us, (we all had sunglasses on but we all knew) we were drenched in the most beautiful light, that shone down upon us, almost biblical, you’ve reached your goal, you’ve achieved what few people can only imagine, the TOP OF AFRICA. All the months of preparation, all the sleepless nights, all the hardship of the previous days, were distant memories. We had all done it, and it was spectacular, words couldn’t express your feelings.. You just try and take it in, the never ending views, the glistening glaciers, pure poetry. You just try to take it in, as best you can. You forget how exhausted you are, who cares about the lack of oxygen, we’ve done it and that’s all that matters!!!!!!!!!

I hope the above gives you an understanding of our journey. It is hopefully my way of thanking you all, this wouldn’t have been possible without you, all your words of encouragement, positive attitude and personal votes of confidence. You were all with me every step of the way and most importantly at the top.

-Sam

Monster Gratitude

Seven Summits – Mt. Kilimanjaro - as experienced by Donna Carrigan

20 days ago on the rooftop of Africa I had the most beautiful moment of my life. Mt Kilimanjaro served me a piece of humble pie and provided me with a view from the top that made it easy to swallow.

White. Baby clouds white. Dollie White. Fluffy White Kitten White. White white white. The sun shone on my cheeks and glaciers and rolling clouds surrounded me as far as my eyes could reach. I was in a frozen sea of white. I felt like I was inside heaven. Or a giant ever expanding home made marshmallow. Or precisely all of those things at exactly the same time. To speak of the sense of wonderment that filled my body fills my eyes with tears. I can only begin to hint at the greatness of this moment 19,340 feet above the sea, to the frozen sea. The summit of Mt.Kilimanjaro. Filling my tear ducts was a combination of the struggle it was to get to the top and the sheer beauty of the landscape.

Overtaken with joy and nausea, gravity opted for me to sit down on a lonely rock. My head heavy, fell to my feet. My body considered which direction my shoulders would fall if I fainted. My headache was growing and already was splitting the back of my head in two. Just like the honey dew melon halves you see plastic wrapped at the grocery store.

With a deep breath at 70% oxygen my air felt cut short. I felt the panic in my breath that one time I went scuba diving off Ogden Point with my friend Ryan. My buoyancy was all wrong and I was shooting to the surface and forgot for a moment I was on air. My chest felt heavy under an atmosphere of pressure and Ryan reached his hand for me to right my floatation. It calmed me. My breathing calmed to normal. But here I wasn’t underwater and no one was there to reach for my hand. The glacial giants made me feel less alone but I still felt panic. My porter had gone and so had my oxygen tank. My head was pounding and I was fixated on trying to take a deep breath. Maybe 65%. The scenery in my peripheral view distracted me for a moment. The pain seem surreal and giving up on feeling full of O2, I took another half breath and puffed my chest up from the rock. Lifting my chin up into the sky I took another look across the horizon, over my pink nose, of the melting glaciers that surround Uhuru peak, the peak they call Tanzania’s ‘Freedom’ in Swahili.

“This is it” I thought. “Enjoy it” Holding my head up, my vision became wobbly. I felt like I was back in my sailboat playing in the waves. For a moment I was chasing a BC ferry into Pender Island’s Otter Bay Marina, like two summers ago. This waking day dream was a sign that my time at the top was over. My weak knees echoed the thought by beginning to shake uncontrollably. The severe reaction I’d had to Diamox, an altitude drug prescribed to those who attempt high altitude, was raging its effects on me. Delirium, rash, swollen face, nausea, cold sweats…. I was at the point of exhaustion and my body began shaking top to bottom. I knew I had to keep moving and so I turned to the crater and started my decent down the mountain.

As quickly as I saw heaven, it was now behind me, forever preserved. With the moment tucked in my pocket, I could only think of how not to vomit on myself, a danger especially in the cold, and brain power went to how to get my legs to move more consistently.

In hindsight I was risking a great deal strolling the edge of the crater, so delirious, but needed to hike to Stella point where a deep decent awaited. My teammate called out to me, and I found the echo of his voice absorbed in the vacuum of high elevation: “Donna! Donna! ” “Stay to the left!” in his British accent Sam’s voice came to me, clear as a bell.

It was a real warning, I was delirious and wavering along the edge of a steep trail that offered to take me down the side of the mountain at the speed of my existence. “To the left!” I responded with a swagger and then picked up speed. “With Thanks Sam” Deep breath. One more. “‘I don’t feel well”.

“This is how climbers die on Everest.” I think to myself. The combination of driving forward to the summit (summit fever, I suspect) and altitude sickness (the fog of reason, I can tell you with all certainty) made it so the energy needed to climb down the mountain had been forgotten, or seemed absolutely unimportant.

After this thought, the adrenaline of the summit left my body and suddenly I became very cold. I could feel my bones.

That was my last real memory from the summit. Three porters, a tank of oxygen and two slips in and out of consciousness, continued waking hallucinations and a bashed knee was the recipe required to deliver me to camp.

My next memory is holding my head in my hands between my legs. The head splitting had turned into general mashing about with a sledge hammer in all sorts of directions. I am back at camp and despite the noise in my cranium I find myself retelling a blur of memory: an interrupted fall down the mountain in three places, all from exhaustion. Chicken brought to me in tinfoil. A juice box. Defeated, I negotiated the thought that we still had another three hour hike ahead of us to the next camp. My team mates doting on me and supporting me as best they could. Liquid gel advil, warm water easy to swallow for my swollen face.

Honestly, all I could think was three words: “Don’t climb Everest.”

And as sea level came closer, the Mt. Kilimanjaro python that wrapped around my brain slowly let go of its pressure. The lower altitude a silent beacon cooing for it to let go and make room for the next ego filled climber. Soon my thoughts began to expand past three words. My rational now so full of oxygen it announced directly to my eardrums that this was likely the best thing that had ever happened to me.

Why the best ‘thing’? It was the best thing because all told it was the most beautiful experience of my life. And by beautiful I mean that I was given the rare opportunity to push my physical limit and yet feel the absolute safety of a team, which allowed me to cheat the odds and crawl to the roof of Africa. It was beautiful because our hearts were reaching the summit for a cause meaningful to each one of us. The cause: the Power To Be Adventure Therapy Society. It was beautiful because my headache was so intense on Summit day that I couldn't put my pants on. It was so beautiful because I could use the word beautiful eight million times and I would still be describing it.

I was gifted a high altitude lesson from the fourth highest of the seven summits: I learned that if I feel safe, I can push all the limits.

And for that, I have monster gratitude.

A very special thank you to every one on the Power to Climb Team, who each in their own way contributed to my summmit by creating the space for emotional and physical safety. A life time of memories - you are all absolutely da best.

Uhuru Peak. Freedom Peak.

When I discovered Uhuru was Swahili for “Freedom”, I could not think of a more perfect word to sum up this journey. At 5896 meters, Uhuru Peak is the highest point on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the true summit of the roof of Africa. I’m happy to say that several days ago, our whole team stood together on this very summit. More importantly, I’m happy to say that each of us is walking away from this having had an incredible and positive life experience. And neither of these things could have been achieved without the selflessness and genuine concern for each other’s well being that was brought to the table by all.

This is truly one of the best teams I have had the pleasure to be a part of, and I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to share this experience with such a remarkable group. It’s amazing how when you have a clear idea of what you want, and you put it out to the world, it can act as a beacon bringing like-minded people together around a common cause.

What started for me as a journey to climb a mountain, has taught me that there’s nothing more important and empowering than friendship. The other thing it taught me is that you never know who you may inspire along the way, no matter how trivial an action may seem. Thank you to all those who supported our cause, and thank you to the youth I have come to know in Power To Be’s ‘family’ - thank you for inspiring me. This is just the end of the beginning.

Mike Schauch

The road to Kilimanjaro

This is not where I pictured myself sitting last May when I agreed to join the group from Power to Be in their bid to climb Kilimanjaro. However here I sit in my office at home on the same day they start their climb.
Climbing Kilimanjaro has been a 35 year dream of mine. Honestly it has been more like a love affair. Why of all the mountains in the world this one? Well I like to say that's a simple answer but it isn't.For now let us just say that it was an impossible dream when the love affair started. I am not a person to say that I have had a hard life. My life has been harder then some and easier then others. Until just a few short years ago Kilimanjaro to me was just a pipe dream. Oh, I talked about it and even daydreamed what it would be like but never really believed that it would ever happen. When I was told I had lung cancer I still refused to give up this dream. I knew the chances of me ever climbing Kilimanjaro were slim but heh who was it hurting to hang on to this silly idea anyways. Cancer and I had an amazing journey where I was given the chance to start becoming the person I always knew I could be. Cancer taught me to let go of my anger and to live each day as if it was my first and my last. Most of all it taught me to soften the walls around my heart.After five years of dealing with cancer I was told that I was cancer free. What a relief those words were to hear. I hadn't thought much about Kilimanjaro during that time and it wasn't until one rainy Saturday morning two years later that the subject had come up.
I had enrolled a team in an endurance race being held by this group called "Power to Be". I really knew nothing about them. I was asked if I would help set up the course and that this guy named Tim would meet me Saturday morning.Well we met and talked for about five minutes, Tim told me about "Power to be" and I knew that this was not only a cause I could support but was also a man I could see as a life long friend. We decided it was raining to hard to set up the course and that we would try again later. Then out of the blue Tim told me that they were also organizing a trip to climb Kilimanjaro in January to raise money for Power to Be. I told him right then that I would be going! Here it was a chance to fulfil my dream and make a difference at the same time. Wow, could it get any better.Over the next six months I got to meet most of the rest of the team and to really grow to love them. These are people who put their hearts into what they believe in.I also got the chance to grow as a person by learning to stay connected with them,something I haven't been good at in the past.
The last week of November came and we had a real rainy couple of weeks.I caught at the time what I thought was a cold. The cold over the next couple of weeks keep getting worse even though the doctors put me on all kinds of medince. In the end I wound up in the hospital with pneumonia. The doctor told me that it wasn't a good idea to climb for at least a month to six weeks.I can honestly say that in that moment I was crushed.Here I was just a week away from fulfilling a life long dream and it was taken from me,so I thought.
That night I prayed. I am a man who not only believes in God but also has a one on one relationship with him. So I am sure you can guess what I asked. "Why?"
I am not one to feel sorry for myself so the question was asked o try and understand.The answer I got in return surprised me. I found that all these years that i had daydreamed about climbing Kilimanjaro I had never once dreamed of the mountain.It was always the people that I climbed the mountain with. I know you might say "OK, but now you aren't climbing the mountain with them either." That's what I said at first too. I meditate every day and the following morning this is what came to me. The mountain was never about climbing to the summit,it was about being part of something greater than myself, I found inside of me that I didn.t need to be on the mountain with my new family in order to be part of their experience. In the past when the chose had been made to not do something I would just quit trying to be apart of it and withdraw back into myself. This time by choosing to do things to help make the trip a better experience for those who are going I found that I changed my life for the better. The out pouring of love and support of my fellow team mates was heart touching. I found that it is not about showing up in person but is about showing up in heart. Do I miss being on the mountain with my friends today? No,I miss my friends. I know I am there in their hearts as they are here in mine.

Live,Laugh,Love Shean

Moshi, Tanzania - Sunday, January 3, 2010

We arrived safely at midnight at our lodge in Moshi on January 1st 2010! Yesterday our guides took us on a tour of Moshi town where we were able to sample the local markets and culture – a quaint town with very beautiful people! Pop ~160,000.

Today things got a bit more serious with orientation day on the agenda – guides took us through the itinerary and conducted a gear check. We’re off on our 7-day trek in 15 hrs – big hug to all of our supporters at home – wish us luck!