Daily Journal
From the Marangu Hotel, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa
"This team has experienced Mount Kilimanjaro from its most glorious right through to devastating," reflected Dr. Danny Dibski, back with this year’s Ascent for Alzheimer’s team members in the comforts of the Marangu Hotel. "We encountered some pretty challenging conditions – but, in a couple of days, it probably won’t seem so bad!"
Looking towards Kibo.
(Click for larger version)
Clean and warm, still basking in the success of reaching Uhuru Peak (19,340 feet) – the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – the team members took some time to search back through their fatigue to reflect on the past week.
"It’s so surreal right now," said Ariela Friedmann. "We’re very proud of ourselves, but I think we’re all still processing what we’ve accomplished."
All ten members of this year’s Ascent team reach the summit, a feat that was not an easy task. "I think this was the toughest thing any of us has done," said Arlene Rees. "Tough…but amazing."
Ariela tried to describe the experience. "Imagine the Grind," she said, referring to a steep trail that runs up Grouse Mountain near Vancouver, B.C. "Then, imagine doing it three times consecutively, with little sleep and no food. That’s kind of what it feels like, only at high altitude."
Frederick is one of several African guides
who have supported the Ascent for Alzheimer’s teams
over the years.
(Click for larger version)
"We all really dug deep to get to that summit," said Don Bulmer. "We had to adapt. It rained on us for a whole day and we got soaked. It was so cold and, at that altitude, it was hard to breath. We just kept going."
"For anybody who was able to sleep, we had just three hours to rest at Kibo Hut," he explains. "We woke up at 10:30 p.m. and started hiking up, up, up…it didn’t seem like it was going to end!"
"You know, we heard about another group of 20- to 30-year-old guys, and not one of that group made it as far as Gillman’s Point," said Ariela, referring to the point at 18,760 feet that was once considered the mountain’s summit.
"On our own, I don’t know that everybody would’ve made it," she added. "Our success would not have been possible without our amazing guides. We did all we could to prepare, but this was truly about teamwork; we relied on our internal motivation and on each other to carry us."
Arriving at Horombo Hut last night in the dark, surrounded by fog and snow, the team members capped off 22 hours of solid hiking. They hiked an additional 22 km today, a stretch that took them back into the forest where they saw several types of monkeys.
Looking towards Mawenzi Peak.
(Click for larger version)
From Marangu Gate, a 4x4 jeep carried the team back to the Marangu Hotel. Gathering in the garden, the porters sang songs and held a small ceremony where each person was presented with a summit certificate. By the time they checked in with the Alzheimer Society of B.C., dinner was waiting.
"I had a bath and a shower," joked Don. "Darn, I look good!"
"This time tomorrow, I will be on a beach in Zanzibar, putting polish on my toe nails," mused Ariela as she set off for dinner, with a good night’s sleep increasingly high on her priority list.
Many of the team members will set out on safari before returning to Canada over the next few weeks. If you would like to support this year’s Ascent team, click here. Please designate your donation to go towards "Ascent for Alzheimer’s".
(NB: Weather conditions may impact the team's schedule. All dates and times noted are given in Tanzania time unless otherwise noted.)
