Long, final ascent to Uhuru Peak

August 15, 2011

Team Kilimanjaro adjusts to thin air, pushes for summit

A team of 37 doctors, professionals and business leaders who support the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation are now climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres) to raise a half-million dollars for orthopedics excellence in Alberta. Here, sharing their progress with the community in his daily dispatch, is the foundation’s Michael Chevalier in Edmonton.

Day: 8
Elevation: 4,750 metres
(see previous daily reports)

KIBO, Tanzania — Climbers crossed “The Saddle” on Monday , a long scree (strewn with rock debris) slope on the Rongai Route between Mawenzi and Kibo – to reach their overnight camp at the Kibo Hut campsite.

Kibo Hut – also known the “School Hut” – lies directly beneath the Kibo crater of Mount Kilimanjaro and affords climbers an excellent base camp for the final two days to push to the summit.

Over the weekend, expedition leader Ben Webster let the team rest, but also put members on a practice trek from the Mawenzi campsite. This short, steep climb helped to prepare the team for the conditions on their ascent to the summit. AHS Chair Ken Hughes and son Aidan.

Folks are definitely starting to feel the effects of the lower oxygen content at this higher elevation. While no one has encountered any serious problems, it’s getting tougher to breathe and climbers have adjusted their pace accordingly.

“It’s not just about adjusting to the high altitude,” says climber Sharlene Rutherford. “It’s about adjusting to moving at high altitude. We’re moving much slower than before. Our Swahili guides keep telling us “pole, pole”, which means “slowly, slowly”. This is borne out of necessity, but is also quite philosophical: it’s OK for everyone to move slowly, since the mountain will wait for us.”

“We’ve been talking all the way up the mountain, but now we’re a lot quieter,” adds climber Grant Erickson. “A big part of that is the altitude, of course – it’s more difficult to breathe, so we’re saving our breath. But as we get closer and closer to the summit, I think we’re all pretty introspective. Everyone is thinking their private, personal thoughts about this journey and the experience we’re all sharing.”

This past weekend also marked a personal milestone for climber Burke Perry, who celebrated his 55th birthday on Mount Kilimanjaro.

“They arranged to have a birthday cake made for me in Moshi and it was hiked 30 kilometres up the mountain, can you believe that?” Perry says with a laugh. “There were also some birthday balloons and all of the cooks and porters sang “furaha kuzaliwa”, which is ‘Happy Birthday’ in Swahili. It was incredible, over the top. This birthday has been the most memorable of my life, that’s for sure.”

Sadly, two team members have chosen to drop out of the climb. Krishna and Radhe Gupta have turned back, and retraced their steps to Arusha. After suffering with gastrointestinal problems, Krishna and her husband Radhe decided to go no further.

It proved an emotional moment for the team as the friendly couple announced their decision to leave the expedition.

“The team has become very, very close, so people felt badly for them because we had wanted them to succeed,” says expedition leader Webster. “They were very disappointed because they had hoped they would make it to the summit.”

The Guptas were led back down the trail by a guide and two porters. Krishna now reports she’s feeling much better now that she’s off the mountain.

Despite the setback of losing two team members and the bother of lingering cold and wet weather, the team remains in excellent spirits and enthusiastic about being so close to the top.

After their rest to prepare both physically and mentally for the big push, the climbers will begin their long, final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the crown of Mount Kilimanjaro.

THE BACKSTORY: FOR ORTHOPEDICS EXCELLENCE

For the Royal Alex’s intrepid team of mountaineers, the adventure to scale Mount Kilimanjaro — the rooftop of Africa — is now underway.

Each volunteer climber is paying for their own travel expenses to and from Africa and all costs associated with the climb.

As well, each climber is committed to raise funds for the Royal Alexandra Hospital and its new Orthopedic Surgery Centre, a new building dedicated solely to hip and knee replacements and an exciting new hub of innovative orthopedics research.

With support from corporate sponsors, local businesses and the fundraising efforts of the climbers, the goal is to raise more than $500,000 in support of orthopedics excellence in Alberta.

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