The Power of Team on Mount Kilimanjaro

On Friday, October 18 a team of six committed people completed the Youth Challenge International (YCI) Kilimanjaro Climb to Give Thanks by reaching the summit at Uhuru Peak. The purpose of the climb was to raise funds and awareness for YCI’s international youth development programs during Canadian thanksgiving. YCI operates youth programs in four locations in Tanzania, some of which are very close to Kilimanjaro, which made the focus on the climb even more relevant. All six climbers reached the summit together to complete YCI’s inaugural Kilimanjaro charity climb with a 100% success rate.

Despite all my preparation and research, the climb exceeded any expectations and turned out to be an experience of a lifetime. African Scenic, an amazing company that relies on word of mouth, selected the Machame Route for YCI, which is known to be the most challenging route on the mountain and takes six days to complete. The route takes you through a variety of stunning flora and fauna as well as different types of trails. One of the coolest moments in the climb (besides Summiting) was climbing the Great Barranco Wall on the third day, which turned out to be the most technical part of the climb. 

The team climbing the Barranco Wall

YCI brought together an eclectic mix of people for this climb that were either directly or indirectly linked to the organization. Passionate about YCI’s vision for the climb and full of energy, the team assembled from three continents and hit it off straight away. From Day 1, the team bonded, laughed, joked, and connected; most importantly, the team stuck together every step of the way, without exception. There was not a single moment when anyone was left behind, where anyone didn’t belong, where anyone didn’t contribute to the whole team. With five men over forty and one female under 25 known as ‘the kid’, you might expect some challenges, but there were none.

As soon as the team started the climb, it became clear that we were going to reach the summit together or not at all. On Day 1 of the climb, we connected with the amazing team of guides and staff from African Scenic and the team spirit continued to be contagious. The team of six, which only met one or two days before, soon became a team of 12 or more. I have never seen a team come together around a cause and overcome every physical and mental obstacle to achieve the goal. The power of the team led to the success of the YCI Kilimanjaro Climb to Give Thanks through sharing, giving, laughter and one common goal. 

Everyday, we started the day with our slogan “who’s got it better than us?  No one”.

There could have been nothing further from the truth.

“Who’s got it better than us? No one”.

– Bryan Cox, Executive Director, YCI Kilimanjaro Climb to Give Thanks 2013

 If you missed out on the climb this year and would like to make a contribution to YCI’s life-changing youth development programs, you can donate here 

 

 

 

 

 

The Heroes of Kilimanjaro

This Thanksgiving, YCI embarked on a new adventure in Tanzania to climb 5,895m to the highest point in Africa – Mt. Kilimanjaro. The initiative raised awareness and funds for our life-changing youth development programs all over the world. 

On Thursday October 17^th, 2013, YCI’s team of six climbers successfully reached Uhuru Peak, also known as “the roof of Africa”. This was not without enduring long day treks, below zero temperatures, and altitude sickness. The climb consisted of six days in total, hiking through forest, heather, moorland, and alpine desert zones. While the team was in good physical shape, the trek is exhausting and the environment is harsh. Camping for six days on a mountain in the cold and wind, with dust covering your entire body, can be tough. The hours of hiking on summit day seemed to never end, and when we finally reached Uhuru Peak we barely had enough energy to descend. 

The YCI Team

We are so proud of this tremendous accomplishment by the entire YCI team, as it is not easy to have a full team reach the summit. However, the climbers are not the true heroes of the mountain. It is the crew of guides, cooks, and porters that work tirelessly every second of every day to ensure that every climber is comfortable, happy, and healthy. Without this dedicated crew, our team never would have made it to the top.

Summit Crew – Ami, Samuel, Amanda, Robert and Eli

Head Guide – Amanyisye (aka Ami). 30 years old, 100+ times up the mountain.
Ami is a truly inspiring leader and an incredible guide! He is experienced and so passionate about what he does, and extremely knowledgeable about Kilimanjaro. He was always emphasizing the importance of our health, to ensure that we made it safely and successfully to the top.

Head Guide – Ami

Head Guide Ami and Amanda

Assistant Guides – Eli, 29 years old and Emmanuel, 24 years old.
Our Assistant Guides were just as amazing, keeping us smiling with Kilimanjaro songs, jokes, and good conversation about the mountain.

Assistant Guides – Eli and Emmanuel

The remainder of our crew consisted of one cook and 22 porters. The porters are responsible for carrying all of our bags and equipment (including their own), setting up the tents, collecting water, serving us hot beverages and food, and ensuring that all climbers are well taken care of. The entire crew are locals from around the surrounding area – Kilimanjaro, Moshi, and Arusha. The minimum age to be a porter is 18 years old. While the job of a porter is by far one of the most difficult jobs in the world, for these men (and seldom women), it is a good job that pays well for Tanzanian standards. For a 6-day trek, a porter makes approximately $120USD including tips.

Assistant Guide – Eli

The whole crew during Tipping Ceremony

While this is a good job for many locals, there are many hardships that they go through on the mountain. As tourists climb the mountain with their guides “pole pole” (very slowly) for acclimatization, porters speed past carrying their own packs plus up to 20kilos on their shoulders and heads. They get to camp first to set up the tents, prepare “washy washy” (warm water for washing), and start cooking. Porters wait to eat and have tea after the tourists, share a tent with about 7 – 10 people, and get no “washy washy”. The majority of the porters on the mountain don’t have proper hiking shoes, equipment, or clothing which adds to the risk of this job. To add to all this, being a porter for Kilimanjaro is a seasonal job as there are typically no climbers during the rainy season (January to June). They must save the little that they have, or find another job during the off season. An injury or health problem could harm the livelihood of a porter tremendously.

Waiter Rafael bringing “washy washy”

On the positive side, there are porter associations in Tanzania working to ensure they are treated well, paid good wages and provided with proper clothing and equipment. It was important for us that the company we went through was a member of the porter association. As a global youth development organization that has programs preparing youth for the tourism industry in Tanzania, this experience reminded us of the valuable livelihood opportunities in the industry. Tourism is a very positive thing for the countries that YCI works in as a huge driver of the economy. Many youth are interested in working in the industry and we must continue to invest in them, providing them with the skills and opportunities to pursue their passion.

Thinking of climbing Mt. Kili? Remember to treat your crew very well. Respect them and show your appreciation. Tip accordingly. And leave behind any equipment and clothing that you can.

We could not be more grateful for the hard work and dedication of our crew. They were the reason we were able to achieve our goal and reach Uhuru Peak!

The whole crew

– Amanda S. Armstrong, Volunteer Program Coordinator, YCI Kilimanjaro Climb to Give Thanks 2013

If you missed out on the climb this year and would like to make a contribution to YCI’s life-changing youth development programs, you can donate here