Timing the Climbing



heading for the top of Kilimanjaro, in the dark.



When you summit a mountain like Kilimanjaro, apparently, you start the final quest in the dark.  At 10.30 p.m. the night before, in fact.  That's when the first climbers left the camp for the summit. The last climbers moved out at 1 a.m. 

This is the Dream Mountain Team, including our friends Kelly Hammond and Heather Douglas, who are climbing Kilimanjaro to fundraise for Habitat for Humanity, Muskoka. We've been following their adventure, through the miracle of the internet.

After 8 days of clambering, scrambling, clawing and trying to breathe up this mountain, the top was in sight. At least for a while --  into the evening the temperature dropped and snow flurries arrived.  Climbers worked in the dark and the snow, with twinkling headlights ahead and behind them, in the snow. What an experience that must be!

Sunrise near the equator comes at 6 a.m.  The day began to warm, and the climbers worked their way up to Stella Point.  It's odd to think of snow in Africa, but at those heights, everybody has snow. 

On they climbed.  At 8.20 a.m., the group looked around and discovered that there was nowhere left to climb to. They were at the Summit.  Massive glaciers streteched away on one side, a snowy valley bordered the other.

Photo ops all round -- 19,341' feet up -- and then they began the descent. They are off the mountain now. This climb is a memory that is life changing for each of the climbers. What an incredible adventure, and how wonderful that we could follow them along!

I thought of Kelly and Heather today, flying home from Winnipeg where I spent the weekend.  Airplanes now give you a little map in the back of the seat, with air speed, location, and altitude.  I was looking out the windows, watching this unbelievably country unroll beneath us, the nothern lakes still ice locked, and I glanced at the altimeter.  I got there by Westjet. Kelly and Heather got there on foot.

Here's to them. Wow

A Mountain to Dream On

Heather Douglas, Kelly Hammond and friend,
Barranco Wall, Kilimanjaro

On top of Africa, slogging up Kilimanjaro, our friends on the Dream Mountain Climb to raise funds for Habitat to Humanity, are on Day 5.  They've struggled up the brutal Barranco Wall, an 800' extremely steep scramble made even more extreme by pouring rain. 

Although  they only climbed for four hours,reports were that  it felt a lot longer! It was the promise of a hot lunch that kept them climbing, arriving at Karanga Camp (4100m) around 2pm.

They are climbing slowly, to allow time to acclimatise to the altitude. It's going to be 8 days getting to the top... and this is Day Five.

Nowhere to Go but UP! Climbing Kilimanjaro

Kelly, Heather, and friend, on Day One,
Kilimanjaro!

Our friends Kelly and Heather are on Day 4 of their Kilimanjaro summit climb, with the Dream Mountains Foundation.

So far, Kelly (daughter of Sharon and David Webster, who operate the Beacon store and Yamaha dealership at Dwight) has raised over $10,000 for her chosen charity, Habitat for Humanity, Muskoka.  This is nothing to sneeze at.  Heather's raised over $7,000, and there will be more. You can still donate.

Dream Mountains supports seven charities. It is a little bit chilling that one of them is for the Children of Chernobyl, billed on their website as the world's worst nuclear disaster...   The Chernobyl disaster happened twenty years ago. They are still working hard at that site to contain it. Nuclear meltdowns don't just "go away."  But that is a tragic aside to this mountain trek. This group of people, the Kilimanjaro Dream Team, are doing what they can to raise funds to help those in need, and they are to be applauded.

Climbing Kili, the largest freestanding mountain in the world (unless you count Hawaii, which isn't quite as high above ground, but if you actually go underwater to the mountain's base has them all beat) isn't just a walk in the park.  It is a climb, not a mountaineering experience. You don't need ropes or ice picks, or experience on sheer mountain walls.  But you do need a ton of effort, and you will be dealing with high mountain issues. Today, on Day 4, the group will be ascending into the semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, an altitude of 4630m (15,190') after about a 5 hours walk. There will be two more days before they reach the summit. The leader is taking the climb slowly, to let the participants acclimate to the thinning air.



Kilimanjaro Dream Team, Day Two

 Altitude sickness affects about 70% of those who climb this mountain. Kelly's group, by Day 3, were already reporting headaches -- one of the early signs. The group is climbing slowly, just because of this, trying to allow enough time for acclimitisation.  Above 5,000' -- and by today, the group will be up around 15,000', the affects of the sun are significant as well. At that height,  55% of the atmosphere's protective layer against Ultraviolet is gone, leaving climbers prone to sunburn. Total sunblock is the order of the day. And dark glasses -- yes you can get snowblind in Africa.  You can also get hypothermic.  On Day One they climbed through two torrential downpours of rain, getting pretty wet, despite donning their raingear.  As they climb higher, keeping dry is critical -- sweat will dehydrate you, and make you very prone to chill unless you've got the layering right.  Kilimanjaro, practically sitting on the equator, is one of those rare places where you can freeze to death in equatorial heat.

Porters slugging gear up Kilimanjaro.
Photo from Day Two of the climb.

There are eight routes to the top of Kilimanjaro... Kelly and Heather are slogging it up the Machame Route. This is billed as probably the most scenic and most beautiful route to the summit. The 6-day route is however physically more challenging than the Marangu route. The day walks are longer and steeper; however the summit night is one hour shorter. The scenic traverse of the Western Breach offers some stunning views! Only tented accommodation is available on the Machame route, which can be less comfortable and will require a good sleeping bag and hiking mattress. All of which, like their food, must be carried. Their day packs weigh 20 pounds each. On day one, they were carrying an additional 30 pounds of gear.  They are all more than grateful, and a bit in awe, of the porters, festooned with equipment on their backs, on their heads, and hanging from their belts!

It's a once in a lifetime adventure for Kelly and Heather, but the money they raise will provide a lifetime of change for a family through Habitat for Humanity.   We're proud to know these ladies, and to be supporting their climb!

Kelly-manjaro

Many of our guests will remember Kelly Webster Hammond, who's parents own and operate The Beacon convenience store and Yamaha dealership at the junction of Hwy 35 and 60. For a few years, Kelly owned the Old Palmer House store in Dwight, and many of our guests know her from there.

If you haven't met Kelly, you've missed out on one of life's more sparkly creatures. She's a gem.

And now she's shining her light on a marvellous adventure.  Later this month, Kelly is travelling to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with the Dream Mountains Foundation.  It's not just for fun... she's raising money for Habitat for Humanity Huntsville, to build a house for a family in need right here in Huntsville.

Last week, she spent 36 hours perched up on the aerial fire truck ladder in the parking lot of Robinson's Independent Grocers to raise awareness and cash for her cause. She 's raised $8600 so far, and has talked her good friend (and Napster's photographer) Heather Douglas into joining her on this adventure.  Between them, the girls have raised $15,000 and are well on their way to funding a build for a family waiting for a home.

While it began for Kelly as an amazing adventure for her to visit Africa, she now has a five year plan to raise $50,000 for Habitat for Humanity Huntsville, and see the house through to completion.

Dream Mountains is an interesting concept.  One step at a time, the Dream Mountains Foundation raises funds for charities that focus on education, opportunity, and compassion. They help people make positive changes in their own lives and their communities. After summiting Mount Everest in May of this year, the founder, Canadian businessman Shawn Dawson dedicated his goal of climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents to support seven charities. He chose seven charities that make a direct, positive impact by empowering people with the resources and opportunities to create a better life for themselves and their communities.


Kilimanjaro is not the world's tallest mountain, but it IS the world's tallest freestanding mountain, at 19,341 ft high.  3 distinct volcanic cones, the highest being Uhuru peak create this iconic mountain. Kelly, who works at FITT Gym in Huntsville, has been training intensively for this effort. Algonquin Outfitters is providing her "wardrobe" for the climb.  The community is pulling for her, and we hope you will too.

Please visit Kelly's website, and check out the Dream Mountains Foundation. You can follow Kelly on Facebook, too. She says she plans to Blog her trip... if the mountain doesn't just plain take her breath away.