Five people in their 60s
– including a former vice president of student services of
Gavilan College – reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,340
feet above sea level, last month in an effort to raise money for
prostate cancer research.
Five people in their 60s – including a former vice president of student services of Gavilan College – reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,340 feet above sea level, last month in an effort to raise money for prostate cancer research.
The five, John Baker, the retired vice president; Cheri and Tim Bergien, Carol Walton and John Emery, began the climb on Sept. 14 and reached the summit on Sept. 20. The mountain, in Tanzania, Africa, is the tallest
freestanding mountain in the world.
Baker attributed the group’s success in reaching the summit and avoiding serious altitude sickness to a number of factors, including walking slowly and drinking three to four liters of water each day.
The group was supported by 27 porters and two guides as they ascended the Western Breach – the toughest route up the mountain. Team members, four of whom were retired and who included a doctor, a special education teacher, an accountant and a lawyer, trained in different ways for the ascent – two ran marathons, one walked mountains, one went ice fishing and one drove to work. They dedicated their climb to the staff and students of Gavilan College and raised money for the Prostate Cancer Research and Education Foundation in San Diego.
In a letter about the climb, Baker notes that fear of heights was never an issue because the clouds and a snowstorm obscured the view of the 400-foot drops from the ledges they crossed.
Baker said the group had to learn some practical lessons, such as keeping an eye on the trail to prevent stumbling instead of getting caught up in the beauty of the surroundings, and the importance of using walking sticks to take weight off their legs and use their upper bodies to propel themselves up the mountain. He also said that sleeping at a high altitude was difficult because the air was so thin.
They also learned other lessons, such as patience.
“It became clear that our trek up the mountain was not simply about getting to the top … rather about how we handle the ‘learnings’ life gives us along the way,” he wrote. The team dealt with, among other things, leg cramps, breathing difficulties and exhaustion.
Upon reaching the summit of the mountain, called Uhuru, which means “freedom” in Kiswahili, the group offered a prayer for peace, and after celebrating their success, began their descent.
Baker noted that going down was also painful, but through the effort – both up and down – no one thought of quitting. “Where would you go?” he wrote.
