Last Year’s Trek Journal

The journey to reach the summit reflects the mountainous struggles those with the disease and their caregivers face on a daily basis.

Congratulations to the 2008 Ascent for Alzheimer’s team.

Updates from the Mountain:

Thursday, September 4, 2008

From Marangu Village, Tanzania, Africa

Today, the 2008 Ascent for Alzheimer’s team is one step closer towards the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the anticipation is rising. “Everyone is emotionally excited,” said Cam Ross the team physician, on the phone from the Marangu Hotel in Tanzania.

Having arrived, gear in tow, to Tanzania the previous day, the ten members of the Ascent for Alzheimer’s team awoke in Marangu village to cool weather, with a daytime temperature expected to warm up to 25 degrees Celsius.

The excitement to start day one of the trek is palpable through the phone lines, “We haven’t seen the mountain yet because the sky was cloudy today,” explains Cam.

Lisah Fraser, who was celebrating her 48th birthday with “several toasts from the other team members” at the time of our call, had glimpsed the infamous peak of Kilimanjaro days earlier—a fitting birthday gift.

“This is a journey that has indeed changed my life,” explained Lisah after spending three days traveling in Tanzania before her trek.

Located on the north side of Mount Kilimanjaro, the village of Marangu sits amidst rainforest and coffee plantations. It is the village—and specifically the Marangu Hotel—that is home base for our Ascent team.

The team spent the day touring the village of Marangu. “We visited the children at the village school and were thrilled to give them a donation toward much needed supplies,” Cam explained.

Later, the team did a full gear check and met with Seamus Brice-Bennett, one of the teams’ local guides and the owner of the hotel, to go over their trip plan and review other necessary details. And lastly, after their medical checks with Cam, the team was feeling “good to go.”

The team will start their summit of Mount Kilimanjaro tomorrow morning. On day one, they will set out by jeep to Nalemoru Gate (6,000’) and then start their hike towards First Cave, where they’ll spent their first night on the mountain.

“The report this morning says that it’s cold at the top of the mountain, around minus 25 Celsius, but it is supposed to warm up,” said Cam.

The telltale sign that the team is embracing the warmth of the East African culture? They sent a communal “jambo” (Swahili for “hello”), to family and friends in Canada.

The next call home from the team is scheduled for tomorrow after they settle in for the evening.

Friday, September 5, 2008

From Marangu Village, Tanzania, Africa

The ancient volcano now lying dormant, Kilimanjaro rises from plains at approximately 6000 feet, to its summit, Uhuru Peak at 19,340 feet.

The 2008 Ascent for Alzheimer’s team set out this morning from the Marangu Hotel, and traveled by jeep over the dusty dirt road to Nalemoru Gate, just south of the Kenya-Tanzania border.

Beginning their ascent, at 6,000 feet, the team is taking the Rongai route up the northeast side of the mountain. On Day One, they made a three-hour trek, traveling through maize fields, rocky pine forest, and moorland dotted with heather.

“The terrain was so diverse today, and we saw Colobus monkeys along our route,” said team physician Cam Ross.

Rongai provides nearly constant views of Mawenzi and Kibo, two of Mount Kilimanjaro’s three peaks. Uhuru Peak, where the Ascent team will summit, sits at the top of Kibo.

After raining over night, the skies opened and the sun shone down on Manwenze and Kibo peaks up ahead, giving the team a spectacular view of what awaits them. “It was a sunny day here with fantastic views of the mountain,” said Cam.

At this altitude, daytime temperatures range from 5 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius with frost normally encountered at night.

The team reached First Cave (8,500’), where they will spend their first night on Kilimanjaro. “We had a fantastic first day, and we’re all here at camp having tea with clean hands and feet after washing with bowls of warm water, ” laughs Cam.

With the success of Day One completed, the team is relieved and relaxed. “Seamus Brice-Bennett, our guide, is smiling, and everyone is feeling well,” shares Cam. “We’re a happy lot here, everything is going really well—give our love to everyone,” Cam said as he signed off from the mountain.

We’ll hear from the team next on Sunday, September 7th from Mawenzi Tarn (14,200 feet).

Monday, September 8, 2008

From Mawenzi Tarn, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa

“The sun is just setting and it is glorious,” shares team physician Cam Ross on the satellite phone from Mawenzi Tarn where the Ascent team is setting up camp.

Mawenzi Tarn (14,200 feet) is an alpine lake—the only permanent one on Mount Kilimanjaro’s slopes; their camp is set up on its shore with the jagged peak of Mawenzi towering above.

“We just had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner with the spectacular backdrop of Mawenzi peak,” describes Cam.

Today was a long day—the team hiked 2400 (feet) of rocky terrain. As they proceed higher, they will pass through semi-desert progressing into total desert and finally into an alpine region with permanent ice glaciers. The higher slopes are covered with scree, loose stones resembling gravel, making it more difficult to negotiate.

Nearing the summit of Kilimanjaro, the lungs can only absorb half the amount of oxygen compared to sea-level. A few team members are feeling the altitude with headaches and nausea. “This is the highest any of them have ever been.” said Cam. “Staying here for two days will definitely help get everyone acclimatized for summit night.”

The team spotted geckos skittering over the rocks, and they were also treated to a sighting of a rare vulture today. “There are only about five of these birds known to exist on Kilimanjaro,” said local guide Seamus Brice-Bennett.

“The friendship walking stick has been a great companion, encouraging us every step of the way, especially when it gets difficult,” shared Cam.

Each year at the send off party in Vancouver, the Ascent team is presented with a friendship walking stick, handcrafted for each team by local artist Chris Knowles, to accompany them on their mountainous journey; a challenge that reflects living with dementia.

Team member Peter Debay, who is summitting Kilimanjaro in honour of his grandfather who has Alzheimer’s disease, made an important phone call today. “I called my grandfather in Nova Scotia and wished him Happy 90th Birthday,” said Peter.

Team member Angela Chang’s grandmother was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease three months ago—until then she had no relationship to the disease.

On Tuesday, the team will move onward toward Kibo Hut (15,400 feet). Passing Manwenzi, they will enter the Saddle—a desolate stretch of alpine desert that stretches toward their goal of Kibo peak in the distance. The team will arrive at Kibo Hut mid-afternoon, and will rest until midnight, when in the darkness, they will begin their ascent of Uhuru Peak.

“The team is determined and feeling strong as we look toward summit night,” said Cam signing off from Manwenzi Tarn.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

From Horombo Hut, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa

“Spectacular, the view from the summit was absolutely gorgeous; the early morning light was shining down on the glaciers, and standing above the clouds, we could peek at the plains of Tanzania far below,” said an excited Cam.

The 2008 Ascent for Alzheimer’s team have stood on what must feel like the top of the world, at Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. They reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,340 feet in the early morning light; high above the world, in the dizzying altitude.

“It was snowing as we crossed the Saddle, but later as we neared the top, the snow stopped and it was a beautiful, clear night—we felt we could have touched the stars,” said team physician Cam.

When we talked to the team today, they had trekked for a grueling fourteen hours to reach their goal. “It was very emotional for all of us at the summit—lots of photos, smiles and tears,” said Cam. Their five-day trek—taken one step at a time, symbolizes and supports the journey that faces families adapting to the reality of dementia.

“They are all in their tents now, either resting or sleeping,” shared Cam.

After crossing the Saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo peaks on Tuesday, the team rested for the remainder of the day, in preparation for their final ascent. Awakened at 11:30 pm, in the cold, dark night, they began their move upward on the steep, rocky path through stone skree, and patches of snow, toward the summit.

“The sun rose just as we arrived at Gillman’s Point (18,760 feet)—it was breathtaking,” said Cam.

After a brief stay at the summit, the team made a six-hour (7140 feet) descent to Horombo Hut where they are camping tonight. Tomorrow they will begin their descent to Marangu, and the next time we hear from them, they’ll be back at the Marangu Hotel.

“This is the hardest challenge any of these people have been through, it’s been a fantastic success and we’re all elated,” said Cam.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

From the Marangu Hotel, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa

After the exhilaration of the summit, the team members descended to Horombo Hut last night in the dark, passing the main glaciers that edge down the slopes of Kibo: Heim, Rebmann, Decken, and Arrow.

After breakfast, the team hiked a further 22 km to finish their descent, arriving in the evening at Marangu Gate, where they traveled back to the Marangu Hotel by jeep.

“Our first priority at the hotel was a beautiful shower, but for one person their main concern was a large Tanzanian beer,” giggled the exuberant team physician Cam. “This group was amazing, some of them persevered through shortness of breath, headaches and more.”

“Cam is an incredible doctor and an incredible leader, he took care of all of us,” said Kit Morissette, one of the team members who experienced altitude sickness on the mountain.

Feeling proud of their team triumph—ascending more than 13,000 feet to summit Mount Kilimanjaro—the team members, their voices shaking at moments, shared their personal feelings over the satellite phone this morning.

“It was a thrill of a lifetime, shared Peter Debay. “I’m coming home full of stories and memories of this life-affirming experience.”

“When I saw the sign marking the summit of Uhuru Peak (19,340 feet) it was surreal. Even though I’m sore and exhausted, it was a wonderful experience,” said Becki Paterson.

“It strips you right down to the bare bones,” shared Darcy Bender, “but we had a lot of fun, and today I feel elated.”

“That was a mind-opening experience that we made as a very cohesive group; we encouraged each other each step of the way,” shared Harry Diemer.

Ascent for Alzheimer’s is a unique event that requires an enormous team effort. The level of commitment from the ten trekkers, and the team of porters and guides who make sure they make it to the top, make this amazing event possible.

“The journey for these ten people starts long before the mountain—the training, the fundraising, the support of their family, friends and colleagues—then finally facing the mountain,” said Sandra Girard, the event organizer from the Alzheimer Society. For many, this experience has brought out strengths they didn’t know they had.

“It was really tough,” said Shannon Epp. “And it was cold—it was minus 20 degrees Celsius at the top—but it’s been a phenomenal personal accomplishment.”

“The best part was making it to the top with an amazing team of people,” said Angela Chang.

“I feel fabulous,” said Sue Ross, “Tell my family I love them.”

Each team member has their own personal porter who carries their gear; another crew of porters carries food, cooking supplies and the camping equipment. “The porters made our trek much easier; at some particularly grueling moments, they spontaneously started singing to us along the trail to inspire us,” said team member Cliff Saito.

Gathering in the garden of the hotel this evening, the team, guides and porters had a celebration ceremony where the porters sang songs to the team, and each team member was presented with their summit certificate. Finally, there were many toasts to each other and their victory for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Over the last week I have watched each of these people put their hearts into this trek for Alzheimer’s disease,” said local guide Seamus Brice-Bennett who has accompanied most of the Ascent journeys.

Lisah Fraser, who traveled to the small village of Kondoa in Tanzania before her trek, plans to continue fundraising for Africa, “this experience has changed my life.”

Many of the team members will travel or set out on safari before returning to Canada over the next few weeks.

(NB: Weather conditions may impact the team's schedule. All dates and times noted are given in Tanzania time unless otherwise noted.)

2008 Member’s Pages