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The Ascent for Alzheimer’s team has completed their final training hike
On Aug. 13 members of the 2011 Ascent for Alzheimer’s team began their last training hike, this one taking place at Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park, to continue preparing for their journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa this September.
Organized by team guide Sue Oakey, nine members of the 2011 team hiked for 3.5 hours to complete the 1,200m 7km trek to get up to the lake.
“All nine participants handled the snow, boulders, slippery scree and steep slopes very well. The summit push on Kilimanjaro is about the same elevation gain and distance, but will take us eight hours, because we will be at altitude and travel during the night. The steepness of the terrain is similar,” remarked Sue.
Team member Joan Porter has been taking advantage of her local mountains to complete her training, hiking up Grouse Mountain to do the British Columbian Mountaineering Club (BCMC) trail at least twice a week. “This training hike was great going up, but more difficult going down. This gave me a sense of what is coming at Mt. Kilimanjaro.”
Fellow team member Marian Lowery has also found sticking with a training schedule to be very beneficial to her pre-hike fitness level. “I have followed the schedule Sue set out really conscientiously since I know the importance of not overdoing it, rather to build up strength and endurance in small increments. The schedule, especially the cardio suggestions, has been invaluable. I feel so much stronger in my core muscles and have the confidence to tackle longer and more difficult hikes now.”
“We will have to muster up all our physical reserve, as well as use a lot of self-talk and rely on one another at times to accomplish the trek. For this reason, it was important to take on something pretty challenging so we could see we were capable of doing it,” Marian adds.
2011 Ascent for Alzheimer's team members (from L-R): Alice Savage, Dan Levitt, Anjulie Latta, Jean Grant, Murray Williamson, Marian Lowery, Sue Oakey, Neil McDonnell, Sandra Wilson, and Joan Porter.
To follow the team’s training progress and eventual trek to and up Mt. Kilimanjaro, and to support this year’s team fundraising efforts, visit the Ascent for Alzheimer’s web page.
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