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Géraldine Courchesne successfully scales Kilimanjaro summit

Island resident raises more than $9,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation

par Toula Foscolos
Voir tous les articles de Toula Foscolos
Article mis en ligne le 20 février 2007 à 14:31
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Géraldine Courchesne successfully scales Kilimanjaro summit

Géraldine Courchesne on top of the Mount Kilimanjaro summit

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Géraldine Courchesne successfully scales Kilimanjaro summit

Island resident raises more than $9,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation

A few months ago, Le Magazine readers became acquainted with Island resident and grandmother of three, Géraldine Courchesne, who was planning on scaling the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, in order to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It's a new year and now Géraldine must find a new goal for herself, because this one has been achieved.

Barely back a week, the vivacious and diminutive in stature Islander, is thrilled to be recounting her nine-day trek all the way up to one of the world's most daunting peaks.

"What an adventure! I could have never imagined living such an experience with 29 other people, who were determined to reach the summit and realize the dreams of these sick children," she states.

Altitude sickness a problem for many

Despite the ongoing training for months beforehand, altitude was the biggest obstacle for most climbers. Not for this dynamic woman, however. Géraldine was extremely lucky in that she was almost unaffected by the altitude, which brought other climbers to their knees.

"Altitude sickness is not a fun thing to experience," explains Géraldine. "You can get violent headaches, severe bouts of nausea, insomnia and an insufferable lack of oxygen. I was very lucky that it didn't affect me; on the contrary, I seemed to gain strength as we climbed higher, as if the altitude was giving me more energy. Each morning and each evening, we had to undergo medical tests to make sure we weren't suffering from altitude sickness or any other kind of injury."|

"You have to learn to respect the mountain," explains Géraldine. "It's stronger and more powerful than you and if you try to scale it too quickly, it will put you back in your place, like many of my fellow climbers quickly found out."

Breathtaking territory

The Island resident was overwhelmed with the physical beauty of her surroundings. "The tropical forest was simply magical with its majestic trees and the higher we climbed, the more arid the vegetation became and the colder it became (reaching a low of -20 C by the time they reached the top). Each day, the views were different and would take our breath away."

The excitement of a job well done

A team of 138 Tanzanians accompanied them throughout the climb, carrying more than 20 lbs of supplies and equipment on their heads and another 10 lbs on their shoulders.

"It was quite impressive to see them easily scale rocks that had become slippery from the rain," she says. "It's like they had wings."

By the time they reached the summit, the excitement was palpable. "It's impossible to describe the joy, the sense of triumph, the tears we experienced," she says. "The view over the glaciers and the crater, over the entire world gave us this incredible energy. We managed to conquer this giant; Mount Kilimanjaro."

The 411 on Tanzania

According to Mrs. Courchesne, Tanzania is an incredible country with a temperature that hovers between 25 C and 30 C and land that is conducive to farming. Coffee plants, vegetables and fruits of all kinds are planted throughout the country and chickens, goats and cows are owned by a number of people.

"You can sense a bit of poverty in the big cities, just like in most countries, but Tanzanians are remarkable people. I danced and sang with them and I felt like I was their little sister. The women are magnificent in their colourful costumes and the children are adorable with their easy smiles. I really loved the people of Tanzania," exclaims Géraldine.

A big thank you to those who donated

As a final note, the Island resident would like to thank everyone who, in one way or another, contributed to the success of this adventure. "A big thank you to those who helped me raise the necessary funds that will make a dream come true for the young teenager I'm sponsoring. Thanks to you and for her, I touched paradise!"

Fascinating facts:

Mount Kilimanjaro: 19,340 feet high

• Number of hours to scale the mountain: 56 hours

• Number of hours to descent it: 9 hours

• Average monthly salary in Tanzania: $50 (they live with less than a dollar per day, but 75% of the population do not have steady employment).

• A few words in Swahili: Hello: Jambo, Goodbye: Kwhaheri, Thank you: Asante, You're welcome: Karibi.

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