I have never seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life. The sun rising above the clouds that sit thousands of feet below us, all light and fluffy blanketing the earth like cotton wool. Orange and red stretching out as far as the eye can see spanning across the curvature of the planet, words cannot begin to describe such beauty that transcends all I have ever known and you cant help but feel humbled by its enormity. As I look over my right shoulder I can see the shadow this great mountain casts rising above the horizon. I never would have believed that anything could cast a shadow above the horizon. Arm in arm, in front and behind me, eight brave souls will each other forward, half step after grueling half step. It takes minutes just to walk a handful of metres and its about 12 degrees below freezing. Beginning our summit attempt at midnight it has taken everyone of us to find something deep inside of us we never knew we had, every drop of physical endurance, mental strength and emotional capacity just to keep moving in the direction of our goal. Roles would often switch, someone only minutes before who could not go on a step more would soon become the shoulder that another depended on. We had battled through headaches, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, sleep and oxygen depravation and overwhelmed by our emotions. At almost 6000m above sea level the human body doesnt cope well with the lack of oxygen and without our incredible team of guides and each other none of us could have made it even this far. At 6.45am we reach our goal, the summit of the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Just a short few minutes for contemplation, celebration and photos before beginning our rapid descent. I couldnt contain my emotions any longer and cried almost the whole way down. My body just needed to express the gravity of my experience. Just like life, the mountain is tough and will bring you to your knees. None of us can do it without the strength and support of those around us. Quite symbolic considering the reason we decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in the first place, to raise awareness and funds for the prevention of suicide, the highest cause of death of Australians under 44. Thank you to my amazing team Josephine Zagari, Andrew Butler, Jason Tippett, Emma Louise, Luke Linthorne, Ian Collins and Simon Holland, and thank you to all who supported us and donated. Its not too late you can still donate at the link below and most importantly... #screwthetaboo https://mycause.au/events/screwthetaboo
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:01:39 +0000
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