Kilimanjaro - Now a Dream, Soon Just a Memory

By Sylvain Thériault

I've done it at last - here's my first text on the blog. I've been thinking about it for a long time but always put it off. My colleagues know how much I love talking but, when it's time to write, I get stuck. My fingers aren't quick enough for my brain. Who knows why?

Once, when I was travelling in France with my daughter, she said "My legs don't want to go on". I replied "Tell your legs that it's not up to them to decide what to do. That's a job for your brain. Your legs wanted to be legs and they have a job to do - walk". She gave me a look and said "Dad, you're quite mad!"
Because my hands are so slow, I have to keep starting over as my thoughts change in the middle of a sentence. It never gets better. How many times do you think I've rewritten this text? Anyway, here's what I want to say....

Time goes too quickly. It's already 9 months since a team supper when we discussed our dreams, ambitions, travels. Three magic words for Manon, André and me. Three words - synonym for "climb Kilimanjaro". and that's how the KILI PROJECT was born.

There are only 14 months left before we can kiss the famous sign that welcomes us to Africa' s summit. For some that may seem too difficult but, together with the people I'm getting to know through the project, I believe that my dream will soon be just a memory.
So, the ice is broken. Because of the Kili project, I've ventured out of my comfort zone. And the further out, the more I like it.

Hi there, Kili, you're going to have visitors - get ready to give us lots of magical moments. In 14 months you'll be part of the story of my life.

            See you soon!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Team Kili-2012 leaves in September with Expé

By Isabelle Privé

Another step has been taken this week with the vote to choose our departure date and the company we're going with. The vote was democratic and won by the majority!

First, a drum roll.... .... ... ..

We hope to leave in the week of 2 September 2012 and we'll be travelling with EXPÉ.

(See the article 'One Step at a Time Towards "Day K"'  -  June 14 2011)

The exact date will be decided later, depending on available flights, etc.

Our journey will last 21 - 22 days and bring us (we hope) to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and into the African plains.

I don't know about you, but I get goose bumps just thinking about it!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Pierre

By Pierre Gauvin

Hello,

I was drawn to the Kilimanjaro project because I wanted to travel differently - swap the suitcase for a back-pack and a good pair of boots. I've been up Mount Washington twice and developed a warm feeling for the mountains. My car engine had the same feeling but got a bit too hot. Ha! Ha! 

I'm not a great sportsman but I like to seize any opportunity for exercise - I devour stairs, the manual lawn-mower occupies my Saturday mornings and I adore moving rocks around in my back yard. Seven hours in front of a computer is quite enough inactivity.

I've been swimming at the Montreal YMCA in my lunch hour for years. It breaks up the day and helps to get the stress level down. I like racket sports so much that I even put them on my feet in the winter!

While creating strong and enriching relationships and making us leave our comfort zone to  rough it for a while, this type of travelling with a team allows us to realize how spoilt and fortunate we really are.

My father's death in 2009 woke me up to the fact that life is short and that we only have one chance to follow our dreams. So I say "yes" to life more often and that I try to make it as full and rich as possible.


Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Janie's Day in Montérégie

By Janie Brunet

Hello everyone,

I'd like to share my day with you -  Sunday, June 13, at the Montérégie  GRANDE CORVÉE. (a collective labour of love after major flooding)

First of all, I adored my day. No problems afterwards except a bit of muscle cramp in my arm. We worked two to a sandbag because the water made them too heavy for one person. If I'd owned a company dealing in earthworms, I'd have made a fortune!

We were 10 to a team and, when you see what we accomplished, you realise what a difference it makes when you're determined to get it done. The people we helped were all 80 and over. If you'd seen the expression on their faces. People living so near to us and so desperate for help.

If you have the capacity and the time, it feels so good to help in this way..

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Group Photo - What an Adventure!

By Isabelle Privé

Allow me to tell you how our group photo session turned into a surprisingly eventful evening full of fun and laughter.

About 2 weeks ago, we decided to meet at 7 pm to have photos taken of Team Kili-2012.

As most of us left work much earlier, the occasion turned into a 5 - 7 get-together at a lounge bar nearby.
As soon as we got there, we realised it was full and we'd have to find somewhere else.
OK - Sylvain, call Catherine to tell her we're going to the terrace bar across from the office - and ring Manon too - she's still at work.        

            - Hi, Manon - yes, we've got to change places....
On the way across the road, Sylvain's cell phone rings.
            - Hi, that's full too....           

All turn - destination: bar number 3.

- Hello, Manon... No, no room there either.... Meet us at bar number 3. ...
- Hi, Catherine.....

            Just having a drink has turned into quite an adventure! In excellent company, with a spare hour or so, the fun started - chat, chat, chat, a joke here, an anecdote there..
 - By the way, I've news about the shirts... The muffins are selling like hot cakes... Hey, I've bought my hiking sticks ..... Wow, Sylvain, is your shirt red.....or is it red..... Well, yes, I suppose.....

            Oops, it's 7, we'll have to get going!.... Laughing all the way to the park where we were meeting for the photos.  ........You really had to be there...

While Chantal is explaining that we have to look natural, be casual, pretend there's no camera, I'm clowning around with Geneviève, Nathalie and Rosanna. Martine climbs a tree with Louis. Manon does the splits (that's true!). Sylvain and André perch on a wall. We roar about Julie's twins (imagine, her eldest daughter is at karate with her father and there's no time to find a sitter..) We all hug Manon M. just for fun. We laugh and fool around for an hour and a half. Some of us even end up dancing on the terrace opposite the office (plenty of room by then).

I'll never forget that evening because it was the first time we were all together just to have fun. The group I want to climb Kilimanjaro with was born that evening. We're all different, but the chemistry was there and, all of a sudden, we all felt the magic.

Meet Mélanie

By Mélanie Lauzon


My name is Mélanie Lauzon and I come from St-Jérome, though I've been in St-Eustache for several years now. I've been working for SCD for nearly 11 years. Back after my second maternity leave, I heard about a group that was getting together to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Going through a divorce and a very difficult situation at home, I needed something special to find myself again. So when my friend Linda told me about it, I immediately wanted to join this wonderful adventure.

Sports and physical activity hadn't been part of my life for some time and I was keen to put that right. I signed up for a session of Boxing/Keep Fit near home and it was an eye-opener for me. I'd never perspired so much in all my life! And, as for boxing.....when you're going through an unwelcome separation, there's nothing like it for letting off steam!!! I do some cycling with my sister and some jogging. I also had plans to start some trekking, as soon as my house was sold and I had moved into my new home. One thing at a time.....

So, why a challenge like Kilimanjaro? Everyday routine, two pregnancies, one after the other, a new house and so on meant that I devoted myself to my husband and the children, neglecting my own health and well-being. The Kili project will allow me to look after myself for a change, stock up on energy, confront my fears and anxieties, grow and realize my potential. I'm going just as I am at the moment. Who knows - maybe I'll come back a better person.


Translated by Pamela Gauvin

One Step at a Time Towards "Day K"

By Catherine Fortin

 

Last Tuesday the team met Mathieu Fleury from the ExPé company which specialises in the organisation of custom-made adventures. Why? Well, it's all very well having a great project like climbing Kilimanjaro, organising fund-raising, training and doing volunteer work, but you can't climb a mountain like that on your own, however enthusiastic and motivated you are.

 

It's obvious that adequate preparation and planification are essential for success. That's why Mathieu was kind enough to come and meet us with a plan.

Which is the best way to approach the summit? There are several routes with different durations and camps and some are more crowded then others. How many days are recommended for the climb, to give our bodies long enough to get used to the altitude? This is really the key to a successful climb and it's to ExPé's credit that they only offer the longer period of 9 - 10 days with a 97% success rate.
How many other people will be with us? We'll need enough quality guides, porters and others to support us adequately on the climb.

These are just 3 of many questions that must be asked before choosing an agency and an itinerary.
      

Here's what ExPé is offering us for the year ahead:

• A medical certificate to be signed by a doctor.
• An evening visit to a sporting goods store with help in buying the most suitable clothes and accessories.
• Several mountain expeditions.
• Group training sessions on Mont-Royal.
• A final expedition next summer to Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington, before the departure for Tanzania.

The team won't have a dull moment between now and September 2012! With a project like that, we have no choice but to give 100% to our preparation and to developing a strong team spirit through fund-raising activities, voluntary work and training sessions. We already have a really good feeling among us and we have a lot of fun together. If the trend continues, we'll be worth watching - laughing all the way to the top!

Warning to our guides - hang on to your hats because Team Kili-2012 will be on fire next September!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Oh My God!

By André Lachapelle

I've just found on the Internet a video about a group that climbed Kilimanjaro.

OH MY GOD! What a group! What determination! If they could do it - so can we!!!

Seriously! You must watch it - it's a real gem.  But don't watch it casually.  Be sure to have about an hour free and watch it carefully, right through. And tell me what you think afterwards.
Here's the link for the first part:

Kilimandjaro, Au delà des limites

Enjoy!!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Rosanna

Interview with Rosanna Chechile 

Rosanna decided to introduce herself by answering some questions...

- Who are you?

             I'm  Rosanna Chechile. Health and physical activity have always been an important part of my life.

- How did you hear about the project?

 One of my friends is Manon Marleau, another member of Team Kili-2012. When she'd told me that one day she'd like to realize her crazy dream and climb Kilimanjaro, I said that, if it ever happened, I'd go along too!

- Why a challenge like Kilimanjaro?

 Because of the challenge, the possibility of transcending one's limits, the team experience and the motivation to really get in shape.

- How important is physical activity in your life?

 It's always been part of my life - it's so important and I train with everybody - family, friends, children... I've also been ambassador for the SAM programme (in French, that's SAnté-Mieux-Etre, meaning Health and Well-being) at the SCD for over 5 years because I believe so firmly in health and well-being in the work-place and in everyday life.

           

- Do you practise any sports? If so, which ones and why?

I'm a very active person. I work out in the lunch time at the office, I like walking, trekking, cycling, team sports. I just like being active and any excuse will do. In other words - wherever things are moving, I'm there! I'm quite adventurous and I like challenges and new sporting experiences.

- What do you expect to get out of this experience?

 A lot of pride, because it takes courage to venture out of your comfort zone and face the different challenges involved in the Kili-2012 adventure, including personal and family relationships; self-confidence and confidence in others; recognizing your limits and having the humility to ask for help if the need arises; deaing with others' differences and strengths in order to form a united and loyal team for this wonderful project.

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

A Great Weekend of Moving Experiences

By Isabelle Privé

Several members of our great team decided to get into action this weekend and participate in 2 events in aid of important causes: the battle against cancer and the Enfant Soleil telethon.

On Friday evening, 3 of us - Geneviève, Rosanna and myself - went to encourage colleagues and friends who were walking all night in aid of the battle against cancer in the Relais pour la Vie at Deux-Montagnes. This event raised the amazing sum of $100 000!

It was a very emotional evening, watching the parade of survivors with their families and others who are still fighting the disease. It was very moving to see the hundreds of candles lit in the memory of those who had died and to support those who are continuing the fight. The depth of the experience easily made up for a bit of stiffness the next morning. Thanks to Marjorie, who welcomed us into her team to walk a few hours together and to experience such an evening!

Congratulations to the organisers ....Among the articles on sale to raise funds,  I found a ring with a flashing light - rather nice!

*****

On Saturday and Sunday, Catherine, Bruno-Pierre, Geneviève, myself and other members of the team were happy to give some of our time to answer the phones and help to raise funds for Opération Enfant Soleil. It was the first time I'd helped in a telethon and I really enjoyed it. Quebeckers are truly generous people. I was extremely touched by a call from someone with very little money but who wanted to help anyway. This event is extremely important in advancing care for sick children and we were proud to take part in it. The 24th telethon was an enormous success, collecting over $17 million!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin