Second Organik Conference - Life After Kili

By Isabelle Privé

For the second time, Team Kili-2012 has enjoyed a conference by a member of the Organik team.

Organik is a company dedicated to promoting health in the workplace. It has brought together a group of specialists in health, sport, nutrition, relaxation, meditation, yoga and others. It decided to support our group with help and advice and, this time, with a conference by Julie Marchand, a sports trainer and physical fitness specialist.

Julie shared her personal experience, her enthusiasm and her passion, not only for sport but for life itself. She brought up a subject that's rarely talked about during the preparation for an expedition like Kilimanjaro - life after Kilimanjaro - what will happen to us afterwards.

People who have experienced an expedition like ours often say "It'll change your life" or "You're not the same when you come back". What exactly do they mean? What's it like in real life?

"When you're there, you become your real self. You're no longer the mother, the spouse, the friend, the child, the neighbour, the employee of....... It's one of the rare times in life when you're quite simply yourself. And that's what changes your life forever."

During all the turmoil of the preparations for the trip, having to cope with passport, training, dates, family and the race against time, you don't realise that you're setting out on an adventure that will change your life.  You don't realise that you're jumping into the unknown and that, however well you're prepared, you can never be completely ready for the actual experience or for the way in which it will transform you.

We're all taken up with our daily lives and the society in which we live. We all have bills to pay, family, friends, work to accomplish. We must all get up each morning and do what's necessary to get on in life, stay fit, grow and be happy. I've realised, thanks to this meeting with Julie, that, when we climb on board the plane, we'll be leaving all that behind for the duration of the expedition.

What will happen over there? I've no idea. How will we experience it all? I've no idea. How will the trip change us? No idea! All I know is that I've found a deeper reason for living this crazy experience to the full together with this wonderful group of people - Team Kili-2012.

Thank you, Julie, for sharing your experience and your wisdom. Thank you, Organik, for organising the conference.

Another step on the way to the summit!!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Kilimanjaro - Some Facts

By Isabelle Privé

Over the past year, we've been telling you about our project. Now here are some facts about Kilimanjaro itself.
(Reference:  Wikipedia )

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, situated in the north-east of Tanzania. Called "Shining Mountain" in Swahili, it's composed of one dormant volcano cone: Kibo, whose peak, Uhuru is 5 895m (19 341ft), and two extinct volcano cones: Mawenzi, to the east, 5 149m (16 893ft) and Shira, to the west, 3 962m (13 000ft).

The climate varies with the mountain's different faces and levels. At its foot, the average annual temperature is 23.4° C., whereas it's 5° C. at 4 000 m. and minus 7.1° C. at the top of Kibo. Between 4 000 and 5 000 m. the variation between day and night temperatures can be as much as 40° C.

Kilimanjaro has a tropical savanna climate, characterised by a dry season (when we'll be there) from mid May to mid October with moderate temperatures. A short rainy season (called short rains) follows from mid October to the end of November, a hot dry period from the beginning of December till the end of February and, finally, a long rainy season from March to mid May.



Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Five Months To Go - and - Well done Team Kili!

By Isabelle Privé

Team Kili's countdown continues with the arrival of Spring. We're all busy with preparations - training, vaccinations and final purchases of material. Our departure is approaching fast and the level of excitement is steadily rising.

We've watched our Team-Everest friends set out and return, read their commentaries and seen their photos. The story of their journey (which was far from easy) is helping us stick to training and preparations for our own adventure.

A lot is going on at 5 months from departure. The journey still seems a long way away; on the other hand, time is going so quickly that it sometimes feels more like the day before take-off. There's still so much to do! More fund-raising, hikes, runs and training sessions. It's crazy how quickly the last 15 months have flown by!

More than ever, we must make the most of each moment because everything's going so fast. We want to be able to remember every detail of our preparations for this adventure. It's so true that the journey is as important as the destination. Enjoy the moment before it's gone forever!

Well Done Team-Kili!

A resounding "Well done" to the gang for having delivered the most beautiful chocolate animals for Easter. The SCD social club decided to encourage us by asking us to supply Easter chocolates for their members this year. Once again, Janie and Sylvain's kitchen was turned into a chocolate factory for the confection of 350 hand-painted and gift-wrapped chocolate animals for Easter. As usual, team-spirit and fun dominated the scene and everyone contributed. We were rewarded by delighted feed-back on our works of art by the members of the social club.

We wish to thank them for their encouragement.

A special thank you to Janie and Sylvain for their hospitality.   BRAVO to everyone for a job well done!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin