By André Lachapelle
Hi to all our faithful readers.
Your resident reporter, André Lachapelle, is back.
As you know, Team Kili-2012 is leaving in a few days for the grand adventure. And it'll be my job to let you know where they are and how they're getting on.
I'll try to be as objective a journalist as possible but it won't be easy. You may know that I was supposed to be with them but life decided otherwise and I had to withdraw. I still hope to go one day.
So, how will the news get to you?
I'll be able to communicate with the team by satellite phone and put up-to-date news on the blog.
So don't go too far away, find a comfortable chair, some chips or ... broccoli and, with me, live vicariously.
One thing's obvious - all the team members are in a state of nervous excitement. Not stressed out exactly but on edge, to say the least. All those who are with them during these last few days can feel it.
Checking the luggage for the nth time to be sure they've forgotten nothing - frankly, we're all a bit fed up with hearing about it all the time....
But I understand - you wouldn't want arrive at the foot of the highest mountain in Africa and discover that you'd left your hiking boots in Montreal. Laugh if you want but you know as well as I do that it can happen so easily.
So, no question of leaving you in the dark for three whole weeks.
I promise to be a faithful and regular reporter, bringing you news of the expedition nearly every day.
A final note: the French blog has been visited over 9000 times since it was started, with people as far away as Argentina consulting it. The English blog has had more than 700 visitors. And that's the truth!
So, on Monday, Labour Day, send an e-mail to all your family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues and ask them to pass the message on and to visit the blog regularly. 9000 visits? We can double that number by the time our adventurers are home again.
Translated by Pamela Gauvin
