Meet Catherine

By Catherine Fortin


Kilimanjaro is much more than a mountain - it's a complete overhaul of my life!

OK, let's go....  It's already just over a year since I said "Yes" to this project, this "trip" of a lifetime. Between Christmas 2010 and New Year's, I happened to glance at our notice board and saw André's invitation "Who wants to go climb Kilimanjaro?" Without a moment's hesitation, I wrote "I DO"!!!

Why? Well, why not?

We've only one life and it's already much too short for me so, whenever an opportunity like this comes along, I jump at it. Especially on this scale. Routine just isn't my thing - spontaneity lets us live wonderful experiences and outdo ourselves. I love being active, being with people, supporting good causes, helping others and meeting challenges. Kili is all that and more. Just getting to September 3rd - Day K, is a mountain in itself, a complete change of life-style. Getting fit, planning funds, getting vaccinations,  learning trekking techniques, preparing mentally for the ascent and so on and so on......

Do I regret my decision? Not on your life!

First of all, I've met such amazing and passionate people. Team Kili is a tightly knit little family - extremely important for the 10-day ascent when we'll be going through all sorts of feelings and needing  encouragement and moral support from each other. In each activity like training or having a meal together, we talk a lot of nonsense and have a lot of fun. We end up laughing till we cry which is the best way of relaxing, not to mention giving our abs a good workout!!!

The team's commitment to giving time and volunteering for several good causes is our way to do our part in helping those in need. It also helps us to realize how much we have, to appreciate it and to live fully in the moment.

I, for one, am longing to see what this adventure has in store for me and I promise to make the most of it.

Catherine

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Chantale - a Story of Change

By Chantale Bonin

When Manon Fairfield told me about the Kili-2012 project, I said yes straight away (to be honest - without much thought). But I never dreamt it would change my life so profoundly.

I thought she was so courageous to want to climb a mountain after having gone through the loss of several loved ones. So courageous that I thought - let's do it together!

I met Manon and her twin sister in 1999. We lived in the same neighbourhood and met at a few birthday parties. I was very shocked by the sudden loss of Chantal, Manon's sister. I'd taken her wedding photos only a few years before and here we were, in the same church in Verdun, for her funeral. When I think that Manon and I started working for Visa on the same day, it must have meant something. I even wonder if it wasn't Chantal who inspired me to say yes that day.

I started improving my fitness with Manon and some others. We decided to run with the other Team Kili members whom I gradually got to know. I'd never enjoyed running but, as it was part of our training contract, I had at least to try. I always stayed at the back, thinking that I should run slowly but surely. Gradually, I found myself pushing the others and enjoying it more and more. As others were discovering the same satisfaction, we decided to run informally during our lunch breaks.

The stair challenge was next - a team initiative. When Manon told me about it, I plunged in again and set myself a personal goal. The idea was to climb the most steps in a certain period of time. Several teams signed on. My goal was to get to the top.... For the first time in my life, I really wanted to succeed. I've never been ambitious in my career - when someone else wanted a position, I stepped aside. But now it was different, I wanted my team to win at any price. Luckily, I could count on three wonderful colleagues to support me - André Lachapelle, Manon Fairfield and Julie Foster. We were really strong. Manon, whom I call "Statistics Canada", could tell you the exact number of steps we climbed at lunch time and in the evening, when we returned, just for the sake of the challenge. And whereas the objective was 600 stories, we did 4145!!!

These winds of change have invigorated my everyday existance - that of a rather spoilt mother. As I adore taking photos, I hope that my involvement in the team will let me share my skill and put it to good use. I've discovered people who are very ambitious and wonderfully human. I've discovered a new way of life and the intense experience has taught me a lot about myself.

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Lucie

By Lucie Corbeil


When I was asked to write a bio, I really didn't know what to say about myself.
Apart from my name and my work, what else was there to say?
Anyway, here goes.

I'm participating in the fantastic Kilimanjaro project thanks to my great friend Janie who invited me to join in the adventure at a time in my life when I really needed it. So I jumped in, like Obelix falling into the magic potion - greedily, curiously and naively. Greedily -  because I love to devour new projects, curiously -  to meet new people and new places and to see where the project takes me.  As for naively - when I see all the training I must do, again and again and again, I must admit I was rather green.......

Kili is a project that catapults me into the future, provides a way to get there, a mission and a challenge.

Lucie (also known as "la cochonne" because of my piggy hat).



Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Nadine

By Nadine Lauzon (aka Wong)

Honestly, it's about time I got started. Introducing myself, point-blank in front of an empty computer screen..... not easy for a techno-dummy like me! Not that your very own Wong is exactly tongue-tied! Ha! Ha! :)

So, here goes. I'm Nadine Lauzon, 34, your Kili colleague Mélanie Lauzon's twin sister. I'm a single mother with an extraordinary 14 year old son. When I'm not ferrying him to basketball, baseball or guitar lessons, I divide my time between three jobs. I've been an auxiliary nurse at St-Eustache Hospital for 9 years, a foot-care nurse in three homes for the elderly and, finally, a self-employed massage therapist. Let's just say I'm an unmedicated hyperactive or - quite simply - VERY, VERY, INSECURE!!! Joking aside, I really like diversity, being a Wong of all trades and I'm always looking out for something new.

Sure, thanks to good management, I still find time for the small pleasures of life. I do lots of cycling - a sport I rediscovered 5 years ago - which does me the world of good. I walk regularly in the beautiful spot where I live - the air is so pure...  I also ADORE Karaté which I discovered 2 years ago. I'm not Mr. Myagi, but I manage quite well :).  Last, but not least, there's dancing which was part of my childhood and adolescence and still thrills me as much today.

So why Kili?  Easy! It goes back to 2003 when I returned hooked on poor and forgotten places from a humanitarian mission in Haiti. I wanted to return but to another destination - Africa of course. I longed to explore it and I even went to a travel agency for some information. I was thinking of going with my son when, one day, my sister announced that she was joining a group from work on an expedition to Kilimanjaro! It didn't take much for me to join. WHAT A GREAT WAY to celebrate our 35th birthday - give ourselves the highest peak in Africa. Yahoo! Obviously, I hadn't planned on going there exactly and so soon but - I took it as a sign not to let such an opportunity pass and I decided to do something just for me ...

You know, in everyday life, being a single mother means wearing a lot of different hats - accountant, administrator, disciplinarian, cook, housewife, taxi, friend, doctor, etc. You end up forgetting yourself, losing yourself in the role of mother. I lost sight of Nadine the child, the woman, the great dreamer whom I loved and missed terribly. In 2004, I ended up in a wheelchair after an accident. The wheelchair has been put away but, since then, I desperately need to prove to myself that I can take on such a challenge. I need to get rid of all the labels - functional limitation, severe physical restrictions, 40% physical incapacity, bla,bla, bla - that the doctors and all the others gave me.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is an ideal occasion for me to face a very personal challenge. It's also a dream - my old dream of going to Africa. But, above all, I hope it will help me to find Nadine, the child, the woman, the dreamer who were lost for far too long. I want to get to the summit of Africa and be able to say "Hey you. Heavens, but I've missed you".   (Even if I'm sure that my first words are more likely to be "***** MY FEET HURT *****"!!!!)

This is for you, my Kili gang - I love you so much already.
 "BY THE WAY, HOW ABOUT AN ICE-CREAM? LOL!!!".
       Wong xxx :)

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Martine

By Martine Lussier

Jumbo! Hello!

I'm Martine Lussier, Team Leader, DPCCC Entreprises/Particuliers, Services de cartes Desjardins.

Hungry for new discoveries, I dream of setting out on adventure and living unforgettable experiences.

Climbing the highest summit in Africa will definitely be my biggest challenge to date. 15 months of preparation, fitness training, enriching encounters and enduring friendships! A journey that will expand my personal boundaries and culminate in a safari in which wild life takes on its deepest meaning.

Kilimanjaro, a breathtaking adventure! I intend living each moment to the full. A story that will stay in my heart and my spirit for ever!

Hakuna Matata !!!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Nathalie

By Nathalie Roussin

A drastic change in my life 2 years ago - everything was going   too fast - much too fast.....

WHOA, I said to myself, or you're going to lose it big time....

           So, how about the gym to get fit and have a badly needed change of ideas.

So, GO - GO - GO ....off to the gym.
 

And then comes the big idea on the notice board from André and his gang...

Kilimanjaro....... 

WHOA , I told myself again - you there - you're really not up to it.
 
Anyway, why not do something different from the gym, and try a few mountains in the meantime - just enough to give you the taste for more....
 
I'll tell you the rest of the story after September 2012. I'm just off to start getting ready and, especially, to get fit so that I can realize a dream that mustn't pass me by.

Thank you to life for having given me this opportunity!!!!


Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Louis

By Louis Hamelin

Hello,
My name's Louis Hamelin and I've been a section director at Desjardins for several years.

It was a colleague who told me about the project. I'm a great lover of the open air and of wide open spaces, as those who know me can tell you. So - I lost no time in signing on to this adventure.

For me, climbing Kilimanjaro is, most importantly, a way to test and surpass my physical and mental limits and also a time for introspection. I'm convinced that I'll come through this adventure transformed by living in close contact with the team, by experiencing completely different surroundings and exacting and destabilising conditions.

I'm familiar with the dangers of mountain sickness after staying in the Peruvian Andes at 4 000 meters. It's a calculated risk for anyone who wants to experience the beauty of high places. 

I don't practise any particular sport but I'm always on the move. I rowed for several years and I do downhill skiing, I cycle and I've just added jogging. Even if you're in the best of health and very fit, mountain sickness can still hit you.

I'm very keen and excited at the idea of doing this climb in Africa with my colleagues.
Youppi!!!!!


Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Manon M.

By Isabelle Privé

The members of Team Kili-2012 like to be on the go. One of them is Manon Marleau.

Though discreet, Manon is one of the pillars of our organisation. A founder of the project and a team player, she likes the outdoors, challenges and all-out physical activity. If something needs organizing, Manon's the perfect person to get on the team.

As well as dealing with the logistics for Team Kili-2012, Manon is a member of the SCD social club. You'll often see her outside the cafeteria, giving out tickets for shows or taking inscriptions for different activities. That's as well as working out during her lunch hour.

As if that weren't enough, she never misses an opportunity to get out of the city for a excursion in the mountains or for a bike ride, a kayak trip or other outdoor activity. She even participated in the Tour de l'Ile 2011.

Manon is extremely active, full of energy and always ready for an adventure. In other words, a perfect candidate for Kilimanjaro.

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

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

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

Meet Isabelle

 By Isabelle Privé

"Only 2 years ago..."

Hello to everyone who's following our Kilimanjaro adventure.

My name is Isabelle. If you'd told me 2 years ago that I'd be joining such an adventure, I expect I'd have looked around to see who you were talking to!

At that time, I was smoking a packet a day, eating badly and didn't get much exercise.

On October 14, 2009, my life took a turn for the better when I stopped smoking, And that soon turned into an upward spiral towards better health.

Giving up smoking also means putting on weight so I realized that I had to do something about my diet. I was lucky enough to be able to attend sessions with a nutritionist put on by my employer. That too changed my life.

.

So - give up smoking and start a healthier diet.

Always thanks to my employer, I decided to participate in the 10km Montreal Marathon in 2010.
I wanted to walk....I ended up running 7 km out of 10! I had fallen in love with jogging! And I'm still in love with physical activity. I've developed a passion for jogging, yoga, zumba, Pilates and I'm hooked on the feeling of wellbeing that comes with a good workout.

To repeat: give up smoking, eat well, get more exercise.

So, last December, when I read, on the office electronic notice board, an invitation to join in an adventure and climb Mount Kilimanjaro, I only had one question:

"Will I be sorry if I don't do it?"

And as my reply was "Yes", I decided to go for it (in spite of empty pockets!) and rise to the challenge.

And up to now, I have no regrets. I've found a wonderful team - each member more motivated that the rest. What I love is that we're all "ordinary people" with a job and a family. No Olympic champions or millionnaires. We'll all have to work very hard on the fund-raising activities necessary to make our dream come true. We'll all have to train really hard to get to the fitness level required to reach the top. And I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.

Do you get the feeling that I'm somewhat carried away with excitement?

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

The Very Beginning...

By André Lachapelle

This evening is the Kilimanjaro 2012 group's first meeting .

But let's start at the beginning....

When I was little, I dreamt of being an explorer. Like all little boys, I imagine.

I remember that every Saturday evening my mother turned on the TV and we watched Tarzan and Animal Mysteries from Mutuel of'Omaha. I dreamt about Africa, about canoe trips on dark, hostile rivers. About bare-handed fights with powerful crocodiles or bloodthirsty lions in order to save damsels in distress.

As we got older, we learnt to match our dreams to our means and real life began: study, graduate, commute, work and sleep.... Then:  the corporate ladder, staff meetings, yearly evalutions, budgetary planning - all that jazz!

Secretly, however, I still nursed this yen to get away. I was bored to death. Like a lion in a cage, endlessly pacing up and down, unable to escape, remembering the immense, endless plains. Freedom! Real Liberty with a capital L.

As a young adult I had explored the Caribbean, been to Australia, climbed Ayer's Rock and explored the outback. Then the South Pacific: New Zealand, Fiji, then Hawaii. Alone, my packsack on my back, I was the epitomy of Eric Lapointe's song "promised land" - "blown by the wind, with empty pockets, I wander, at one with the seasons..."

On my return to Montreal, I had already started to plan my next trip - Europe. "Every day I wear out my shoes, riding on liberty..."

But fate decided otherwise. I met a girl, got married, had two beautiful children, a good job, a house, a car, a dog. The American dream. Followed by childcare, visits to the Doctor, promotion, a second house (bigger, obviously, with a mortgage to match). Then divorce.... What with one thing and another, 11 years had gone by.

Anyway, I'll spare you more details. At one point, I thought it might be nice get some adventure into my life again and climb Kilimanjaro but time just went on passing by.

....One morning, when I woke up, it hit me -  I was 42. Where did all the time go? Up in smoke!

Something interesting happens at 40. I call it the clock phenomenon. You wake up and you see that, depending on your life expectancy, you've more time in the past than in the future. You get a sense of urgency that gives you a shot of adrenalin. Suddenly, you want to do and experience everything: learn the guitar, take singing lessons, learn to danse the salsa, learn Spanish...

Hang on! Didn't I already have a great project simmering on the back burner?  Of course - climb Kilimanjaro! Why not? I can hardly contain myself - let's do it!

It's funny in life how things sometimes just seem to fall into place. In October 2010 , I was on a strategic planning conference with colleagues from the office. We were talking travel over supper, when I suddenly blurted out: "What I'd really like to do, at least once in my life, is climb Mount Kilimanjaro".

Stunned silence ..... then, an explosion of voices: "What an idea! You have to do it! Hey, if you go, I'll come with you..."

Some more time went by...time's so sneaky. Then, on December 30, 2010, I was at my desk when I suddenly thought that it might be a good idea to contact those people again to see if there was still any interest in the project. So I posted a message on the firm's electronic notice board:

Hi everyone,
Those who share the dream of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are forming a team.
Team Kilimanjara 2012 - come with us to the top of the highest mountain in Africa.
We're going in 2012 but all other details are to be decided. If this experience of a life-time interests you, reserve now as places are limited to 12 - 15.
To give you an idea, Mont Tremblant is 2 100 ft high. Kilimanjaro? -19 200 ft. Take note!
By the way, if you have any experiences or useful information to share with us, we'd be most grateful.
BE BOLD! BE ADVENTUROUS!

I really wasn't prepared for the reaction. I had messages from all over the firm. Some wrote with encouragement, others with offers of help. And several jumped in and joined the team right away.

Wow! We're off!

At the moment we have a team of 29. This evening, we're going to have our first meeting to discuss finances.

I'm so excited that I just had to share my thoughts and feelings; that's why I decided to start this blog which will document the progress of the Kilimanjaro 2012 project.

Follow on the blog and, in a way, it'll be like coming with us.
BE BOLD! BE ADVENTUROUS!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin