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