First Team Meeting - March 2011

By André Lachapelle

Time goes quickly. Very quickly....

On Monday, March 28 2011, we held our first team meeting to talk about financing the Kilimanjaro project.

But what a lovely lot of people! I'm not really surprised. It stands to reason that signing up for an adventure like Kilimanjaro means that you're already someone special.

We'd arranged to meet at the Saint-Hubert near the Bell Center in a small private room that was perfect for our discussion. Once we'd eaten, we got on with the agenda. Another nice surprise - everyone stuck to the subject, no going off at a tangent or indulging in futile arguments. Everyone pulled his weight.

We decided to have a fund-raising activity for Easter, another for Mothers' Day. Sell chocolate for Easter and nice gift baskets for Mothers' Day. Other activities were discussed and will take place at a later date.

There was such a good feeling all evening. It was really inspiring. Everybody volunteered so willingly to take part in the activities.

So, the week after the meeting, I carried out a little experiment. I did nothing connected with the project and I didn't contact anyone. I wanted to see if there was any momentum or initiative, if anybody made an effort to get on with the project.

My team passed the test with flying colours. Chocolates had been bought and distributed to the right people for the Easter activity. It seems that team spirit is developing well and everyone feels responsible. It's great to see!

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