We did it!

We did it!
On the Roof of Africa

Who are we & why did we do this?

We are three couples living in Nova Scotia who were intrigued by the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. We have all been blessed to live in Canada with good health and rewarding careers. However, all of us know of a family member or friend that has been touched in some way by mental illness. We decided to dedicate our climb to rasing money for Laing House. We are proud to say that we achieved all of our goals. We returned home safely; we raised over $117,000 for Laing House, almost twice our original goal; and we all summitted on Sept 18. The trip was certainly a challenge but many of us say it was the trip of a lifetime in spite of the fact that all of us have travelled extensively. However, the last word belongs to the most famous African, Nelson Mandela, who said, "After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb".

About Laing House

Laing House is a support centre for youth living with mental illness. It is a youth-driven and community-based organization where young people between 16 and 30 years of age, who are living with a mental illness, can get the support they need to rebuild their lives. Since opening in 2001, Laing House has assisted over 300 youth from across the Maritimes. There are currently 100 members of Laing House. Programs, including employment, healthy living, education, and peer and family support, help youth recognize and develop their own strengths, talents and resources in a welcoming, respectful and collaborative environment. Laing House is the first of its kind in Canada.

The supportive environment of Laing House allows youth and staff to build meaningful relationships. They work together to create personal development, community education, and advocacy programs. These experiences and opportunities provide youth with support and resources to further educational and vocational paths. They develop the life skills needed to form relationships, secure safe housing, and experience hope for their futures. A variety of unique programs and services are employed to attain these goals. Laing House looks forward to a day where the stigma surrounding mental illness has dissipated and there is equal opportunity for all.

Thank you to all Laing House supporters!

The support that Laing House has received as a result of this climb has been fantastic. We wish to express our gratitude to all of you. Like all charities, Laing House feels the impact of the recession. The extra funds raised as a result of this climb will provide Laing House with the resources to continue to serve young people struggling with mental health issues. Thank you!

Sept 10

Thursday was our day to meet the guides and the gear check.  All of us wanted to take it easy on the day before the climb.  Paula & David just arrived on Wed night so they were still fighting jet lag and hoping that their bags would arrive late on Thursday evening.

The meeting with the guides went very well.  We were pleased to have chosen Tusker as our outfitter.  The guides were professional, well trained and safety conscious with good gear.  They were also impressive as individuals with college educations in many cases,and multilingual.  They all speak Swahili, the national language of Tanzania, plus English, plus their native tribal tongue in addition to several other native languages from the tribes surrounding the area where they grew up.

Following the gear check, we had the dreaded unofficial weigh in.  Each climber is allowed to have 20 Kg in addition to whatever is in their day pack.  Those who know the super organized Dani & Rena will understand Hans' and Henry's concerns.  They had everything on the check list, sorted by day in individual zip lock bags.  In fact, the concern was that they each had at least 10 Kg of zip lock bags before you start to weigh the gear and snacks!  Would we need to hire an extra porter?



It turns out the men's concerns were completely unnecessary.  Both Rena and Dani's bags came in well under 20 Kg.





Paula and David spent the day wondering if their bags would arrive on the evening flight from Amsterdam.  There was encouraging news at dinnertime, but alas when the Tusker van arrived from the airport their bags were not on board.  They both packed the proper clothes for the first two days of climbing and wore their boots on the plane so all is not lost.  With extra gear from the other members of the team, some spare gear from the outfitter and a few early morning purchases they should be okay.  However, it is stressful when you're about to climb the world's highest free standing mountain and you don't have all the gear that you so meticulously planned and purchased. 
Posted by The Kili Team

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