Younghee and Susan’s Successful Kilimanjaro Climb!
Dear Friends and Families,
Our team successfully summited the Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro on March 1 at around 2:50 pm and returned to Arusha safely on March 3rd! It was a challenging 7-day ascent to the peak, followed by a 2-day hike back to the base.
With a beautiful full moon to accompany us on the mountain, we slowly circled upward along the southern rim of the Uhuru peak under a vast and star-filled sky. Each day was more beautiful than the day before and the hike interesting and challenging. We could expect to have sun, rain, snow, hail, or a combination of all within a day. It was unlike anything we had experienced before.
On summit day, we climbed up to the Uhuru peak along the alpine desert and barren arctic mountain for 8 hours, chanting the local mantra “pole, pole” (“slowly, slowly”). We couldn’t have done it without the thoughtful and generous support from our porters, who carried our packs and water for the entire climb. As we got closer to Stella point and were hiking along the glacial formations on one side, we were struck by how the bare arctic surface of the mountain resembled a moonscape more than anything earthly. The last hundred feet to the Uhuru peak was very moving, reflective and strenuous.
When we reached the top, our guides were most excited that all six of us had made it to the top, while we were speechless, for once! We really couldn’t have done it without our amazing guides and support team, who did everything possible to ensure we succeeded, including cooking three fresh and healthy meals for us every day. We then hung the prayer flags that the Machik team had presented to us along with their good wishes and prayers for our safety and success. Susan and I managed to put our Machik shirts on and took the photo to send off to the Machik team at home.
The descent down from the peak to the Kibo crater was even harder than the ascent. Walking down the icy and steep snow slopes, we wished we had a pair of skis to dash down. The Kibo crater was frozen and barren, yet hauntingly beautiful in its solitude. We crawled into our sleeping bags exhausted, surrounded by glacial mountains alighted blue-white by the clear air and bright moon.
The next morning, we started another 8-hour long walk to the lower mountain camp. That night was our last one on the mountain, and we celebrated our successful ascent with a feast – at an elevation of 10,000 ft away from civilization.
The following morning, we traveled further down to the Heatherland. Little did we know how seeing the trees, rush vegetation and flowers again would be such a welcoming and comforting change! We trekked through the slippery and wet forest trails to the Mweka gate, where enterprising merchants thronged us with Kilimanjaro and Uhuru Peak souvenirs. We were happy to buy some to take home with us.
Our support team waited with bottles of champagne to celebrate, while we registered our names and received our certificates of completion. We could only feel incredible gratitude and blessings to share. It was a sweet car ride back to our hotel in Arusha, as we took in the village scenery and watched the local residents dressed in their Sunday best.
Words can’t possibly describe the gratitude and sense of accomplishment we collectively felt that night, once we’d cleaned up and changed into our non-hiking outfits.
Thanks to all of your support and good will, we were able to accomplish our twin goals of summiting the Uhuru peak of Kilimanjaro and raising an equivalent amount of funds for Machik’s Women’s Initiatives in Tibet. You helped us raise a total of $24,550 as of today — promise we will do a few more laps around Central Park!
Thank you!!! Your donations will fund Mother’s Wish – a program initiated by Machik, educate children of rural Tibetan villages, pay for bright young Tibetan girls to attend college – the very first in the history of their community, fund a committed team of women’s education advocates, and help sustain the language and heritage of Tibetan culture, which has been as important to the modern western intellectual history as its own — bravo to the great differences you have made!!
Thanks-to
• Our Kili team sisters – Pamela Dutton, Priscilla Wong, Diana Chambers, and Janice Shand – for great team spirit and for sharing all the ups and downs with us for two weeks.
• Our guides – Kevin Jackson of Summits USA, Frank Wilyfred and Hobson of Summits Africa, and Frank Castro of Adventure International – who coordinated the whole trip for us.
• The Machik Team, who inspired us with their dedication to find viable, non-violent solutions to political and social issues by providing education and promoting service among young Tibetans, and engaging the West and China along the way.
Our greatest thanks goes to our husbands and children, who faithfully championed our cause and gave us the biggest cheers with no questions asked as always!
We look forward to sharing more news on Machik and our future endeavors.
With much love,
Younghee and Susan
Our team successfully summited the Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro on March 1 at around 2:50 pm and returned to Arusha safely on March 3rd! It was a challenging 7-day ascent to the peak, followed by a 2-day hike back to the base.
With a beautiful full moon to accompany us on the mountain, we slowly circled upward along the southern rim of the Uhuru peak under a vast and star-filled sky. Each day was more beautiful than the day before and the hike interesting and challenging. We could expect to have sun, rain, snow, hail, or a combination of all within a day. It was unlike anything we had experienced before.
On summit day, we climbed up to the Uhuru peak along the alpine desert and barren arctic mountain for 8 hours, chanting the local mantra “pole, pole” (“slowly, slowly”). We couldn’t have done it without the thoughtful and generous support from our porters, who carried our packs and water for the entire climb. As we got closer to Stella point and were hiking along the glacial formations on one side, we were struck by how the bare arctic surface of the mountain resembled a moonscape more than anything earthly. The last hundred feet to the Uhuru peak was very moving, reflective and strenuous.
When we reached the top, our guides were most excited that all six of us had made it to the top, while we were speechless, for once! We really couldn’t have done it without our amazing guides and support team, who did everything possible to ensure we succeeded, including cooking three fresh and healthy meals for us every day. We then hung the prayer flags that the Machik team had presented to us along with their good wishes and prayers for our safety and success. Susan and I managed to put our Machik shirts on and took the photo to send off to the Machik team at home.
The descent down from the peak to the Kibo crater was even harder than the ascent. Walking down the icy and steep snow slopes, we wished we had a pair of skis to dash down. The Kibo crater was frozen and barren, yet hauntingly beautiful in its solitude. We crawled into our sleeping bags exhausted, surrounded by glacial mountains alighted blue-white by the clear air and bright moon.
The next morning, we started another 8-hour long walk to the lower mountain camp. That night was our last one on the mountain, and we celebrated our successful ascent with a feast – at an elevation of 10,000 ft away from civilization.
The following morning, we traveled further down to the Heatherland. Little did we know how seeing the trees, rush vegetation and flowers again would be such a welcoming and comforting change! We trekked through the slippery and wet forest trails to the Mweka gate, where enterprising merchants thronged us with Kilimanjaro and Uhuru Peak souvenirs. We were happy to buy some to take home with us.
Our support team waited with bottles of champagne to celebrate, while we registered our names and received our certificates of completion. We could only feel incredible gratitude and blessings to share. It was a sweet car ride back to our hotel in Arusha, as we took in the village scenery and watched the local residents dressed in their Sunday best.
Words can’t possibly describe the gratitude and sense of accomplishment we collectively felt that night, once we’d cleaned up and changed into our non-hiking outfits.
Thanks to all of your support and good will, we were able to accomplish our twin goals of summiting the Uhuru peak of Kilimanjaro and raising an equivalent amount of funds for Machik’s Women’s Initiatives in Tibet. You helped us raise a total of $24,550 as of today — promise we will do a few more laps around Central Park!
Thank you!!! Your donations will fund Mother’s Wish – a program initiated by Machik, educate children of rural Tibetan villages, pay for bright young Tibetan girls to attend college – the very first in the history of their community, fund a committed team of women’s education advocates, and help sustain the language and heritage of Tibetan culture, which has been as important to the modern western intellectual history as its own — bravo to the great differences you have made!!
Thanks-to
• Our Kili team sisters – Pamela Dutton, Priscilla Wong, Diana Chambers, and Janice Shand – for great team spirit and for sharing all the ups and downs with us for two weeks.
• Our guides – Kevin Jackson of Summits USA, Frank Wilyfred and Hobson of Summits Africa, and Frank Castro of Adventure International – who coordinated the whole trip for us.
• The Machik Team, who inspired us with their dedication to find viable, non-violent solutions to political and social issues by providing education and promoting service among young Tibetans, and engaging the West and China along the way.
Our greatest thanks goes to our husbands and children, who faithfully championed our cause and gave us the biggest cheers with no questions asked as always!
We look forward to sharing more news on Machik and our future endeavors.
With much love,
Younghee and Susan