Want to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for a Good Cause?

I did last year. Now it’s your turn!

Registration for Survivor Summit, a LIVESTRONG-partnered event I participated in as part of the inaugural 2012 team, opens today for its February 8-21, 2014 expedition…

This is an opportunity to fundraise $10,000 for cancer programs and services, and challenge yourself as you climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain and one of the “seven summits.” This time around, you’ll head up the Rongai route to the roof of Africa. And as a reward, you’ll go on a safari after the climb to the Ngorongoro Crater.

No previous climbing experience is required; just a good attitude and a strong desire to kick cancer to the curb.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

You know this will be the experience of a lifetime. So go ahead, apply! Good luck!

My Austin Partner in Climb

It was so nice to catch up with my tentmate and “partner in climb” from Survivor Summit, Mindy today at Whole Foods! Even though we both live in Austin, we hadn’t seen each other since October. This time around, we didn’t have to worry about setting up our sleeping bags and sleeping pads in the shadow of Uhuru—we just ate good food and enjoyed each other’s company. Here’s hoping I get to see her again soon.

The Journey Is the Reward

In 2006, I was a pretty immature undergraduate student who hadn’t traveled anywhere outside of the United States. Lucky for me, I was able to participate in a unique study abroad experience called Semester at Sea (SAS), an accredited educational program aboard a converted cruise ship that integrates multiple-country study and interdisciplinary coursework for meaningful engagement in the global community.

My particular trip was a 65 day summer voyage around the Pacific Rim; we sailed from Mexico to Hawaii, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam (with an airplane ride to Cambodia), South Korea, Hong Kong, China, and Japan to San Diego. I witnessed extreme poverty, beautiful cultures and people, ancient temples and structures, and densely-populated urban environments, all of which fueled my desire to engage in service-related endeavors, and keep seeing as much of the world as possible. SAS helped me grow up, and the experience truly helped shape me into the person I am today.

Fast forward a few years later, and as you know, I was fortunate enough to be involved with the incredible organization known as Survivor Summit.

Well, a few months ago, I updated the SAS alumni relations office with news about our group’s successful climb to the roof of Africa. I opened up my mailbox today to find a copy of SAS’s Fall 2012 publication, Shipmates, and saw that Survivor Summit got a shout out. The short blurb states that,

“Lisa and her Survivor Summit teammates summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro on July 2, 2012, helping to raise more than $200,000 to benefit cancer programs at LIVESTRONG. Lisa credits her SAS experience with the inspiration to help those facing challenges.”

I think it’s worth noting that SAS really gave me the confidence to challenge myself. This lesson came in handy when I stood for 46 hours to fight pediatric cancer with Penn State’s Dance MaraTHON in 2007, and rode a bike 4,500 miles with Texas 4000 for Cancer in 2009. And that’s what my climb up Kilimanjaro with Survivor Summit in July was all about as well. In fact, Survivor Summit’s mission is to empower individuals and provide inspiration, motivation, and hope for those among us facing uphill battles. 

So thank goodness for the cool experiences I’ve had and for the amazing perspectives on life that I’ve gained as a result. I know I’ll cherish and grow from them for many years to come.

And after a long return to work post-holiday weekend, this magazine was a welcome and happy surprise in my mailbox, too. For want of SAS frozen yogurt from the MV Explorer’s seventh deck snack bar, I’m going to have to reward myself with some dark chocolate instead.

Partners in Climb

Today was the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin, Texas. My Survivor Summit teammates and I had a chance to reunite several months after summitting Kilimanjaro together to fight cancer. I had a blast seeing my teammates again and riding bicycles with them, too!

And while not everyone could make it out to Austin, we were still together in spirit—evidenced most poignantly by (our summit guide/expedition leader) Chris Warner’s message to us on Saturday morning:

“…make us proud this weekend. i am sitting below everest and thinking about all of you. Chris”

It’s pretty incredible that we spent a little less than two weeks together as a group, and that we’ve been fortunate enough to leave imprints on each other’s lives. And while we never may be teammates climbing a 19,341 foot peak again, one thing is for certain:

We are all friends for life, and partners in climb.

…and now, before this post gets too cheesy, this was the follow up message from Chris’ original, just a few hours later:

“just getting back to the tea house from everest base camp. hopefully you miscreants aren’t still at the bar. but if you happen to be have a beer for me.”

Ah yes, my teammates and I had plenty of fun, and we are thick as thieves.

One Month Ago, I Was at 19,341 Feet

Today marks one month since my Survivor Summit teammates and I summitted Kilimanjaro. Ironically, one of my friends posted a quote online that read, “All good things come to an end, but there is no end of good things to come.” Right on. I hope to post more reflections soon on the month I’ve had since returning from my epic experiences in Tanzania. It’s taken me some time to fully absorb everything, but the overwhelming feeling I have is that of gratitude. Stay tuned…

Mike

This “Why I Climb” is dedicated to Mike King.

Mike is one of the founders of Survivor Summit, an organization which aims to lead cancer survivors and their supporters on life-altering journeys. The mission of this great organization is to inspire survivors, fighters, and communities to challenge the mental and physical boundaries associated with cancer.

Our climb of Kilimanjaro was the inaugural event for Survivor Summit, and the funds we raised benefited LIVESTRONG’s cancer programs and services. Mike and his brothers formulated the idea for the climb after Mike had summitted Kilimanjaro through a leadership program available at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

So, a funny story about Mike is that he was wholly unprepared for his first trip to Africa’s highest peak because he didn’t bring the right gear at all. His sleeping bag was soaked at one point, and as a result, he had a few uncomfortably cold nights on the way to summit. But he still made it to the 19,341 foot peak, which speaks to the strength of his character and his determination.

This time around, Mike was so prepared; he had all the correct equipment and was able to lead the rest of us during conference calls when we were unsure about what to expect. If we needed to call him to ask him a question, he’d get back to us immediately. Additionally, he helped prepare all of our logistics and rescue insurance, and made sure that everything was attended to before we landed in Tanzania.

But I think being a leader is more than making sure that the odds-and-ends are all secured. Instead, I believe that a good leader is someone who shows genuine care and concern for others, and wants to see everyone succeed, even if it means taking a little longer than expected. Mike was an exceptional leader in this respect, as he often checked in on everyone during the climb, and would slow his pace down to reflect that of his teammates.

One of the things I will always fondly remember about Mike happened on Summit Day. Our plan was to break up into three groups, with:

Team Mindy (Mindy, Lachlan, Daniel, and Chad, with Earth Treks’ Nelson Laur leading), leaving first for Uhuru peak at 10:30 p.m.

Team K2 (Kim, Katie, Scott S., Scott A., Brian, Amy, and Danny, with Earth Treks’ Chris Warner leading) departing for summit at 11:30 p.m.

And Team Simba (Mike, Mona, Caroline, Missy, Chasse, and I) taking off after midnight.

The group I was with ended up passing the other groups within the first three hours or so of the climb (probably because we were motivated to climb quickly since it was so cold!). We made it to Stella Point by 6:30 a.m., and walked to the summit by 7:00 a.m. to watch the sun rise. Temperatures were -35 degree Fahrenheit. We took photos and held our honor flag high. We were instructed to make it down to Barafu camp after about 30 minutes. Missy and Caroline were beginning to develop headaches, so they took off quickly for the camp below. It looked like the rest of us would follow suit.

As I got ready to head for Barafu with Mona and Chasse, I planted my heels into the scree to ski down with my trekking poles. I then turned to see Mike looking elated to see the other group at Stella Point. He said that he was physically fine and that he wanted to hand off our honor flag to Team K2 and see how they were doing. Basically, he was going to stick around on the top of the mountain and summit twice that morning.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment. I descended 4,000 feet to Barafu, all the while remembering the incredible leadership Mike had just displayed. I think he would have stayed for the rest of the day to see Team Mindy summit, too, if it had been physically possible. Mike was amazing that morning, as he made sure that our honor flag and our team all made it intact. Our entire team made it to 19,341 feet. The very first Survivor Summit event went off perfectly thanks to Mike.

“Leader.” That word describes Mike King perfectly, and it’s why I climb for him today, tomorrow, and always.