Local women reach summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

I was recently informed that three local women were preparing for a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  While the timing didn’t work out to get something published before the trip, I was able to connect with climber Susan Blemaster after she returned home. 

Blemaster completed the trip with friends Sherri Gensterblum, Joellen Schrauben and Jen Kammerer.  Blemaster, Gensterblum and Schrauben are from Portland, and Kammerer is from Monument, Colorado.

If you are not familiar with Mount Kilimanjaro, here are some facts that I found.

·       Located in northeastern Tanzania

·       Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain

·       The summit of Uhuru Peak is 19,341 feet at its highest point

·       Climbers typically take five to nine days to reach the summit

After retirning home, Blemaster said, “We started our journey on February 3rd and arrived in Kilimanjaro on the evening of February 4th. We started our first full day doing a walking safari before heading out the next day for our climb up Kili. Making it to the Uhuru Peak summit is all about going slow, Pole Pole, to have a successful climb.”

“Going too fast does not allow acclimation to the change in altitude without the risk of getting sick. We choose to do the seven-day Lemosho route. We climbed more than 36 miles over the course of the seven days. On summit day, we started our climb at 11:00 p.m reaching the summit to see the sunrise. We encountered high sustained winds between 25-30 mph. It seemed like hours but in reality was probably closer to one hour. The cold wasn't the hardest part of the climb, it was lack of sleep.”

“You just kept putting one foot in front of the other to reach our end goal, the summit. We had one head guide, Godlove, and 3 assistant guides, Ally, Victor and Tony, who helped us to make a successful summit. The climb down was every bit as hard as you are descending steep grades with loose dirt and rocks. We were told this is when hikers who fall can break an arm or leg. Thankfully, we all finished in one piece. Our guide, Godlove, says you don't conquer the mountain, you become a part of it. This is so true. The climb changes you. Reflecting on what we all accomplished, leaves you with such a rewarding experience.”

When asked about how they prepared for the climb, Blemaster said, “To train for this epic climb, Sherri, Joellen and Susan did hill repeats around town with our weighted vest, (James, Grant, Bridge and Academy Streets). We also traveled to Colorado to visit Jen and did more hikes there to train in altitude.”

She added, “We are hikers, runners and walkers and love the outdoors. We are always looking for our next adventure. The Son Doong Cave, in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam, has been mentioned.”

Blemaster went on to say, “We ended our trip to Africa with a two-night three-day safari in the Tarangire National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We were blessed to see the big five, (Lion, leopard, elephant, cape buffalo and the black rhino) as well as zebras, giraffes, baboons, hyena's, monkeys, ostriches and pumba's.”

Congratulations to these four ladies on their amazing accomplishment, and thank you Susan for sharing with us.

Photos and video courtesy of Susan Blemaster.