After several days and climbing 5 895 metres, Panorama resident Jayden Peiser (14) and his mother, Anile, finally summitted Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Their trip was postponed at one stage due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Jayden and a group of hikers were able to set off earlier this month to complete the trek and in doing so raise R36 300 for charity. The chosen charity was the SPCA.
Jayden successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro on Friday 8 July, shortly after sunrise – fulfilling his enduring ambition, his mother says.
Highest mountain in Africa
“Days on the mountain can be tough, but it is quite the contrary to what will remain embedded in our memories. Almost every kind of ecosystem is found on the mountain: cultivated land, rain forest, heather-moorland, alpine desert and an arctic summit.
“The local Tanzanian guides and porters are very special people and they do an amazing job at looking after the climbers.
“Another highlight of our adventure was spending time with and getting to know our team of like-minded Adventure Dynamics International expedition climbers, experiencing how liberating it can be to spend time closer to nature, removed from the business of your normal daily routine and sharing taxing, but also often humorous moments together,” Anile says.
A total of 12 people joined the expedition.
“On the night before the final summit, we had dinner at 17:00, followed by an early bedtime in order to get some much-needed sleep before the long-awaited summit attempt arrived. Our guides woke us up at midnight and shortly before 01:00 we were ready, geared up and wearing layer upon layer of technical clothing to combat freezing temperatures of -8 °C for our final ascent to reach the summit.
“Everyone responds differently to high altitude, with one’s body needing to cope with lower oxygen levels. On the whole, both Jayden and I had a great climb, but during the final hours to summit, Jayden experienced the typical symptoms of altitude sickness and had to dig deep to focus on the goal in mind.
“Kilimanjaro has a way of making you very aware of your frailty but also shows you that within you lies the capacity and strength to overcome much adversity.
“Jayden mentioned that he kept reminding himself during the most difficult stretch of the journey of why and just how much he wanted to stand on the top of Kili,” Anile says.
She adds that for them it was indeed the toughest thing they have done, but worth it.
They were overwhelmed by the warmth and encouragement of so many people. She also thanked everyone who had donated directly to the SPCA.
The Peiser family are planning on doing the Otter Trail next year and will forever remain open to opportunities to help animals in need, she says.
