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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-12-21, Page 58Crossroads 58 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 Exeter Times -Advocate Local men reach Mount Kilimanjaro's summit By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF TANZANIA — It's a long way to the highest point in Africa, but two Grand Bend men can say they've been there. Doctors Bruce Hough and the recently -retired Jim Jean, along with Jean's son Adam (of London, a graduate of South Huron District High School) left Canada Sept. 7 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. After five days of hiking, they made it to Africa's highest point, the Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres (19,340 feet). Joining them were Jean's sister and her husband of Deep River, along with their son and six other Canadians working in South Africa. Jean has been interest- ed in Kilimanjaro for some time, clipping out articles on the mountain for the last couple of years. "I felt it was an adven- ture I'd like to try," he says, adding he approached his son and Hough, both of whom were interested. The three started talk- ing seriously last spring about making the trek to Africa. Hough, who practices at Exeter's Huron Dental Centre, says he was interested to see how the HURU P AK RIGA,, HIGHEST POINT aha AF EST FREE �GRLG.S HIGHEST RLG`5 L RGEST POLI NELCOME Grand Bend's Jim Jean, right, and his son Adam of London pose for a photo at Africa's highest point, the Uhuru Peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.The two made the trek up the mountain along with Grand Bend's Bruce Hough in September. (photos/submitted) body would react to the altitude and oxygen changes that would take place during the climb. None of them had mountain climbing expe- rience, Jean admits, but climbing Kilimanjaro doesn't involve technical climbing; Hough and Jean describe it as trekking through hills and valleys. "There were about three spots where if you had trouble with heights, you'd be in trouble," Jean says. He and Hough, who stay in shape, would prepare for the Kilimanjaro climb by going for long walks or weighing down their backpacks and walking up and down Boler Mountain in London. Of the 12 in their group, 10 made it to the top of Kilimanjaro, a Grand Bend residents Bruce Hough, centre, and Jim Jean, right, say the temperature at Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro was colder than they expected.At the top,Africa's highest point, the temperature reached -25 C with, according to Jean,"a wind-chill that seems to bite right through you." At left is Jean's son Adam of London, a South Huron District High School graduate. better than average ratio. The two who did- n't make it were suffer- ing from a lack of oxy- gen. And despite the sometimes rough terrain and tough conditions, there was only one sprained ankle among the group and no serious illnesses. Hough said altitude sickness has been described as "the worst hangover ever," but nei- ther he nor Jean suf- fered from it. Any climbers who have diffi- culty with the altitude and lack of oxygen are taken quickly down the mountain by guides. Accompanied by guides and porters, Hough says the first part of the trip up Kilimanjaro was well trailed and saw condi- tions similar to a rain forest. The higher they got, the colder it got, until it reached -25 C at the peak, not including the nasty wind-chill. Hough says he was uncomfort- able with the winter camping, which saw him sleeping in three pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, and a few shirts. A lack of water near the top became a con- cern, as water started to freeze solid. Other hard- ships were a lack of toi- let facilities, Jean says. The group walked six to seven hours a day, although the final push to the top saw them sleep for a couple of hours in the evening, wake up at 11 p.m. and then walk for about 17 hours to the top. Technically a dormant volcano, Hough says Kilimanjaro is mostly volcanic ash, making dust and dirt a major problem for climbers, who routinely wear bal- aclavas around their faces to keep the dust out of their mouths. At the end of the day, hikers were usually too tired to do anything but sleep. "You were tired, you were cold and you were just happy to crawl in your sleeping bag," Hough says. There were some tough moments along the way for Hough and Jean. One night, Jean couldn't catch his breath and started to worry "about where the next breath would come from." But he was so tired he fell asleep and was fine when he woke up in the morning. Hough says he had a moment when he didn't think he could go any farther — about two hours from the peak, he thought he was done, but after a rest and some tea, he was able to continue. "At certain points, you're just going on instincts and adrenalin," Jean says. Hough says the entire group was drained by the time they reached Kilimanjaro's peak. "We were in a reason- ably grumpy mood," he laughs. Once they reached the summit, the group stayed for about half an hour for pictures and began their descent. The trip isn't even that expensive ($720 US per person for the hike). The biggest cost was the flight to Tanzania. Jean and Hough were impressed with the food, which was fresh and nutritious. Jean also gave credit to the Tanzanians for their resourcefulness, ecologi- cal awareness and mak- ing sure nothing goes to waste. He said there are no signs of garbage at any point along Kilimanj aro. Both Jean and Hough are happy they made the trek up Kilimanjaro, but it's not an ordeal they want to repeat. "You get a great sense of accomplishment," Jean says, adding he recommends it to any- one who's in reasonably good shape. Hough adds it probably took he and Jean a week to recover and feel completely back to normal.