After 7 long days filled with hours of climbing, increasing air pressure, and colder climates, President and Owner of EthoSource, John Gallen, and his son, Nat Gallen, reached the highest point in Africa, on the world famous, Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The climb has been a goal of Nat’s, ever since the 15 year old was in elementary school. Shortly after birth, Nat was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, but has always been very active in sports, participating on his high school’s swim, lacrosse and State Champion golf team. Nat has raised money for the CF Foundation through various events, and now, he chose to make his long-term goal to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro into a way to raise awareness for CF.
On July 27th, John and Nat took flight to Tanzania, Africa a couple days before their big climb. Their visit started with a walk to a small village to visit an orphanage filled with children whose parents passed away from AIDS. John told us that the kids immediately took a liking to Nat and were very friendly with all the visitors. That night, Nat also gave all the climbers CFF Breath bracelets to share with the rest of their team the cause behind their climb.
After a good night’s sleep, the team got all packed up for their ascent up the mountain; packing their personal gear into two categories. The mountain duffels are filled with items that the climbers don’t need until camp, and so will be carried by the team of porters. The daypacks include items necessary throughout the day and will be carried by each climber on their backs as they make their trek from 5,900 feet to 19, 340.
Once passing through the entrance of the Kilimanjaro National Park, the team got registered and began climbing from the Cultivation Zone to the Forest Zone where sights went from bananas and coffee plants to the occasional Colobus monkey screeching their love songs to one another. The team took camp at 9,800 feet, where they enjoyed some popcorn and tea in their dining tent.
The following day brought on a rockier, steeper terrain, which really tested the climbers’ ability to stay steady and keep moving forward. But as they continued, the surrounding area in Moorland had various unique grasses and beautiful wild flowers to enjoy. The final resting spot for the day at Shira Camp came at 12,200 feet.
Although heavy mist prevented climbers from seeing distant views from the Shira Plateau on day 2, the next morning’s sun made it possible to see the mountain. Climbing up to the high point of the day of 14,900, the team first tackled the dry and rocky terrain of the Highland Desert Zone where the scenery included large volcanic boulders. After a break to gather their bearings from a long ascent that day, they then made their way down to camp in the Barranco Valley at 12,800 and joined one another in the dining tent for the evening. John relayed back to us the strategy of climbing high and sleeping low which is important at such high altitudes and atmospheres.
Day 4 was reported as their best day of climbing since the start. In the sunny morning, they made their way to 14,500 feet, which is as high as Mt Whitney, the highest summit in the US. The team saw the Barranco Wall and got to the fourth camp at 14,000 feet early and enjoyed a big lunch and some rest. John updated us with some new climbing techniques they learned along the way. One being pressure breathing, which helps create negative pressure in the lungs helping to oxidize the blood better. It’s hard to imagine that in addition to the such thin air, the steep terrains and constant inclination is extremely tough on the legs. To help with this, John mentioned the technique of rest step, which places weight on your bones instead of your muscles, in addition to the duck step, which eases strain on the calves on the steepest parts of the mountain.
The following day, the climbers used their techniques to get them to 15,200 feet for high camp on Day 5, just one day before they hoped to summit!
Spirits were high after another day of climbing, and at midnight the team started their final ascent to the summit! We received an update from John just below Stella point; not far from the top.
10 hours later, everyone in the EthoSource office received the email we had all been waiting for. They had finally made it to the top, and Nat had fulfilled his long-term goal. He had climbed 19,340 feet to the highest point in Africa, as the youngest member of the team, raising awareness for a great cause, and after it all, his first question was, “What’s next?”
After a long week and amazing climb, John, Nat, and the rest of the team spent 4 days on a Safari through 3 different parks, experiencing up close some of Africa’s coolest wildlife.
Everyone at EthoSource is happy to hear about John and Nat’s safe return and cannot wait for more stories from the trip!
Congrats John and Nat!!!