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And they’re off! Follow along as David and Joanne Genyk of Alberta, Canada attempt to summit Kilimanjaro—Africa’s highest peak. They are having a great time so far and we look forward to their updates.
Read Joanne and David’s daily dispatches at: http://www.bergadventures.com/v3_cyber/2011/2011-02-13-kili-lemosho/main.php
By Tracy Jacobson
The moment you step foot on the base of Kilimanjaro, at the gates, you will be welcomed by your support team who will be there with you every step of the way until the end of your climb. These guys will amaze you with their work ethic, energy, and endless smiles.
Every morning after breakfast, you will grab your daypack and leave your camp. You glance back and see the camp filled with all of the group supplies: tents, tables, chairs, food, duffle bags, and toilets you used the night before. You hike ahead with your group and guide, move towards the next destination. Before you know it, porters are passing you, “Mambo vipi?!”, “Jambo!” they say with a smile; one carrying your duffle bag, one with chairs and one with food—the porters march ahead of your climbing team.
Hours later you arrive at your next camp; exhausted, ready to eat and rest. To your amazement, this next camp is set up. You are welcomed with song as your support team gather to sing you all into camp. Your duffle bags are by your tent; the cooking tent radiates smells of the delicious hot meals.
Each day as you move higher and closer to the roof of Africa, the air gets thinner. You feel the toll of multiple hiking days but are able to keep moving forward because your basic needs are met, above and beyond all expectations.
The porters and staff who make this all happen do not always receive the treatment and pay they deserve.
Unfortunately, there are many situations happen on the mountain. Even to this day companies try to make more money by cutting costs, and the ones who directly suffer are the porters. Porters typically do not have contracts with companies, they are either hired days before, or literally at the gates. The money they make on each trip, even if only a couple of trips a year, could pay to feed their families. Not the case for a lot of porters: low wages, or if any kind of payment/tipping (they may never see if the guide decides to pocked it), carrying loads too heavy (more than 20kgs), and/or they do not get the same quality food or decent sleeping accommodations while on the mountain.
There has been an organization set up (the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project) to ensure that the porters working for companies running expeditions on Kilimanjaro adhere to the fair treatment and pay the applicable amount to the porters they hire.
Berg Adventures was recognized by the Porters Assistance Project and IMEC (The International Mountain Explorers Connection), and was listed on the “Partnership for Responsible Travel Program” for our standard of operations and fair treatment of our porters.
Berg Adventures considers the hard working porters a big and very important part of the team. We believe very strongly in fair treatment and respect for porters and have had the opportunity to hire our core group for multiple trips.
When picking a company to climb with, you are hiring the entire operation. It is recommended you do your homework, and ask questions; don’t assume the company will take care of their porters.
Find out more information on Berg Adventures Kilimanjaro Trips.
For more information on the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project: please go to http://www.kiliporters.org/
You may recognize Julia Kochuk from the ‘Meet the BAI Climber’ in our website. In March 2009, she joined Berg Adventures on the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Expedition for a climb to the top of Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, to raise awareness and money for the organization. While she loved the climb and the safari, it was the people she met there who have stuck with her and continue to inspire her today, nearly two years after her experience.
Now a writing student at the University of Victoria, Julia has used her creative talents to write a short story directly inspired by her Tanzanian experiences. But, Julia didn’t stop after writing the story. She has now published her award-winning story “Amani” as a book complete with photos from her trip and with illustrations by her friend and artist, Jen Bonter. Proceeds from this beautiful book will go to the Linde School outside of Arusha, Tanzania.
This May, Julia and her friends will be taking the proceeds raised from the book sales, directly to the Linde School. They will spend approximately four weeks distributing the money and volunteering at the school teaching English and hanging out with the children during recess.
Read more about Julia’s Kilimanjaro Climb in 2009.
More details about the book “Amani”.
To order “Amani” or to donate: http://web.me.com/julia_rose/linde_store/__uniLINDE_store_..html
We still have room on our February 2011 trip to the roof top of Africa—Kilimanjaro– via the Lemosho Traverse. This route is the ultimate way to experience Kilimanjaro as it slowly traverses across the mountain’s diverse ecosystems and takes you to its rarely visited places. You will hike through an old growth forest, along a remote plateau, below the northern ice fields, inside the crater and finally, up to the summit. This unique route includes an awesome night camping in the crater at 18,700ft/5700m. For more information on this and other Kilimanjaro trips click here.
To make your trip an even greater adventure, add a safari to your itinerary. We have 3 day, 6 day and custom safari options available. Click here for details.
Dates for the Lemosho Route: (Some dates are flexible, contact our office for details.)
Please refer to the Kilimanjaro Dates & Prices page for more information.
John and Kate Gellert have successfully returned from the summit of Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest point. Not wind, nor snow, not low visibility, nor cold temperatures could stop this team from reaching their Antarctic goal. After bad weather kept them in their tents at Vinson high camp (12,400ft/3,700m) for 5 days and 6 nights, the Gellerts finally departed for the highest point on the Antarctic continent. On December 8, at 8:06pm local time, the team triumphantly stood atop the summit of Mount Vinson at 16,067ft/4,897m.
Congratulations to John and Kate! Their patience, positivity, and good senses of humor made the trip one to remember. The Berg Adventures crew would like to give a big thanks to John, Kate, assistant guide Pachi, all the friends they made at high camp, the ALE staff, and everyone else who helped them make this trip a success.
Cozy in the tent
On the summit
Read more about the Gellerts’ adventure and past Vinson expeditions in our dispatches.
Find more information about our Mount Vinson expedition here.
Join Berg Adventures for a week long adventure in Ecuador! Experience the bustling city of Quito, the quiet countryside of Otavalo, and finally, the lush rainforest of Yasuni National Park. Sit back and relax as we take you to some of our favorite places around the Andean highlands and then transport you to a beautiful eco-lodge in the heart of the lush rainforest. Here are a few of the highlights from this exciting journey:
This trip is a perfect add-on for any one of our South American trips, and it is also great on its own. People of all ages and all levels of fitness are welcome to join us. Contact our office or visit our website for more information.
Check out Wally and Leila’s trip to the Amazon in 2008.
Expedition Date: November 26-December 11, 2010
With multiple Seven Summit expeditions under their belts, our brother and sister team, John and Kate Gellert, now head far south for the trip of a lifetime as they make their attempt the summit of Antarctica’s Mt. Vinson. The unspeakable grandness and sublime space of Antarctica is unmatched and will offer these explorers a brief glimpse at the pure, empty soul of our planet.
With Wally Berg as their guide, John and Kate will be faced with extreme isolation, bone-chilling cold, and punishing winds as they journey towards their goal—the summit of Mt. Vinson. This is the big one, and promises to challenge the limits of each climber’s endurance and ability.
Follow the drama of this adventure through daily dispatches, coming soon.
From Wally Berg’s dispatch via satellite during our January 2010 trip:
“It is 3:00am and we’re getting ready to begin our climb. The entire Berg Adventures climbing team is setting off to attempt to reach the summit of Aconcagua.”
At 22,841 feet above sea level, Aconcagua is the highest peak in the world, outside of Asia.
“It is now 2:00pm and I’m calling from the summit of Aconcagua! I’m standing here on the summit with Alain, Isabelle, Hugo, Alex, David, Nelson and Osvaldo. We are very emotional and very happy to be here together.”
Join our team this January as we attempt to climb one of the “Seven Summits”. Aconcagua is not only very high but also massive and its profile dominates everything in the region. While enjoying the rich culture of Argentina, our climbers will prepare for one of the most beautiful and rewarding expedition climbs in the world.
ACONCAGUA JANUARY 08-28, 2011 — Spots still available.
Read more about our Aconcagua trip and view our previous Aconcagua expedition dispatches.
Are you thinking about taking a week or two off this season? Why not join us for a once-in-a-lifetime Photography Expedition, and a condensed version of our 2010 Patagonia trip. Wally Berg, mountain guide and professional photographer, will guide you through some of the most beautiful, yet accessible, landscapes in Argentina and Chile. The opportunity for photography abounds.
In addition to the Patagonia itinerary, we also offer an additional 4-day trip to experience the historical beauty of Cape Horn.
Contact Kristy at kristy@bergadventures.com for more details and optional itineraries.
Wally capturing images of the glacier at Lago Grey
Unrivaled landscapes in Patagonia
A quick trip down to Australia has put Wally Berg and Leila Silveira on the top of Mt. Kosciusko, They made the summit on September 7th and again on touring skis on September 8th. A few days of white-out conditions and sketchy snowpack were no match for these swashbucklers of the Seven Summits.
Fifteen years after climbing the Carstenz Pyramid in New Guinea (controversially considered by many to be one of the world’s Seven Summits), and ten years after completing that version of the Seven Summits by climbing Aconcagua in South America, Wally finally stood on the highest summit on continental Australia. “I finally climbed the Seven Summits,” says Wally, with an ironic grin. He adds, “Geography was my favourite subject in school…New Guinea is an island, but Australia is the true continent.”
Wally and Leila on their first day’s summit.
The Bergs on their second blue sky summit
Wally on top of Kosciuszko, marking his fourth completion of the Seven Summits
