If you have actually ever satisfied someone who’s climbed Africa’s greatest top, they have actually possibly told you two points: That it’s one of the most beautiful put on planet. And also that it’s truly, really cold at the summit.

A year ago, Canadian charity WaterCan approached me to lead an expedition of 21 volunteers from throughout the nation to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in party of their 25th anniversary. As well as indeed, I can currently say that I too have dominated 19,341 feet of journey, fatigue, plunging temperature levels, and also ultimately– pride.

Aside from a recently expanded (however, short-term!) hill man beard as well as a newly found tolerance for severe wintertime climate, below are the 10 things I’ve removed from my trip up Mount Kilimanjaro:

10. A terrific experience is constantly much better when shown terrific company! Entering into this challenge, we were 22 unfamiliar people moved sufficient by the work WaterCan has actually corrected the years to do something about it. Today, we can say we’ve checked each various other through the craziest of journeys– and we did it with a big smile … also with babbling teeth.

9. Always remember your fleece underpants. Currently, I’m not stating I did– but don’t. You obtain some odd recommendations when taking a trip, and in some cases, it’s far better not to ask inquiries. Right here, I’ll let you in on one more one: You don’t need as lots of pairs of underclothing as you think you’ll require! And indeed … I forgot my fleece underpants.

8. If you’re a guy, leave your razor at home. This is the only time in your life when you could go Grizzly Adams on the world and no person’s visiting care.

7. It’s ALRIGHT to ask for directions. There, I claimed it. And with that, I need to thank the incredible exploration leaders at Thomson Safaris for helping us reach the top– as well as return down safely.

6. Never ever forget to value just how great we have actually got it. When we landed in Tanzania, we reached check firsthand the impact of WaterCan’s exceptional job. Seven hundred as well as eighty million people lack tidy drinking water. It’s such an easy, important thing of life that the majority of us Canadians have never ever needed to go without. Seeing the way WaterCan’s clean water efforts as well as sanitation education and learning has improved the lives of so many people has revealed me that we must never take our good luck for granted.

5. On that note, clean your hands. On Global Hand Laundering Day, we got to socialize with an incredible group of kids at Engusero Elementary school in rural Tanzania where we discovered that proper hand cleaning not just deals with crowds of bacteria and microorganisms– yet also goes a lengthy method to avoiding the fatalities of 1.5 million children under the age of five each year.

4. It’s going to be cold! It births repeating! Don’t ever before allow a chilly day maintain you from obtaining outdoors. It’s feasible to have the experience of your life, even when the environment is harsh.

3. Slow down. They have a claiming in Tanzania, “pole pole,” which indicates “slowly, gradually”. The only method to make it to the top is slowly. Residing in a city like Toronto, I spend my days rushing from one area to another and also climbing Kilimanjaro has actually certainly shown me to slow it down, relax and also breathe.

2. Tell your family and friends you like them every opportunity you get. Not being able to hug my wife as well as kids regular was most definitely among my biggest challenges.

And, finally, the number one point I learned from climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro is …

1. One small action could make a massive difference. As well as I’m not simply discussing climbing up the mountain! I’m speaking about all the impressive Canadians who donated to WaterCan’s Kilimanjaro Climb for Life campaign over the previous year. We not just reached our $250,000 objective– we exceeded it! And thanks to this fantastic kindness, WaterCan can proceed to bring its life-altering goal to those in need.