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Amputee, Lance reaches the summit of Kilimanjaro with Action Challenge..
Not many people celebrate reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro by doing the splits, but Lance Smith did exactly that after trekking the Lemosho Route with Action Challenge. Lance was climbing in memory of his brother in law, Rob, who sadly passed away earlier in the year. Lance says “He was everything to me and I was extremely close to him. He died at 60 but was diagnosed with dementia at 48”.
What makes Lance’s climb even more remarkable is he is an amputee, and completed the climb with a prosthetic leg. In 2004, Lance was involved in an accident with a 10-ton digger on a building site where he was working. It was a tough time, and he nearly died.
In 2006 and 2008, Lance’s sons were born, something he says “literally saved my life as all the negative focus turned to positive”. He says he climbed Kili for his sons “to teach them not to be afraid, and they can do anything they want in life – to grab it!”
How did he find climbing Kilimanjaro? “I fell many, many times on Kili, and got battered and bruised... Even taking the skin off the bottom of my stump. I didn't think I could make certain climbs but I did it. I dug deep and did it, with help from Action Challenge’s Mountain Leader, Oliver, plus the medic and team of guides and porters.... I will never forget all of them.”
Mountain weather can be unpredictable, and Lance gets extra bragging rights as they faced some interesting conditions: “We were hit with some of the worst weather you could have on the mountain.... Rain and freezing conditions. Wet clothes!”
Has this put Lance off doing more challenges? Nope! “I'm still buzzing. I am going to raise more money for more charities... And do many more challenges. I'm even considering rowing the Atlantic in 2 or 3 yrs from now with a partner.”
If you feel inspired by Lance’s story, why take a look at our dates for 2020 and 2021 and start you own adventure.
Congratulations to our 'Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro' team!
It all started with a Tweet...
“Any other cabbies out there fancy losing weight with me and then climb Mount Kilimanjaro?”
That one Tweet took a team of 3 "Fat Cabbies", all London Taxi Drivers, from behind the wheels of their cabs, on a dream journey to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with Action Challenge. That dream became reality, when they stood at Uhuru Peak, the summit of Africa's highest mountain.
This was the end result of a long journey, that saw the Cabbies commit to a training plan to get them in shape to take on the challenge. They visited the Action Challenge office to hear all about the trek and what they would need to prepare for, then the training began! From an Action Challenge training weekend climbing Mount Snowdon at night with our mountain leaders, to taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks - they pushed themselves to lose weight and get fit!
If that wasn't enough, they have also raised (at time of writing) over £15,000 for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans!
All those months of training and preparation culminated in the tough climb from Kosovo Camp to Uhuru Peak, in the dead of night. The summit climb starts at midnight, and follows a steep slope to the rim of the crater. This is the toughest part of the challenge, with our mountain leaders and local crew taking care of the team every step of the way.
After 6 hours, the team of Cabbies reached Stella Point, in time to watch the sunrise!
From Stella Point, they needed to make one final push to reach the summit. It was cold, they were tired, but nothing was going to stop them. In the words of Daren, one of the Cabbies:
"That last 45 min climb is the hardest thing I have ever done, but my mind and determination just took over. Then we saw the famous Uhuru Sign we had been dreaming about and we touched the sign. I broke down in tears and blubbed like a baby. All the emotions flooding out of me, the thought of my grandkids and the picture they had drawn me, my wife and all the good wishes, encouragement and faith that people had put in me. WE HAD DONE IT! A year ago I would have struggled up Shooters Hill and now I was standing on TOP OF WORLD. Looking down I could see the curvature of the Earth, clouds, glaciers... the sun was shining and it was a surreal moment I will never forget."
We think this is an incredible story! You should never say never. Kilimanjaro is a tough challenge, but one that anyone can do with the right mindset. You just put one foot in front of the other until you reach the top.
Credit to the Cabbies - Brian, Daren & John, and special thanks to Tim King for his excellent photographs and videos (see more of Tim's work over on Facebook and Instagram).
Find out more about the Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro guys and their stories here: https://www.cabbiesdokilimanjaro.com
A Windy Summit..
Looked like a tough summit for our Lemosho group this week with these incredible winds, but a successful one! We'll done team!! With some stunning views along the way to give them that final push! This is at 5,400m!
More fantastic feedback
"Without doubt one of the best experiences of your life and Action Challenge will help make it a success." - One very happy challenger.
Through the rainforest & rocky paths, the hot weather & the cold - we're here to help you reach the summit. Just take a look at our team who have just returned from their adventure of a lifetime!
Do you have any New Years plans yet?
"Action Challenge delivered the best expedition experience of my life. Everything was taken care of and the team had nothing but your best interests at the top of their list. Excellent in all aspects. Would definitely use Action Challenge for future expeditions."
"The most life changing experience week. I have learnt more about myself climbing Kilimanjaro than through anything else. The action challenge team we’re great, I could not have asked for anything more. Thank you"
Just a couple of the wonderful comments from our NYE Kilimanjaro Group, with a few of them having signed up to another challenge already! How are you planning to spend next New Year? Spaces are already filling up to join us for spectacular celebrations from the summit of Kilimanjaro on New Year’s Day. Why don’t you join us?
Watch our Kilimanjaro video...
