It is a moment we shall never forget – standing there on the roof of Africa. I slowly turned through 360 degrees just to look over the whole African Continent.
John Kanarens

Store Manager Pauline O’Brien and Regional Manager John Kanarens summit Mount Kilimanjaro.  See a complete photo gallery here.

easyhome, Canada’s leading merchandise rent-to-own/leasing company, completed another successful “Backpack Challenge”, raising enough money to purchase 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for needy children in Canada.



The company’s top two 2006 fundraisers, Store Manager Pauline O’Brien and Regional Manager John Kanarens, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in support of the backpack fundraiser. On July 18th, John and Pauline reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and easyhome reached its goal of $52,000 raised.



John Kanarens said in his daily climb diary, “As you hike your way to Kibo, the snow capped summit forever in your view, you are reminded how small and insignificant you really are, but when you reach the top the feeling of personal pride and accomplishment is magnificent, something truly unforgettable.” See John’s climb diary below.



Daily climb diary of easyhome Regional Manager John Kanarens as he and Store Manager Pauline O’Brien climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.



Thursday July 12, 2007

DAY 1 • 3-hour hike

After a scrumptious breakfast, we set off shortly after 8:00 am in a 4x4 Land Cruiser traveling first on paved road, then red dirt roads. We started our 3-hour trek at 2:00pm through rainforest, and climbed from 7,500 to 9,100 ft. We saw many birds and colobus monkeys.

We were greeted at our first camp with a hot cup of tea, and then enjoyed a 3-course meal. The temperature dropped very quickly after the sun went down, to around 5_C. We went prepared for an assault by mosquitoes, but hardly saw any.



Friday July 13, 2007

DAY 2 • 8-hour hike

We were up with the sun (7:00 am.) and it was quite cold, 0_C. The climb began steeply, the trail was long and narrow and at times our breathing was affected. The pace was very slow to allow our bodies to make the necessary changes. Our guides Josh and Abdi were very attentive.

The change from rainforest to alpine vegetation came quite abruptly. The flora was quite varied and included giant heather 6 – 8 feet tall, Everlasting (like a dried paper flower), and "Impatiens Kilimanjaro".

We climbed to around 12,000 ft., then descended into the Shira Plateau to "Shira Camp 1" at about 11,300 ft. This was a very grueling day and I (John) suffered my first headache. Overnight temperature dropped to -10_C, and our water bottles froze inside our tents. I heard some kind of animal scratching outside my tent, but have no idea what it was.



Saturday July 14, 2007

DAY 3 • 3-hour hike

Today was our shortest hiking day, because it is a critical acclimatization day. The rise in elevation was from 11,300 ft to just under 12,600 ft. When we arrived at "Shira Camp 2", there was a delicious lunch waiting for us, and the balance of the day was an "active rest day", spent exploring the surroundings and giving our bodies a deserved rest and allowing for altitude changes. This camp is above the clouds and presents some magnificent views. We are now feeling the effects of altitude; everything we do requires slow motion and a few recovery breaths.



Sunday July 15, 2007

DAY 4 • 8-hour hike

A howling wind blew all night. The air is very dry, and with the incessant wind the volcanic dust gets everywhere. You are constantly clearing your nose and it takes several breaths to recover. Today we hiked to the Barranco Valley and we both suffered symptoms of Altitude Mountain Sickness. This took us almost 8 hours, and once again we hiked to a higher elevation, 14,900 ft. before coming down to 13,700 ft. to sleep.



I had a tough day and my head was pounding before we reached the high point. Pauline also suffered a severe headache along with continuous nose bleeds and a feeling of nausea. The camp is surrounded by giant Senecia trees, rather strange looking plants with a green top and dead leaves all around the trunk to provide protection, they can reach a height of 20 – 30 ft. This camp is way above the clouds and right below the towering summit of Kibo. We are both appreciating the term "Pole, Pole", meaning "slowly, slowly". Everything we do is in slow motion. Just rising from a sitting position can take 10-15 seconds or you get light-headed.



Monday July 16, 2007

DAY 5 • 5-hour hike

Slept very well last night, no headaches or other altitude issues. Today we leave the Barranco valley and head to the Karanga Valley. Half an hour after setting out we hit the Barranco Wall, a sheer cliff that rises some 800 ft. The trail zig-zags up the face and climbers are required to use both hands and feet. There is quite a drop on your right side, but the guides are there to help you with every step. We really enjoyed this section, it was most exhilarating and the views were spectacular, looking out over the tops of the clouds and when you crest the top you’re looking straight at the summit. It was truly a stunning experience. We are both anxious to stand on top of the African continent. We headed over a couple more ridges, topping out at about 14,500 ft before descending to Karanga Valley at 13,600 ft.



We both experienced some minor headaches and the nose bleeds continue. It has now been 5 days without a shower! We get a small bowl of hot water in the morning to wash our face and hands and that’s it! The fine talc-like dust coats everything you wear and touch.



Tuesday July 17, 2007

DAY 6 • 14-hour hike

Today we head to the high camp, Barafu at 15,400 ft. This is a 3-hour hike and we are to rest until midnight, then we start our final assault on the summit. Our guides Josh and Abdi, agree that we were in good shape both physically and mentally (go figure), and if we reach Barafu in good time we should continue on to the summit immediately. We made high camp in 3 hours, so we re-packed for the cold and set off for the summit at 11:00 am. This last section of the mountain is very steep and progress is slow. On previous days we hiked up then down, but today is all up – 4,000 vertical feet. As we go higher, our bodies start to rebel. First the headaches start, then the feeling of nausea. This is the section where most climbers fail. The success rate is only 50%.



As we continue higher the pace gets slower. Breathing gets harder and harder and you are constantly reminded of the dangers of high altitude each time you catch a glimpse of the porter carrying the emergency oxygen bottles and Gamov bag. I have never struggled so hard to breathe. The porters sing to help keep your spirits up, but there is no way you can join in as you struggle for that next lungful of air. They keep reminding you that Steller Point on the crater rim is not far off.



The last 1,000 ft. is scree and loose rock. It is incredibly hard to walk on and it was at this point that we thought: "What the hell are we doing here?". We were both exhausted and Pauline was hanging onto Abdi’s pack, being dragged up the last few hundred feet. It was 4:00 pm. and we have been on the move since 7:00 am. It was getting colder as the sun dropped, but we trudged on one step at a time. We noticed evidence of other poor struggling souls who had vomited all over the trail, and we wondered if we would succumb to the same fate. Steller Point was now in view and our spirits lifted, and as we crested the top we all celebrated this milestone.



It is now a 45-minute hike to Uhuru Peak. We have to climb over the ice of the Rebmann Glacier. This was extremely hard, our legs were weary and Godfrey (one of the porters) took my arm. I was very grateful for the assistance. As we reached the top of this icy slope our goal was in sight. I could feel the adrenalin kick in, and at this point I knew I would make it. Pauline was not far behind me and when she reached Uhuru Peak we embraced, tears of joy welled up in our eyes. It is a moment we shall never forget – standing there on the roof of Africa. I slowly turned through 360 degrees just to look over the whole African Continent. It was exhilarating.

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