Many of us in wheelchairs dream of being on the summit of a mountain. Part of the enjoyment of standing on a summit is the sense of achievement in the effort spent in getting there, which means cable cars and quad bikes just don’t quite ‘do it’.
Next month, I’ve been asked to give a talk at a charity fundraising dinner for the “Kilimanjaro Challenge.” Ten people with disabilities plan to climb Kilimanjaro, fundraising for charity.
“The Ben Nevis Challenge” is another imminent charity fundraising event that will be televised for the BBC - five wheelchair users will each have a team to lead to get them to the summit of Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain. They will wheel, or be lifted, carried and manhandled in whatever way needed to get to the top.
I, too, long to be on a summit but yearn to reach it under my own steam—or maybe I’m just a masochist. I’ve just begun using a One-Off handbike, have a bruised and chaffed chest bone from the effort, and a plan to also climb Ben Nevis. After one weekend on the bike, though, and a few kilometres on relatively flat forest paths, I’m wondering if it’s a crazy plan.
My inspiration for riding a One-Off came from Darol Kubacz, a man whose passion is to climb Kilimanjaro. This summer will see his second attempt on the mountain. His first effort had to be aborted when he suffered with altitude problems and was forced to descend.
Darol introduced me to the One-Off and took me out on the trails in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. After a great lesson on how to get in and out of the One-Off, we began a hot and gruelling climb on a technical, rocky trail. As my face reddened and chest exploded with the immense effort, it was clearly a walk in the park to Darol. I was impressed with what the bike could tackle, and the cacti added extra excitement to negotiating a safe puncture-free ride.
Darol is well into his training for a July 2008 attempt on Kili. He’s designed special balloon-like wheels that will tackle the scree, a ratchet system so he can crank higher without rolling back, and he has a team of skilled and willing supporters. The focus and effort he has to get to the summit is impressive.
Like anything in life, achievement only comes with effort, commitment, and determination. We have to break things down into achievable steps and remember that “If we haven’t failed, we haven’t tried hard enough.”
Whether Darol bags Kilimanjaro in 2008 is unknown, but he clearly has his mountain to climb, and I’m certain he will climb it. Meanwhile, I’ll try for Ben Nevis, and all the charity challenges will be going for their summits too. Why? Because it feels great to feel on top of the world, and that’s just one of the things a challenge and a mountain offer us.
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