| Going on a nine-day expedition to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro is not what most people would envision as the perfect way to celebrate their 50th birthdays. But Robin Catron, who will be taking a trip up the world’s tallest volcano with her husband Steve in September, could not imagine a better celebration. She and Steve have been planning the expedition for the last two years.
The Catrons, who own an outfitting company that serves Southwest Florida, have been outdoors people for most of their lives. Their passion is adventure; anniversaries and birthdays are two of their favorite excuses for heading out on yet another exotic trip.
“We’ve always had an open mind for exploring,” said Robin.
For his part, Steve celebrated his 50th birthday a few years ago by leaping out of a plane and skydiving back to earth with his wife. The pair have lived in Saudi Arabia and safaried in Kenya. They have hiked over 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail and backpacked across Europe on a month-long journey. Last year the couple celebrated their 30th anniversary by rafting the Colorado River as it runs through the Grand Canyon. But this latest trip is going to have many challenges.
“I think this is going to the most difficult one we’ve done,” said Robin.
The great elevation and change in climates over the course of the climb will make physical adjustment very difficult for the couple.
For Steve there are a few other challenges as well. He is very much a Floridian and a fan of the heat. He said that the cold to which he will be exposed as they near the summit will tax him both physically and mentally.
“I hate the cold,” he admitted.
They will have some assistance as their whole journey up the face of one of the largest mountains in the world will be guided and planned by Thomson Safaris.
Although Robin is more of a gym rat, Steve has always looked for an opportunity to stay outside. His love affair with the outdoors began in his childhood.
“When we were kids, we got in trouble because we did not want to come in at dark,” said Steve.
He said he is disappointed with the current culture which seems to encourage children to remain inside their homes.
“Today they have their video games and computers.” Kids simply need to go outside more often, according to Steve.
The same goes for people their own age. Robin and Steve said that they saw members of their family and others deteriorate quickly as they got older. They made a decision that neither one of them would have health problems as they aged if they could help it. But while Robin can hit the gym everyday, Steve simply cannot stand exercising or really doing anything indoors. To keep himself in shape, and to cardiovascularly train for the expedition to the top of Kilimanjaro, Steve bikes, swims and kayaks frequently.
Aside from their major trips, the two have gotten closer over the years as they have cross trained together. Robin has been a runner for most of her life and while that is not Steve’s favorite activity, he joined her. They ran their first marathon when they were in their 40s. Steve has been an avid biker for most of his life and Robin too up the sport, too, after they were married. Now both are heavily involved with distance biking and triathlons.
For a climb of this magnitude, a specific training regiment is more than simply suggested. To prepare for the final ascent to the summit, the couple is using a stair climbing routine. But neither Steve or Robin will be setting foot on a machine for their training. Instead they are using the staircase in the high-rise tower at Cape Harbour Marina. The temperatures they face in the building are a great contrast to the brutally cold conditions at the top of Kilimanjaro.
Some simulation is still possible though. To get ready for the expedition, Steve and Robin wear weighted packs as they walk up and down the staircase. In their first training session earlier this month they each strapped on 15-pound packs and climbed the tower four times. Their goal is to haul 20-25 pounds up the tower 15 times in one session. Though porters, the guides provided by the safari company, will carry the heavy loads up the mountain, every individual must carry his or her personal items for the duration of the trip.
|
While training, they also spend entire mornings walking through the sands of Fort Myers beach. Usually they walk from one side of the Matanzas Bridge to the other, then slog through the sand all the way to Diamondhead before turning around and making the same trip back. Steve said that the resistance from the sand will help them build additional strength in their leg muscles while also giving them a solid cardio workout.
But without the towers their local climbing simulation options would have been very limited.
“Cape Harbour has been so gracious to allow us to train there,” said Robin. Climbing those stairs is the best way to prepare for ascending the mountain according to former Children’s Hospital Administrator Mike Ellis. He made his way to the peak of Kilimanjaro in 2000, and he told Steve that it is vital to build his quadriceps for the summit run. He also insisted that the way in which the porters walk prevents the climbers from killing their calf muscles. But in the end, the journey is worth it.
“Conquering Kili is a life-changing experience and it puts you in a special club,” he said.
Steve met Ellis over the course of his training and walked away with key advice.
“I will always remember two things Mike told me: that he asked his guide to teach him to walk right and that while you’re going up to remember ‘Walk, walk, walk, breathe, breathe, breathe.’”
So what will they do for an encore? The couple is planning a long distance bike ride across the country for Steve’s 60th birthday. They plan on remaining active and emulating those that have inspired them.
Steve said that he is taken aback every time he is in a distance race, such as the Naples Half Marathon, and sees a man 30 years older than him running right with the rest of the pack. He plans on being that man someday, with his wife right alongside him. That is, if she’s not well ahead of him.
Fun Facts about Kilimanjaro
19,340 feet/5896 meters tall.
At the summit there is only half the amount of oxygen in the air as at sea level.
Kilimanjaro is one of the elusive Seven Summits (highest peak on each of the seven continents.)
Kili rises over 15,000 vertical feet above the surrounding savannah making it the highest freestanding mountain in the world.
The mountain is actually a dormant volcano.
Kilimanjaro is not part of any mountain range. It was formed between 500,000 and 750,000 years ago by three separate volcanoes.
From tropical rain forests at the base up to arctic tundra at the summit, every climate zone found on Earth is also found on Kilimanjaro.
Although located only 220 miles south of the equator, Kilimanjaro is home to a number of glaciers.
82 percent of the glaciers atop Kilimanjaro have disappeared since 1912.
Scientists predict that due to global warming, Kili's glaciers will vanish forever by 2020.
|
