The Power of a Request

The Power of a Request

12/21/12

 

We would like to take an opportunity to express our profound gratitude to Greg's aunt Mary Ann in Menomonee Falls, WI.  It was with great surprise that we recently learned of her efforts to collect school supplies from people at her local Curves and at St. Anthony's School in Menomonee Falls.  Mary Ann's collection efforts produced five boxes of school supplies for the benefit of Tanzanian children at their new education center.  Combined with other supply drives, we now have a total of ten boxes and are faced with the "good problem" of having to make arrangements to get all of the items over to Africa with us.

It is so amazing to have received such a great response from people that we don't even know, and we look forward to sharing their generosity with a community in such need.  Equally moving has been the experience of learning how powerful it can be to make a request of others.  The power of making a request has really been brought into perspective for us throughout the Kilimanjaro Challenge.

Time and again, we have looked for ways to get others involved and enrolled in our mission to make a difference for the people of Tanzania.  More often than not, there have been people in our lives at each turn who have contributed in ways we would not have expected.  Aunt Mary Ann's efforts are a prime example of this.  Early in our planning, Deb had sent a request to family members for help in gathering supplies for the education center.  We both sent messages out to family and friends and asked them to spread the word about our fundraising and enlist others in our efforts.  That message reached aunt Mary Ann, and she took it upon herself to set up two different supply drives in her local community.  As a result, people who have never met us, and who are unlikely to ever meet the people to whom they are contributing to, rose to the challenge and contributed. 

We can't help but think the strong response she garnered is a testament to the connection that Mary Ann has with members of those communities.   We thank her tremendously and thank the people in and around Menomonee Falls who contributed.  Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we will be certain to let the children we are visiting know that there are people on the other side of the world who wanted them to have the supplies they need to learn and grow.

 

Thank you Aunt Mary Ann.  

Ski Madison!

Ski Madison!

Madison, WI

12/22/23-12/25/12

11 days to Africa

 

 

Snow, and lots of it, transformed our hometown of Madison, Wisconsin into a winter wonderland just before the holiday season.  Deb and Greg decided to capitalize on the opportunity, and they brought along cross-country skis for their holiday trip to see friends and family.  The weather was perfect for skiing, and it gave us the opportunity to get some good endurance training while soaking in some sun rays in the process. 

 

We had the good fortune of skiing at three different locations in Madison.  The first day we went to Odana Hills Golf Course.  The terrain was relatively flat and the track was fairly busy, but after an hour and a half we had made it around the track a few times and got our feet readjusted to our ski boots after only using them sparingly over the past few years. 

 

 

The next day's travels brought us to Glenway Golf Course.  Glenway is just down the block from the house where Greg grew up and only a few blocks from Deb's childhood residence.  The beauty of Glenway was in its hilly terrain.  The challenge was that the course is not groomed by a mechanical trail groomer, and therefore we either followed in the tracks made by others or blazed a trail ourselves.  Although Glenway is a smaller course than Odana, its hills and cozy confines made it a more interesting skiing experience for both of us.  Highlights of  the day's training at Glenway was following the trail that Deb says was her common route during the heyday of her high school skiing days, and watching Greg collapse into the snow after a particularly steep decline where a bump in the road shook his balance. 

 

 

After missing a day of training on skis, Deb and Greg made their way to Elver Park on Madison's far west side for what would turn out to be our longest and most entertaining day of cross-country skiing.  We spent nearly two and a half hours on skis, and we covered much more terrain that we had on either of the previous training sessions.  Elver had a nice compliment of trails.  There were hills that required work to go up and balance to go down.  There was variety in terms of the scenery and degree of difficulty for the trails.  Greg fell with greater frequency at Elver than anywhere else, even on level ground, but his spirit was undaunted.  Deb had an impressive face first slide into the snow as she made a rapid descent from atop one of the larger hills.

 

 

All of these skiing locations are home to fond memories for Deb, who recalled skiing at them with friends during high school and with her family as well.  The experience of skiing three out of four days while in town for the holidays left us both feeling hopeful that there will be snow available for skiing when we return from Africa.  We hope that some of our friends in the area will be willing to join us.

Snowshoeing...It'll take your breath away!

Snowshoeing... It'll take your breath away!

Breckenridge Nordic Center

Robin's Nest Trail

Breckenridge, CO

12/9/12

5 miles, 5 hours

27 Days to Africa

 

 

A good night's rest and a frustrating evening of watching the Wisconsin Badger basketball team get waxed by Marquette University left us ready for another day of training above 10,000 feet.  On 12/8/12, Breckenridge saw its first snow since October.  Therefore, our options for the day's activity were limited to cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or both.  We made our way to the Breckenridge Nordic Center and looked into our options.  There was only a kilometer of groomed cross country ski trails available in the morning so we decided to go snow shoeing first with the idea that we could ski later in the day if time and energy level permitted it.

The biggest challenge of the day would turn out to be the fresh snow from the night before.  The Nordic Center had several trails marked throughout the property, but the lack of snow meant that it was up to Deb and Greg to choose and create their own path along the trail. This proved to be quite the adventure and a workout that we will not soon forget.

Our trail of choice was the Robin's Nest trail.  The trail was a 3.5 mile loop trail that required a 1.5 mile hike from the Nordic Center, around the Beaver Meadows, and up the mountainside to the trail head.  We accessed the Robin's Nest trail by hiking along the Peaks Trail that we had taken the day before.  From the Peaks Trail, we hiked a steep incline for about 75 yards.  Our hearts were pumping by that point, and we were officially warmed up for the 3.5 mile trek.

The Robin's Nest trail presumably is named either for the bird itself or for the shape the trail and its placement amongst the trees.  Whatever the origin of the name, it could appropriately be changed to the Baby's Diaper Trail or the Goose on a Golf Course Trail because we were thoroughly pooped by the time we finished.  The trail climbed approximately 1,000 feet in elevation and, combined with the weight of the snow shoes and the depth of the snow, it was a challenge to hike more than 25 or 50 yards at a time during portions of the trek.

The solitude of the space was unearthly as the blanket of snow muffled the sounds that might be common amongst the trees and rocks of a mountainside.  We had the sound of our breathing to keep us company, and the physical exertion left little energy for conversation.  Greg had several four letter word conversations with himself as he bent over to take a rest after a particularly strenuous stretch of trail, while Deb faced the adversity of difficult conditions with quiet fortitude in the face of mounting agony.

The scenery was fantastic and a new camera gave Deb and Greg the opportunity to snap some exciting panoramic photos of the area (sadly they do not post very well on the blog site).  The scale of the space eluded capture.  For that reason alone, there will always be a reason to travel to a place for oneself if possible rather than enjoying it through another's perspective and photos.  The contrast in colors between the evergreens and the fresh snow was crisp, and to know that we were establishing the route (within the guidelines of the general trail's path) that others would follow for the remainder of the season was a unique experience. 

In the end, our second and final trip to Colorado prior to our trip across the sea was time and energy well spent.  It was good to get the feel of adjusting to a new altitude, and then putting oneself through the physical rigors of hiking at that new elevation.  Whether or not those efforts will pay dividends as we scale Mt. Kilimanjaro remains to be seen, but if the challenge and rewards of our experiences in Colorado give even a hint of what we can expect from Kilimanjaro, we are both looking forward to the experience. 



Colorado -Take II

Colorado - Take II 

 

 

The Peaks Trail

Breckenridge, CO to Frisco, CO

12/8/12

 

10 miles, 3 hours & 40 minutes

 

28 Days to Africa

 

Good fortune continues to shine down upon us as we prepare for our grand adventure and the Kilimanjaro Challenge.  We are less than a month away from departure for Africa, and we continue to be surrounded by such kind and generous friends and family.  This past weekend we were able to make a return trip to Colorado for a second go at training above 10,000 ft altitude.  Deb and Greg were presented with an unexpected opportunity to stay at a friend's cabin in Breckenridge, CO.  Since we had airline vouchers for volunteering to be "bumped" from a flight on the way home from the last Colorado trip that were sufficient to cover the cost of this flight, we couldn't pass up the offer.  Thus, for the cost of a rental car, food, and a cleaning fee, we were able to make another trip to the land of thin air and sunshine.  

 

After arriving, getting settled and going to bed on Friday night, we set out on Saturday morning for a hike that would take us from Breckenridge to the neighboring town of Frisco, CO. The hike is called "The Peaks Trail" and it is a 10 mile long trek through trees and over streams along the mountainside. A light layer of snow contributed to the majesty of the trek without significantly slowing our pace or dampening our enthusiasm.

 

Ten miles of hiking gave us time to cover the familiar conversations about our excitement for the African journey ahead of us, our commitment to being as prepared as possible for the challenge and the day-to-day activities of our lives that we don't always have time to share during the hectic work week.

 

 

We were happy to have the trail predominantly to ourselves.  There were tracks to indicate that others had traveled portions of the trail, but aside from pine squirrels and a few birds we saw little other evidence of activity along the trail. 

 

The terrain for the trek was gentle in comparison to our hike up Mt. Elbert in October.  The altitude was above 10,000 ft and there were portions of the trail that did require some steady inclines.  But, it was nothing quite as treacherous as our previous hiking experience in Colorado.  That being said, it was not a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.  The temperature was cold and periodic snow flakes and gusts of wind reminded us that we were in training mode.

 

 

Our hike ended in the town of Frisco, which Deb joked is where the people of Breckenridge move to when they age.  She based this statement on its proximity to the interstate and the fact that she likes to pull Greg's leg about such things upon occasion to keep him on his toes.  One of the great features of connecting the communities around the Breckenridge area is a free shuttle bus that connects the various local towns to one another.  It was at one of those stops that Deb and Greg each enjoyed a bag of Raisinets while waiting for the bus to take us from Frisco back to Breckenridge.  Once we were back in Breckenridge, we hopped aboard a free Gondola from the town up to the top of Peak 7 where we had parked the car at the trail head for The Peaks Trail. 

 

 

Queen Of Peace School Supply Drive

Queen of Peace School Supply Drive

Queen of Peace School

Madison, WI

12/1/12

35 Days to Africa

We are very grateful to the students, school, and parish of Queen of Peace in Madison, Wisconsin.  The students, their parents and the faculty of Queen of Peace generated two barrels full of school supplies for the people of Africa.  In addition to our travels to Africa, one of the faculty members at Queen of Peace is also going to Africa this winter.  The two full barrels were split between our group and the faculty member's group, and that means we now have four boxes of school supplies to help stock the classrooms at the education center being built in Tanzania with the funds we are raising.

Greg and his three siblings are all alumni of the school, which is situated just blocks from their family home.  Queen of Peace provides an education for kindergarten through eighth grade.  The school is run by the Parish and is attached to a Catholic church, which offers services throughout the week.  The parishioners of Queen of Peace have a long history of supporting endeavors that improve the lives of others and strengthen local and global connections.  

When we began our efforts in earnest to raise funds and collect school supplies for the people of Tanzania, Deb had the great idea to ask family members who have connections to the field of education.  She hoped they would be willing to connect with schools or teachers who could contribute in some fashion to the cause.  Greg's mother connected with staff at Queen of Peace and it was quickly discovered that Queen of Peace had a high level of interest in conducting a school supply drive since there was also a teacher at the school who is traveling to Africa this winter.  

Queen of Peace School set up a barrel at the school to collect the supplies and marketed the school supply drive through the Parish Bulletin, newsletter and word of mouth.  We are deeply touched and appreciative of the efforts and generosity of the students, faculty and parishioners of Queen of Peace.  We look forward to presenting the supplies to the teachers and students who will be using them.  We will be certain to share with them the origin of the supplies and the deep commitment that the Queen of Peace community has for the people of Africa.

A special thanks to Lauren at Queen of Peace for being a wonderful point of contact, and to Greg's mom for making the connection and helping us to achieve our supply raising goals.  We are indebted to all of you for your kindness and generosity.
 

Northwoods Training Facility

 

North Woods Training Facility

Presque Isle, WI

11/22/12 to 11/26/12

44 to 40 Days to Africa

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  This year we are giving thanks for our family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and total strangers.  Without all of you, our fundraising and teaching and learning supply drive efforts would not be nearly as fruitful.  We also wouldn’t have the benefit of all your words of encouragement behind us continually driving us forward in our preparations for our journey.  Please keep your stories, insights and support coming our direction in the weeks to come.  We will continue to share our training and other experiences with you related to our charitable adventure.  We are extremely excited to share with you the impact that all of our efforts will have on the people of Tanzania.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, Deb and Greg made a trek to our north woods training facility at Deb’s parent’s home.  Nestled in with our car load of items was a bag full of easy to transport work out items, and we tossed in our weighted Hula Hoop for good measure.  During the day hours, Greg helped his father-in-law cut a new path through the woods.  The work was laborious but enjoyable, and the company was good.  The two worked in tandem cutting trees with their chainsaws, and stacking the wood into burn piles or future firewood piles depending upon variety and condition.  A Thanksgiving night snow fall of approximately three inches made it safe to light the burn piles ablaze on Friday and left the newly created path well groomed.    

In addition to the outdoor work-outs that Greg undertook, there were also evening workouts with Deb in the basement of the family home.  Deb did a great job of designing a workout program that took 45 minutes to an hour to complete and utilized a variety of muscle groups.  Despite several mock whining looks and comments, Greg found the workout to be a definite challenge. 

Meanwhile, in her downtime, Deb read through 83 pages worth of travel advice and other information provided by the travel clinic that is pertinent to our trip.  She learned about the hazards and potential side effects of some of the medications that we will be bringing as well as practical advice pertaining to our time in Tanzania and our brief stop over in Kenya.  We are trying hard to be as prepared as possible in order to successfully climb to the top of the mountain. 

William O'Brien State Park

 

William O'Brien State Park

11/18/12

5 hours, 13 miles

48 Days to Africa

Situated just 34 miles from our home and a little over 10 miles north of Stillwater, MN along the St. Croix River, William O’Brien State Park was land that we thought we’d traversed before but quickly learned it was new to us.  The park featured a steep incline from Lake Alice up to the visitor’s center.  From there we had our choice of a number of routes along trails that are well suited to cross country skiing, but also quite serviceable as hiking routes. 

 

 

What struck us as most beautiful about the hike were the rolling hills and the multitude of different settings that our course took us through.  We hiked in areas with wetlands, hardwood stands, prairie lands, beaver ponds, hillsides and lowlands.  The park was well visited on the day of our trek, but felt far from busy or crowded.  As we hiked, we had a chance to talk about life, our goals, our likes, and our dislikes.  In typical fashion, we also spent a significant portion of the hike talking about Tanzania, Kilimanjaro, and our fundraising efforts.  We are getting closer to our departure date, and the excitement for our journey mounts.

 

During our preparations, we are finding that we are not the first to be undergoing this trek.  We know several people amongst our friends, co-workers, or acquaintances who have climbed Kilimanjaro themselves or know someone who has done the climb.  There seems to be a sense of wonder, awe, and reverence for the mountain and the people who live and work in its close proximity.  We have received sage pieces of advice and been provided plenty of food for thought as we prepare to make our own go at the mountain’s great heights. 

 

After our hike, we made a different kind of trek to a location that we have become quite familiar with, REI.  We haven’t named an official outfitter for our journey, but if we did REI would certainly be a leading candidate.  During this visit, Deb picked up a pair of trail running shoes for light hiking and use in camp.  Greg managed to get $35 off of a pair of trail runners that he had actually purchased a month earlier that had recently gone on sale.  Unfortunately, Deb had already spent what Greg had recouped and more so REI was still the winner that day.