Hajja Salesjana January February 2017

9 At one point we were caught in a blizzard, yet we trudged on and on. When I almost started despairing in the cold, dark and exhaustion, our guide stopped us to point out the first rays of the sun which started breaking through the clouds and piercing the darkness. The night had passed, the day was being born and it meant that we were almost at the summit! This gave us the energy to keep on going, just a little bit more, fighting off the exhaustion and the effects of altitude sickness. Throughout the night we saw some people being carried down because of this, but thankfully all of us were still walking up despite these difficulties. I was feeling tremendously tired and emotional. I was overwhelmed by what was happening around me, by the raw beauty, power and majesty of nature, by the fact that 17 people who never knew each other, all became like one family, by the fact that we had sacrificed so much during the year and we were actually here, encouraging each other and making our way to the top. However I could not let myself cry for everything that was happening around me. I could not allow myself to waste my energy like that! I could not give in to the fatigue I was feeling. I had to push all these thoughts and fears aside, dig deep inside, stop my tears and channel all my energy towards the next step, a step close to the roof of Africa. At around 7.30am, after 8hrs to walk up 5km, the ground finally plateaued, I looked up and realised we had reached summit!! We were at Stella Point! All of us 17 Maltese made it to summit! Everyone was shedding some tears reflecting a mixture of relief, pride, exhaustion, fulfillment, triumph, yet feeling so humbled by the enormity and majesty of the mountain. I was feeling truly overwhelmed and finally allowed myself to be rocked around with these waves of emotions which were hitting me one after the other. The challenge was not yet finished. Stella Point is at an altitude of 5745m, we were not on the highest peak of Africa, yet. We had another 1.2km to walk around the crater and reach Uhuru Peak. We were served hot tea, and allowed a few minutes rest to regain our mental strength to walk for yet another hour. It was one of the longest hours in my life. My body was so exhausted and oxygen deprived, I was feeling very short of breath and could only push myself to walk 10 slow steps before stopping to catch my breath. Around an hour later, we reached Uhuru Peak! A breath-taking altitude of 5895m, categorised as an extreme level of altitude which a body can tolerate. All those waves of emotions hit me again, this time even more forcefully. I was reduced to a simple number, one of the many who think and attempt to fight the mountain, but I won; against all the difficulties, the cold and the extreme shortness of breath I was suffering. My body managed to survive and push through and I was part of the 65% who succeeded in winning this battle. Quest for the Roof of Africa ( 4 ) by Claire Falzon We are pleased to bring to you the adventure of a lifetime Claire Falzon, a Physiotherapist, a Salesian Animator and SPYSmember, has recently embarked upon for a very noble cause. We will share with you her inspiring story bit by bit. Enjoy the climb to the breathtaking summit.