Cathy climb is no cruise

By Jade Lawton
THE first thing Cathy Cruse did after climbing Africa’s highest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro, was take a long, hot shower.
The Narre Warren North mother of four climbed to the summit, trekking for seven days through a landscape of tropical forests, deserts and ice, to raise money for the charities Heart Kids and Foundation of Goodness.
The freezing temperatures meant that Mrs Cruse’s water and energy bars were rock solid as she began the final ascent, a 1300 metre trip that left the camp site at midnight so the trekkers reached the peak in time for sunrise.
Mt Kilimanjaro rises to a height of 5895m (19,340ft) and its size is 100km by 65km (60 miles x 40 miles). It is located in Tanzania, near the Kenyan border in East Africa.
Mrs Cruse’s week-long trek raised more than $30,000 for the charities.
“It was great, but harder than I thought it would be. The first few days I thought Kokoda was harder than this, but it gets tougher as you go,” she said.
“The last night was the worst. I started feeling really queasy and a lot of people were vomiting on the side of the track and holding their head with headaches from altitude sickness.
“And the gravel on the track meant you’d take two steps forward and fly one back. It got to the point where I was urging myself on ten steps at a time – you can train and train, but it comes down to mental toughness.” After reaching the peak, the group had to return to their campsite, pack up and trek back down the mountain to a hotel.
“The first thing we did back at the hotel was get straight in the shower – it was the best shower I’ve had in my life. Then we had a few beers and thought wow, we did that,” she said.
Now that she has conquered Kilimanjaro, Mrs Cruse has her sights set on Machu Picchu in South America, but might revisit Kokoda with her 15-year-old daughter, Caitlin.
“Caitlin really wants to do Kokoda and I think it’s good for kids to set their mind to something and achieve something hard,” she said.