Letter’s from Kilimanjaro

“As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti, I seek to cure what’s deep inside.”

I’ve hummed these words by the rock group Toto for more than 20 years. They speak to the latent longing I feel for Mother Earth and the desire to understand my soul. After my 2019 Arctic adventure snowshoeing 100km across Baffin Island with sixteen of the most inspiring women in the business and military sectors, I grew a thousand-fold. Thanks to the culture of the Inuit people and the majestic beauty of our Northern hemisphere, I can hear the sound of my feet as they cross the magic grasslands of Tanzania alongside the blue wildebeests and graceful gazelles.

As I count down to another storied journey – this time to climb Kilimanjaro – and experience a four-day safari in the Serengeti National Park, I hope you will join me on Friday, February 21^st. More than 12,000 km and 18 hours separate me from my starting point in Toronto to my arrival in Tanzania.

Once again, I will face the challenge of my greatest weakness and my greatest strength – me! Together with WomanScape Art Ambassador, Arica Hilton, a global artist and deep-sea diver passionate about save our global waters, we will climb Mount Kilimanjaro with two other teammates to reach the summit at 19,341 feet.

Armed with both satellite and cell phones, our journey will pique memories of those who have gone before and those who may never have the chance to see Africa. The tribes of Tanzania, five distinct eco-zones and some of the largest mammals on the planet will be there to greet us.

On a personal note, I will also climb the mountain for a brilliant young girl named Ava who suffers from Retts Syndrome. Read her story in this volume of BLISS. Ava, her sister Clara, and her parents will be with me every step of the way. To cheer us on, please visit Ava’s fundraising page where any monies donated help to fund research for a cure. To learn more visit WomanScape.com and follow Ava’s fundraising page.

Subscribe to WomanScape’s Kilimanjaro expedition on our WS Care page to follow these stories in February and other changemaker stories. Next year in 2021, you’ll have the chance to join WomanScape as we introduce our first ever WS Explorers Club. Wishing you happiness in what dreams may come for 2020.