What was your most memorable moment from the climb?
Watching the sunrise as we climbed the last hundred meters of the summit.
– Bella Wiener
The entire group and how we all got along, including the guides and porters. Everyone was so positive and fun.
– Connie Austin
For me, it truly was about the journey, not the destination/summit! Climbing for SHE with Bella and the other 7 motivated, inspiring and courageous women, interacting with our phenomenal SENE team of guides and porters was the MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS of my climb!
– Eva Johnston
Singing and dancing with the whole SENE crew and our SHE climbers at camps along the way up the mountain!
– Sara Wiener
What would you like to say to your donors?
With the support of investors like you, I was able to climb Kilimanjaro and support SHE in their efforts to decrease gender disparity in education, create jobs, debunk stereotypes, and accelerate the path towards sustainable social change. Thank you!
– Bella Wiener
Thank you for your support!
– Connie Austin
Climbing Kili for SHE was an honor…to be part of the inspiring group of women climbing for such a great cause, was truly an opportunity of a lifetime! SHE is definitively helping to improve the lives of girls and women in third world countries and I am proud to be a very small part of their efforts, through the generous and loving support of all of my donors! Asante sana!
– Eva Johnston
Thank you for your generous support to SHE and for the amazing opportunity to represent SHE on Kilimanjaro.
– Sara Wiener
How did you prepare for the climb?
Swimming and hikes around Bend, OR
– Bella Wiener
I went for long hikes and tried to get to some elevation around Bend
– Connie Austin
I trained…ha!!!! Those young gals did not but I am thankful for every hour I logged on the treadmill, trails and in the gym leading up to this climb!
– Eva Johnston
I worked out at the gym and outside at least five times a week. As we got closer to the climb I did some great hikes in the mountains with my family, Joanne and Bella.
– Sara Wiener
What was your greatest struggle during the climb?
Kilimanjaro was physically challenging, but on the summit day, it all came down to mental strength. When it was still dark and freezing out at 3am and we still had 3 more hours, I really had to keep talking to myself and persevere.
– Bella Wiener
The last two hours to the top I felt light-headed, wobbly, weak, and sick. I wondered if I would make it. I really had to focus on taking one step at a time.
– Connie Austin
Summit day was harder than I imagined. Climbing in the dark, using trekking poles on rock slabs for hours was mentally grueling for me. I was surprisingly fine with the altitude (likely thanks to taking Diamox) and the physical exertion, while hard, was not as difficult as the mental strength it took for me to summit in the dark!
– Eva Johnston
The altitude made for some very slow progress up the mountain but the cold temps and wind on summit night were the hardest part for me. Staying warm and comfortable as possible at 19,000′ is always a challenge!
– Sara Wiener
Is there anything else you want to add?
I am so incredibly happy that everyone summited and that we have raised so much awareness for an issue that needs to be addressed.
Our climbing team of eight girls/women has already bonded and we are ready to embark on our adventure together.
– Bella Wiener
This experience was certainly life changing and forever memorable. I’m so proud of myself and my group for making it.
– Connie Austin
The whole experience couldn’t have been better. We were so lucky with perfect weather, an amazing group of girls and women who all got along famously, and the absolute best ever guides, cooks and porters imaginable. Thank you SENE for the very best experience ever. It was also great sharing the reason for our climb with the many other folks we encountered during the trip and on the mountain. We did a lot of educating along the way, with foreigners from all over the world, including a group of young people from Jordan, an east Indian woman who lives in SanFrancisco, and many local Tanzanians who helped us achieve our goal of making it up and down the mountain in good health.
– Sara Wiener
My attempt to sum our trip up…magical to the point of being miraculous!!!! Literally, SENE was the absolute BEST expedition company, our SHE climbing team were all rock star climbers, tons of fun and every single woman on the trip are an inspiration to me! Our weather was as close to PERFECT as you could hope for and the fact that our group, ranging in age from 17 – 71, some with ZERO climbing or camping skills (me and my daughter), others with ZERO training, most who were super experienced and so generous with their support and knowledge, ALL SUMMITED safely and with smiles on our faces! I feel so lucky and blessed to have been a part of this group of women!
– Eva Johnston
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