Blind Hikers Scale Mount Kilimanjaro

Team Kili Beats the Odds and Breaks World Records

by Kaitlin Crossman

"We started off in a rainforest and ended up at a glacier," says Valley resident Cindy Wilhelmi, recounting her experience on Mount Kilimanjaro. Legally blind, at the mercy of the raw elements and dependent solely on her sighted-guide, this 48-year-old took on a challenge of a lifetime--to scale one of the largest volcanoes in the world, proving to herself and others that she could accomplish a feat even the sighted would fear.

But, why would she do it? What would motivate her and keep her from quitting or giving up? Wilhelmi says the answer for her was crystal clear. She wanted to help bring awareness to the plight of the visually impaired, help raise money for a new program on the verge of being cancelled and remind herself of the great things she could accomplish with or without her vision.

"I don't know if I ever felt like I wanted to quit, but I know there were times where I felt like I couldn't breathe and wondered if my body was giving up or if I needed to stop," she says.

Wilhelmi became legally blind at the age of 23. She has a narrow range of sight, only able to see a short distance from the tip of her nose. But that hasn't deterred her from accomplishing her goals--she has a nursing degree, is the proud mother of three girls, is blissfully married and has now become only the second blind woman in the world to ever hike Mount Kilimanjaro and make it over 19,340 feet to the top.

"I knew the hike was really pretty," says Wilhelmi. "I couldn't see details, but I could tell if we were going through clouds and at one point we were above the clouds--it was beautiful." The hike was intense for her and the group she was with. But, they were determined not to quit--their motivation to succeed was fierce and their inner strength held the team together.

The team was formed in 2008 and consisted of eight blind hikers and 17 volunteer sighted guides, all affiliated with the Foundation for Blind Children (FBC), the only Valley agency of its kind offering resources and services to family, children and adults with blindness or low vision.

Wilhelmi felt as though her life was coming full circle; she had used the resources of the FBC over 20 years ago as she learned to navigate her world visually impaired. She remembers how the FBC helped her "get past the grieving process" and back to a place where she felt good about herself. Now, it was her turn to work with them once again, but this time, to give back.

In November 2008 Wilhelmi attended a presentation given by Kevin Cherilla, an FBC board member and avid hiker. He had successfully guided the first blind man in history to the summit of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, in 2001. Wilhelmi was moved, inspired and intrigued. At the end of Cherilla's speech, she had to meet him. It was then that Cherilla informed her of the FBC's plans to form a team and hike Mount Kilimanjaro, raising awareness for the blind community along with much needed cash for the organization's infant program, which was about to be cut for lack of funding.

Her response was tentative and apprehensive at first. "I didn't know how to answer him," she says. "I thought, 'Of course not! I've never thought about climbing a mountain.' But when he asked me, it was a wow moment. And I didn't say no, because I knew I really wanted to do it."

The others felt much the same way. But, on June 29, 2009 the largest ever group of blind climbers ascended Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. The group became known as Team Kili and included Cindy Wilhelmi, Max Ashton, Mike Armstrong, Soon Flynn, Tom Hicks, A.J. Hovet, Adam Messler and Tanner Robinson, along with the 17 volunteer guides, Cherilla, and one assistant.

Soon after Wilhelmi joined Team Kili she began her training, which consisted of hiking, biking and a basic workout in the gym. The group also hiked together monthly in Phoenix, and sometimes Flagstaff. One hiking experience included climbing the seven highest peaks in the Phoenix area within two days--they called it the Seven Summit Challenge.

The year long training was crucial for the team to gain confidence, establish trust and learn effective communication. Most of the sighted guides had little experience leading the blind, so developing a good system to work together was essential. A few of the hikers rang bells to signal their partners while other guides used trekking poles attached to their backpacks for their partner to hold onto.

Wilhelmi recalls that her sighted guide, Pam Seltzer, would use her trekking pole to tap on rocks and slide her pole along the earth if there was rough terrain ahead. She would also watch the heels of Seltzer's boots go up, down, over and around objects. This gave her enough of a cue to know how she needed to move and where to step. Seltzer also attached bright red protective gear to her boots, making it easier for Wilhelmi to focus on her feet.

The group hiked for five to seven hours each day, joined together in pairs. They had to adjust to several different climates, from heat much like that of the Arizona desert, to intense cold, which many team members were unaccustomed to. They were also not used to the altitude difference, and many of them became ill. This went on for six days, but the Tanzanians tried to provide some comforts from home.

A group of 74 Tanzanian porters took down, set up and moved the camp daily to make life on the mountain livable. In fact, the hikers were only responsible for their 10-15 pound day packs that consisted of water, rain gear, extra clothing, sunscreen and snacks. The porters handled camp materials for the group such as a cooking tent and three porta-potties.

Wilhelmi recalls the last couple of days as being the hardest to get through because of the altitude and fatigue. But in those moments, she says, "It was a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and realizing everyone else was doing it and feeling the same way."

Max Ashton, the youngest blind Team Kili member and son of FBC's CEO Marc Ashton, also remembers summit day being extremely difficult. "I was awakened at 1:15 that morning and I was tired. I was nauseous and I couldn't concentrate," says Ashton. "I was completely miserable but I kept going and going and going." His motivation: "What would I have said to people if I didn't make it to the top?"

Determination is what kept the team as a whole trekking. "I had already been to the top other times," says Cherilla. "I know what it's like when people make it to the summit and how it changes lives, so my motivation was to have them be successful." Cherilla held onto this thought even when team members struggled with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A flu bug had spread through almost the entire camp. But they trekked on.

During rough times, which Cherilla had warned the team about, he simply tried to be encouraging. "I told the team that everyone would suffer to some degree, some more than others, [but] if everyone at difficult times could change their role and support other people then we would be successful," he says.

The team reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro on the morning of June 29, in time to witness what they could of the sunrise. Wilhelmi remembers feeling euphoric and trying to soak up everything she could see, hear, feel and smell. One image that will forever stay in her mind was the sight of a crater to one side and a glacier to the other.

She recalls being relieved that she had reached the top, but sad when, after celebrating for an hour, the team began their descent.

As for Ashton, making it to the summit meant he had broken a world record as the youngest blind climber to summit Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 13. "It was a great feeling," he says. "People keep asking when I'm going to be in the Guinness Book of World Records and it's just great to know that I could be."

Cherilla says there is sometimes negativity toward people with disabilities, but he emphasizes that we all have our own disabilities that will either hold us back or propel us forward. "Some climbers had never slept in a tent before and some had never hiked, but they were willing to learn the recipe for success and that's exactly what they did," says Cherilla.

This happy ending gets even better--Team Kili not only reached the summit beating Mount Kilimanjaro's 40 percent failure rate, they also raised over $200,000 for the foundation's infant program.

"I'm so very humbled that I was part of this group," Wilhelmi says as she tears up. "The people I went with are amazing and I gained so much from them."

Kaitlin Crossman is an editorial intern with LPI Multimedia, Inc.