Leslie’s Countdown Blog: THREE! – “Bungle in the Jungle” - Thank you for your gifts and pledges since yesterday to support Mel and my Kilimanjaro climb and our cause, health care for kids. Thank you Dove Benari, and Andy and Yayoi Reeves! I am close to reaching my goal, or should I say my newly revised goal of $5,000 (I was bullied into revising it up a bit, told by my competitors that I have an advantage being a writer…). As of now, I am within about $700! If you are so inclined, the link is provided at the end of this blog for your convenience. I hope you enjoy this installment. Last night we brought our outer ware outside the house and into the garage and soaked it with Permethrin as a barrier to malaria-carrying mosquitos and other biting foes. We sprayed shirts, pants, socks and even our nifty (but goofy-looking) mosquito-net hats that in several years, we’ve never needed to use—but this may be the trip! Trying to divert my thoughts from the dangers of this nerve toxin as we applied it (if I can smell it, I’m breathing it, right?), I thought instead about ideas for my next blog. It occurred to me that it wasn’t fair to rely on Mel for all my material (although he generates plenty of ideas!). So I turned my thoughts to others who are about to undertake this climb. Some of you already know that there are about a dozen of us 50-to-60-somethings setting out to conquer Kilimanjaro. I wanted to include a blog about the trials and tribulations of at least one other person in our group as they have prepared. As I sorted through anecdotes about others’ challenges, I came upon one in particular that is ripe for the telling. I have (with a tip of the hat to one of my favorite old bands, Jethro Tull) entitled this blog: “Bungle in the Jungle” In March of this year, some of you know that a group of us trained for Kilimanjaro’s heights by going to Guatemala on a trip with Xela AID to climb three volcanoes in ten days. This very first “Xela AID EXTREME” trip which mixed volunteer service with adventure travel was led by Cliff Hague and Shelby Churchill, the latter being a diehard who, going into the trip, would not consider the trip a success for himself if he did not summit all three volcanoes. Shelby was adamant about this, no matter how others tried to dissuade him, and at one point even argued that the trip would not be a success unless ALL participants made all three summits! This was a challenge indeed since all participants were not created equal and our target volcanoes were not childsplay—one in fact was Tajumulco, which at 13,845 feet is the highest point Central America! Shelby ran circles around most everyone on Pacaya and Tajumulco, the first two climbs, with the exception of a few folks and most notably Steve Kent; a retired cardiologist and now member of the Xela AID Board, this man is simply a climbing machine; a hiking ANIMAL who even gave Shelby a run for his money where pace was concerned. The third volcano in our triad was San Pedro, which we would be climbing beginning from Lake Atitlan. The night before the climb, we ate a scrumptious dinner at our chalet-like hotel Casa del Mundo, and enjoyed each other’s company. Then everyone headed to the hot tub, and Shelby, to his demise, as you shall read. This hot tub is unique to be sure, and in many ways, is an accident (or accidents!) waiting to happen. First, you have to walk down probably 100 stone steps then up another 100 or so along a largely unlit path with few safety rails to get there. Second, the hot tub backs up to a sheer drop off behind it. If someone was sitting on the brick-seating around the tub, leaned backwards and lost their balance, they would plunge hundreds of feet into the darkness, onto the rocks, and into the cold, deep waters of Lake Atitlan. Thirdly, and most unbelievably, there is a wood-burning stove smack dab in the middle of the tub with no protective insulation around it (yes you read that right). This means that if someone’s skin comes in contact when its hot, it is instantly French fried! I bet you are already visualizing this coming: Shelby went to enter the hot tub by stepping on the bench seating just below the water’s surface and just to the right of the stove. As fate would have it, he miscalculated where the bench seating ended, and when he stepped in, his left leg slid directly (yes directly!) into the red-hot metal stove! On this occasion, unlike most others wherein Shelby is the victim of misfortune, “I was not messing around!” he claims. (To his credit eye witnesses say this is true.) Happily, I was not present during Shelby’s duel with the wood-burning stove, but I did witness the aftermath: Nurse Rita, concerned friend Linda, Dr. Steve, Dr. Frank, Cliff and others excitedly gathered around sizzled Shelby in the Casa del Mundo dining room. His wounded leg was extended across a dining room chair as the medical folks decided how best to treat the foot-long, four-inch-wide second-degree burn (see accompanying photo as proof) until he could visit a burn specialist stateside. Shelby could barely put weight on his burned leg, which of course precluded him from being able to climb in the morning and thus thwarting his all-consuming goal of making all three summits. Shelby’s final comment that evening on the matter (which he preferred not to discuss further) belying his disappointment and the harbinger of his slight depression over the last few days of the trip and during his first few weeks of treatment: “This is f__ing humiliating! F__!” The good news is that Shelby did not need a skin graft, although it was touch and go for a few weeks. Said Shelby, “I was ordered to grow new skin in a week, and I did.” (He did this by eating lots of protein, by the way.) Sadly, Shelby must keep the leg covered for an entire year to avoid discoloration, depriving the rest of us of the sight of his tan, fit, manly gams. The other good news is that Shelby learned a lesson about life, one that is instructive to all of us. “It’s good to set goals, but they shouldn’t be so rigid that if you don’t reach them it ruins your experience. It really is about the journey. I finally get that,” he reflected. If after reading this account if you have any doubt of its truth, I direct your attention to the accompanying photo taken the next morning by Mel which clearly shows Shelby’s skin residue on the stove! In conclusion I can’t resist saying (although I should), that where Kilimanjaro training is concerned, it can never be said that Shelby has no skin in the game! :) It is my attention to write another blog for tomorrow if time permits. Thanks for reading, and for your many comments and words of encouragement (and on the Facebook version Likes, Comments and Shares). Leslie Help Here: https://stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=324549 Leslie is dedicating the funds she raises to Xela AID Partnerships for Self Reliance to help children to get the medical attention they need early to prevent life-threatening conditions later in life. Your support in any amount will be put to good use and deeply appreciated!
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 05:54:01 +0000
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