Epic climb a dream come true for Canadian industry veteran
story by Ian Stalker
Marti Aragones has truly reached some higher ground.
Aragones, known among travel agents for overseeing Melia Cuba’s Canadian operation, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on July 2, no easy undertaking.
The Tanzanian mountain is the highest in Africa.
“It took us five days to make it to the top and two days to go down,” Aragones reports. “You need to be in shape to do it. You walk everyday between four and six hours at high altitude and the toughest day is, without any doubt, the day going to the summit: We left the camp at midnight and you climb all night, at –10 to 15 C, at more than 5,000 meters, to make it to the summit at around 6:30 a.m. Then, after around one hour, you start descending to the camp (a three hour walk) just to relax for an hour and continue descending for four to five more hours… Long day at the office!
“The tricky thing is that you don’t know how the altitude is going to affect you. At this altitude, over 5,000 meters, you have less oxygen (around 40 to 50% less) but I was lucky enough not to be really affected by the altitude at the highest point I ever climbed.
“This was for me a dream come true!”
Aragones says he enjoyed every moment of the trek, particularly the last night leading to the lofty summit.
Meanwhile, Aragones says his high-altitude days aren’t over by any means.
“I would definitely do it (Kilimanjaro) again but it is also true that there are a lot of nice places and adventures to discover!,” he reports. “My next challenge: hike to the Everest Base Camp!”
