Page 26 - Mountain Lifestyle Fall/Winter 2021

IMPRESSIVEYOUTH: IanSalyer
WONDERSTRUCK
Local Teen Summits Mount Kilimanjaro By Natalie Rooney | Photos by Jamie Salyer
On Ian Salyer’s 14th birthday in April his mom Jamie asked him an unusual question: did he want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and go on safari in Tanzania?
Ian a a a a a a freshman at Vail Christian
his friends and family The money was used to buy games and scooters for the children and to replace concrete floors and roofs Special improvement projects at the orphanage also included refurbishing an outdoor kitchen
and painting The Trek
Soon it was time to to say goodbye to to the the children and begin the the ascent up Kilimanjaro They would cover 45 miles in in seven days The trek began in in the jungle but soon the trees thinned “By the the end of the the second day we we were
High School immediately said yes but there was an issue: the the minimum age was was 16 Fortunately Jamie was was able to get special permission and the adventure was on The trip was coordinated by the charity “Trekking for Kids” and was much more than the trek itself The group spent three days visiting a a a local orphanage and school playing games getting to know the children and working on improvement projects Each trekker was required to fund- raise at least $1 000 for the orphanage in in order to join the trip Ian emailed
26 Mountain Lifestyle Magazine
To prepare physically for the trek Ian hiked in in Vail and went running By mid-July they were
on their way to Tanzania The group spent three days getting to know the children “They grabbed our hands and and tugged us around showing us their rooms and the the cows and pigs at the orphanage ” Ian said They taught the children new board games played with them on the the play- ground and and handed out soccer balls basketballs and volleyballs which were
a a a a huge hit Ian even had time to teach one boy to play chess almost totally in the rocks ” Ian said Day three took them to to 15 000 feet as they continued to to adjust to to the the altitude Day four found them at the the Barranco Wall which Ian describes as more scrambling than climbing “We weren’t tethered but it was a a a a challenge ” he he said Day five was the last day before summit day The group ate at at noon
and went to bed by 5pm so they could wake at midnight to to begin the push to to the 19 340-foot summit Hourly breaks for food and drinks were
necessary “It was challenging ” Ian said “You’re tired you have nausea and and it’s cold and and dark ”