There are many climbers that have reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. But how often do you hear of anyone attempting it barefoot? This is just what Team Barefoot Impi did when they reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 to raise funds for the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town.
Barefoot Impi symbolizes the sense of purpose, endurance, comradeship, and collective action of the Zulu warriors. The Zulu warriors were led by the legendary King Shaka who transformed the fighting style of Zulu impi (regiments) by discarding the traditional Zulu sandal to harden the warriors and to ensure mobility and speed.
The six climbers of Barefoot Impi walked and climbed every meter of Mount Kilimanjaro barefoot. It was a strict skin-to-ground rule. They couldn’t walk with any artificial or natural substance or assistance between their feet and the ground. The team went through extensive training and education not only physically but mentally as they had to figure out how resilient or susceptible each of them were to the cold, how long each of them would take to get to a point where the cold was doing lasting damage to their feet, and how they could educate their bodies to recognize that point when it had been reached. They also had to figure out the best way to get their feet back to normal temperature in the fastest way possible. They learned this with the help of Ross Tucker, who is an exercise physiologist at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town and also a part of the climbing team.
The “cold room sessions” became well known to the climbers in their training. These sessions took place at Cape Union Mart in Century City where they were exposed to conditions of up to -17 degrees Celsius. They had to learn about their own pain thresholds for their bare feet and how to prevent frostbite from ever setting in on their expedition.
The Barefoot Impi did this climb to raise funds and awareness for The Children’s Hospital Trust which is the Fundraising Arm for the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. Built in 1956, this hospital is the only standalone specialist children’s hospital dedicated entirely to children in southern Africa. Red Cross has the only dedicated pediatric trauma center in South Africa as well as the only Poisons Information Center. They offer the best care that is cost-effective and manage the care of around 250,000 children each year.
The Children’s Hospital Trust was founded in 1994. It is managed by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) and is committed to supporting the hospital by raising significant funding to address many pressing needs. 100% of all funds raised by the Children’s Hospital Trust go directly to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
After some disheartening encounters of climbers that had failed to summit and enduring climbing through snow, ice, freezing temperatures and extremely sore feet, the whole Barefoot Impi team summited Mount Kilimanjaro with no serious injury. The climb took around five days to reach the top and about two and a half days to descend.
As the team would expect, many thought they were crazy, stupid and irresponsible. They could’ve just raised funds by making a goal to summit Kilimanjaro with full gear that included mountaineering boots. So why go barefoot? Why risk what seems to be a crazy and dangerous idea? Barefoot Impi climber Andrew King stated, “The opportunity to make a small contribution to changing the way the average person’s mind works. There is no doubt of the pressures that we are under as a human race, and if we hope to rectify the way we treat the planet, the way we treat fellow humans, as well as the animals that coexist on this earth, then we are going to need a massive paradigm shift in the way we think in the very near future. And if we as 5 ordinary people can contribute to opening that door just a fraction more, then we will feel our expedition will have been successful. It is no coincidence that our beneficiary of choice is the Red Cross Children Hospital, because this is where our future lies, with the children.”
These climbers were not irresponsible, and they are not crazy. They had a solid purpose for this climb. They made the necessary preparations and had the gear they needed. Life is about taking risks. Getting up every day to face your day is a risk. These climbers set a goal and reached it. They raised money for an amazing charity that provides for a hospital that faces serious risk every single day. The risk brought hope and awareness to a great cause. In Barefoot Impi climber, Cam Howards’ eyes, “The hurdles these kids face on a daily basis make a barefoot summit of kili seem like a walk in the park. There is such a fun, happy and positive atmosphere in this ward. In fact in all the time we’ve spent in there I have never heard a child cry! We’re genuinely thrilled to be able to contribute in every little way we can to ensure that all wards in the hospital can be upgraded and maintained to this standard. We know without a shadow of a doubt that the wonderful ladies at the Children’s Trust will make sure each cent raised is put to best use.”
If you’d like to help and donate to The Children’s Hospital Trust, please visit their Web site.
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