My friend Sean Swarner (A Courage Expert) and the Cancer Climbing Expedition are offering a Climbing Expedition/ Safari to Africa.  I told Sean I would share this opportunity with you.  How awesome would it be to spend some time with hero’s who are truly Living In Courage?  Here is a complete itinerary of the expedition, links to Sean’s websites and a video of his courageous journey. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone looking for adventure.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

The Poster Reads:

Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 6:00am
End Time:  Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 6:00pm
Location:  Tanzania, Africa
Description: Africa… The very name calls to mind images of breath-taking landscapes, endless savannahs, magnificent animals, proud ancestral tribes and above all… safaris!!

Begin your odyssey into the heart of creation as you venture across hundreds of miles of wilderness, let your mind wander millions of years into the past…see untouched earth and wildlife as you can nowhere else… No other experience measures up to an African safari, unless it begins with an expedition up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The snowy summit, hovering above the plains of this wondrous continent, radiates majesty and awe. The quiet solitude of viewing the world from above the clouds, seeing Africa from its highest point…there’s nothing that stirs your soul like this. Experience the magic of Kilimanjaro and wonder of an African safari in one life-changing expedition!!

Join Sean and the CancerClimber Association as we experience the magic of a Kilimanjaro expedition before celebrating with a beautiful Serengeti Safari. $500 of your expedition goes to support CancerClimber and their programs as we encourage you to raise more for the charity.

Participation is very limited so please reserve your spot now! Those interested please email sean@cancerclimber.org with any questions or to request a detailed itinerary (July 25 – Aug 9 in and out of the country). $5500 (US) includes EVERYTHING but airfare…your 6-day expedition and 5-day safari!!

The first 10 who sign up receive free safari hat and trekking poles. EVERY skill-level is invited to participate!! This is NOT a technical climb, but an endurance hike to over 19,000 feet….

CANCERCLIMBER EXPEDITION

ARRIVAL INTO TANZANIA

July 26 – Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport.  Private transport from airport to Moshi,

Tanzania to hotel.

KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION

July 27 – Recovery day from flight.

July 28 – Machame Gates to Machame Huts.

The drive from Moshi to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate takes about 50 minutes. The journey

passes through the village of Machame (located on the lower slopes of the mountain). Once we

reach the park gate, climbers are requested to make their final preparations for the climb. Porters

will be seen arranging their packs containing the food, water, firewood, and other equipment.

Make sure that you have all your daypack items with you as the porters travel very quickly. The

guides will be pleased to assist with any additional information. We now leave the park gate and

walk through the rain forest on a winding trail.  Lower down, it can be very muddy and very

slippery. Gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea. We continue until we reach the Machame

Hut. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and sleep. We have now reached an altitude of

3,100 meters (~10,170 ft).  Estimated time:  5 hours.

July 29 – Machame Huts to Shira Plateau Camp.

After breakfast, we leave the rain forest and continue upward, crossing a little valley walking

along a steep rocky ridge.. The route now turns west onto a river gorge at 3,658 meters (~12,000

ft). Time for rest, dinner, and sleep at the Shira Hut campsite. Estimated time: 4 hours.

July 30 – Shira Plateau Camp to Barranco Huts via Lava Tower

From the Shira Plateau, we continue east, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo. As we

continue, our direction changes to the southeast towards the Lava Tower.  Shortly after the tower,

we come to the second junction, which brings us up to the Arrow Glacier at an altitude of 4,876

meters (~16,000). We now continue down to the Barranco Hut at an altitude of 3,860 meters

(12,664 ft). Here we rest, enjoy dinner, and sleep. Although you end the day at the same elevation

as when you started, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body

prepare for summit day.  Estimated time: 6 hours.

July 31 – Baranco Huts to Barafu Camp.

After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall,

through the Karanga Valley (4200m/ 13,780 ft) where the route connects with the Mweka Trail.

We continue to the Barafu Hut, which is located at an altitude of 4,600 meters (~15,100 ft). This

completes the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here

we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi

and Kibo are seen from this position. This section can also be divided into 2 separate days, where

an a camp could be made in the Karanga valley. Estimated time:  8 hours.

AUGUST 1 – Summit Day!!

Early morning, we continue our way to the summit of Uhuru Peak at 5,985 meters (~19,635 ft).

This part of the climb takes about 6 hours. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it

will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. You will want clothing for both extremes with

you. At Uhuru Peak, we have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent

of Africa. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit. From the summit, we now make our

descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut campsite at 3,100 meters (~10,170 ft). This

part of the descent takes about 5 hours. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose

gravel going down. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-

earned sleep. Beer and soda may be available for purchase at the Mweka Hut — the only place on

this route.  Estimated time:  11 hours.

AUGUST 2 – Return to Moshi.

After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate. At lower elevations, it

can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be

good to wear (keep raingear and warmer clothing handy). A vehicle will meet you at Mweka

village to drive you back to hotel in Moshi. Don’t forget to tip your guides and porters. It is time

for celebration and banana beer!  Estimated time:  4 hours.

…we scheduled an extra day for weather, altitude, and other unforeseen situations so the schedule on the

expedition is tentative and adjustable according to appropriate acclimatization…

SAFARI

AUTUST 3 – Early morning drive from Moshi to Lake Manyara.  Afternoon game drive in the

park with boxed lunches.  Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara (overnight at Lake Manyara

Hotel).

AUGUST 4 – Early morning drive to Serengeti with boxed lunches.  Afternoon game drive

around the Seronera area.  Dinner and overnight (overnight at Seronera Wildlife Lodge).

AUGUST 5 – After breakfast, tour Serengeti with boxed lunches.  And drive to Ngorongoro

Crater.  Afternoon game drive in crater with lunch boxes.  Dinner and overnight at the Crater

(overnight at Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge).

AUGUST 6 – Game drive in Ngorongoro Crater.  Overnight at Crater or Lake Manyara

(overnight at either Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge or Lake Manyara Hotel).

AUGUST 7 – After breakfast, drive to Mto Wa Mbu for mini shopping.  Return to Moshi.

AUGUST 8  – Return home via private transport to airport.

Links to Sean:

http://www.seanswarner.com/

http://www.cancerclimber.org/

This post was written on courage by my new friend Dieter Pauwels, who stumbled across Living in Courage and loved it here.  Dieter shared these words on courage with me and I would like to share them with you.  Please visit Dieter, who is a coach from St. Louis, MO.  Thank you Dieter for sharing your insight and courage with us.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage
Courage

You don’t have to climb the highest peak of the Kilimanjaro or fly around the world in a hot air balloon to experience courage.

Courage comes from the Latin root ‘cor’, which means heart. When your heart is weak, filled with anxiety, inferiority and regret, you will have little courage. When your heart is filled with compassion, love, honesty, respect and confidence, you will build great courage!

We live in a climate of corporate malpractice — fueled by greed and self interest — financial and moral scandals, and political righteousness. Today, more than ever, we need leadership to be inspired with courage. Courage to lead from the heart, courage to do what is right, courage to provide leadership based on values and strong principles.

We are all leaders of our own destiny. Leadership from within requires courage! When we lack the courage to be true to our self, we tend to conform to the expectations of others. We settle for second best or mediocrity and we choose the security of our comfort zone. Hence we cheat ourselves (and everyone else) from what could be possible.

Courage requires a strong emotional commitment to your own values and principles. The stronger your commitment, the more likely your life will unfold from a place that is real and authentic.
Courage is not a talent or an acquired skill. Nor is it a thing to be waited for. Courage is the gift we all have been given to discover our true nature and face our personal truth.

You’ve got that gift!
Be courageous!

Dieter Pauwels
http://www.dieterpauwels.com
email -  dieter@dieterpauwels.com
Dieter Pauwels is a certified professional life coach, business coach, speaker and author.
He provides an open-minded approach to provide the attitude, mindset and skills needed to empower you to create the results you want in your personal and professional life.
He works out of his base in St. Louis MO. His coaching clients are located in the US and Europe.

In the July issue of Outside magazine is an article “A Long Way for a Short Film” on film making and mountain climbing. Thayer Walker writes that “Bill Barkeley is a 46 year old father of 3 with Usher syndrome, a condition that has left him legally deaf and blind. Bill considers climbing Kilimanjaro a process of transformation. He hopes to become an advocate for the deaf and blind. Overcoming adversity leads to the “butterfly moment” of reaching the top – capturing the “caterpillar moment” on film presents a greater challenge.”

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” Proverb

Bill said, “This project was my biggest and hardest, yet the most rewarding that I have ever done. I know that I am changed forever as I am passionate in helping others expecially the hearing and vision impaired. It started as a hope and a dream and hundreds of people got me up Mt Kilimanjaro. The grace of God and my faith in the human spirit took me to the top. I will never forget those who wanted to help and now we can make a difference.”
Now that my friends is Courage in motion. Bill Barkeley is an inspiration who will help pull many up the mountain to join him in making the world a better place for all.