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February 9, 2010

First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro

paraplegic summit 300x155 First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro

We are so proud of challenged athletes, Erica and Tara, and their crew from the C.H.E.K Institute! As promised, we have some photos to share with you from their inspiring trek. Derek, the team coordinator, adds a final reflection: “A couple quick thoughts on what we just did. First and foremost which sticks out in many of our minds is something that will never be able to be taken away from Erica or even us, the first female paraplegic on the summit of Kilimanjaro. I have written it many times or said it but the faces of those coming down, absolutely defeated in exhaustion, seeing us going up, was absolutely priceless.  Most people just stopped and starred and were like “how in the hell or why in the hell are you doing that”. Well the truth is, why not.  Erica was great and never got mad or down, and neither did Tara for that matter.  Both girls gritted their teeth, and kept climbing. But both of those girls were going to make that summit. And they did.  It was freezing, high and just absolutely exhausting, but they did it.”

Check out some photos from the inspiring trek!

thumbs intro kili chek trek First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs alpine desert trek First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs summit push First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs tara butcher First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs ericas wheels First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs kilimanjaro summit First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs chek2 above the clouds First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs chek2 erica inforest First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs chek2 erica onthetrail2 First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs chek2 erica onthetrail First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro thumbs chek2 erica tara First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro

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Posted at 7:24 pm in Kilimanjaro | Permalink | Comments

2 responses to "First Female Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro"

  1. Joseph D March 16, 2010 at 5:45 pm

    How did they get the wheelchair all the way up there? Really amazing.

  2. admin March 16, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    We totally agree with you, Joseph, it is amazing stuff! Erica used a special wheelchair designed for trekking which has duel speeds (like a mountain bike). She wheeled herself where the terrain allowed. You can see her chair in action in this video clip from a local news station in Utah: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9693512

  4. Links to this post

  5. May 12, 2010 at 12:29 pm
    Thomson Safaris » Kilimanjaro Documentary Premiere

    [...]Thomson Safaris is honored to have been a part of this trek and to have helped Erica and her team from the C.H.E.K Institute reach their [...]
    More recent post at the link below.

  6. May 19, 2010 at 4:18 pm
    Thomson Safaris » Podcast with Erica Davis, First Female Paraplegic on Kilimanjaro’s Summit

    [...] to the podcast below to learn more about this Thomson trek; Erica’s specialized off-road wheelchair; how she and fellow challenged athlete, Tara Butcher, [...]

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