LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 35 Northwood sophomore Colton Cushman of Ver- montville, NY said, "The whole trip was incredibly memorable but there were a few moments where it was just unreal. At one point, you enter a valley with the mountainside sloping up on both sides covered in green. That was an incredible view. There was also a time when I was in between two of the hiking groups, with no one around me but the fog, and everything was monotone. All the rocks were gray and the fog was gray." As the camera man, or "paparazzi" as the Boma team referred to him, Adsit trained for the trip knowing he would need to be able to essentially perform sprints at elevation in order to document the students' ex- periences. Throughout the trip, he would speed walk ahead to get set up as the team approached, film or photograph them, pack his camera away and speed walk to catch up again. He repeated this throughout the journey. Eventually the team reached Barafu camp, the base from which the group began their summit push. Northwood junior Wyatt Wardlaw said, "On the final day when we began to push for the summit, we start- ed at 12:00 a.m. It was snowing and pitch black. We trekked for hours through freezing temperatures and an increasingly steep pitch. Energy levels within the group plummeted. After six agonizing hours, the sky lit up orange and morale quickly grew along with it. To see the sunrise over the grasslands of eastern Africa 19,000 feet below us was truly special. A once-in-a- lifetime experience." Parent Matt Donahue offered the following thoughts on his son, Finn's, experience. "Northwood offered Finn a once-in-a-lifetime cultural immersion in Tanzania in addition to an epic ascent of Kiliman- jaro," said the Norhwood senior. "It was so good for him to be half-a-world away, meet incredible people with different worldviews, and see unforgettable flora and wildlife. This trip widened his perspective and amplified his sense of what he can accomplish in the outdoors — and he bonded with great adults and kids from Northwood School. A big win!" During a final dinner before departing the country, Carmichael asked the group to share what they have learned from this mountain. Each person — adults and students alike — took a turn attempting to articulate, often through tears, the impact of the experience. "Respect the mountain." "I realize it's ok to lean on others." "I've learned that my body is capable of more than I thought it was." "If I did that, think about what else I can do." "I am humbled." These seventeen individuals, now a cohesive group that had shared this unique adventure and accom- plishment, have been forever impacted. Tait Wardlaw, who is actively working to keep the feeling and under- standing about humanity he felt on the mountain alive in his day-to-day life back in Lake Placid, says, "This adventure has forever boosted my faith in humanity — including that of my generation and the next." On Friday, March 3rd, the group hosted a Flow State talk at Northwood's Innovation Hub on Main Street during which they shared their experiences with a cap- tivated and moved audience. A full recording of the event can be found on North- wood Outing Club's Instagram page and a compilation video of the hike, put together by Adsit, can be found on YouTube under the title, "Northwood Outing Club: LEAP Kili."

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