ER24 medic Rees Webber takes on Mount Kilimanjaro

He thought climbing to the highest point in Africa was a crazy idea but he woke up one day and decided to do it anyway.

Rees Webber (22), a Wilropark resident and medic at the ER24 Joburg West branch, braved the cold, wind and a number of other challenges and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in June.

The idea of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was sparked following a conversation with his aunt. “My aunt and I were discussing Mount Kilimanjaro and we questioned whether we would ever do the hike. That is where the idea came from. Planning and training began soon after. I did some CrossFit classes and trained at a gym. I found the best thing to do however, was to get out on hiking trails carrying the same weighted backpack that Kilimanjaro requires. I did the Camel Roc Hiking Trail which is situated next to the border gate with Lesotho, the Hennops Hiking Trail and Tswaing crater in Pretoria,” said Rees.

Rees, along with a guide and three other climbers, began the Mount Kilimanjaro hike on June 22. While one climber dropped out, others were determined to reach the summit.

“I had no regrets during the first couple of days of climbing. I loved every minute,” said Rees. But when it came to summit hike time Rees wondered why he decided to take up the challenge.

He said it was mentally and physically challenging. “Day four was the most difficult part of the hike. We hiked about 10 kilometres and then slept for four hours. We started our summit hike at 12am. It was dark and cold. The higher we went the less oxygen we had. This played with my mind and body. I became tired quicker. I started to hate myself for deciding to climb Mount Kilimanjaro but I just kept pushing on.

“It became colder as we went higher up. A warm sleeping bag and beanie helped before but the cold on summit night was unexplainable,” he said.

Explaining just how cold it was, Rees said there were times when water froze in the water pouch pipe while he was trying to drink it even though there was warm water in the thermal cover.

He had to blow the water back in to melt in the bag with the rest of the warm water. “The wind increased closer to the summit. I tried covering up myself as much as possible,” he said.

So what helped him during his climb? “In Swahili they have a saying for Kilimanjaro… ‘pole pole’ which means slowly slowly. It might make your climb longer but it helps. The worst part is your mind… thinking when will it end, how much you still have to hike or how much your legs are burning. However, you use less effort when you take your time. Time also passes quickly when you keep your mind busy on the view or conversation,” said Rees.

Despite the pain and struggles experienced Rees remained determined and it paid off in the end.

“When I got to the top I experienced a rush of emotions. I was emotionally and physically tired but at the same time had a rush of energy and I was ecstatic. I did it. I was at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. The pain experienced during the climb up to the mountain ‘disappeared’ and I felt like I could do it all over again,” he said.

Girlfriend Melissa Kalfas was thrilled that Rees achieved what he set out to achieve. “I thought he was crazy but I knew he could do it. He worked hard and prepared for it. There is no way he wouldn’t have made it up Mount Kilimanjaro without pushing himself to his limit. I am very proud of him,” she said.

Rees’ Mount Kilimanjaro climb is only the beginning. He has a few new crazy ideas like K2 and one day getting himself up Everest. “I am going to live my life,” he said.