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Showing posts from 2013

9 Year Old Becomes Youngest to Summit Mt. Aconcagua

Here is an update to a previously posted blog post! California Boy, Youngest Climber Ever To Summit Western Hemisphere’s Tallest Mountain While many of his friends celebrated the holidays with friends and family at home, 9-year-old Tyler Armstrong made history, becoming the youngest climber ever to reach the summit of the tallest peak in the Western hemisphere. Various leading Argentinean media outlets reported that the Yorba Linda, California native reached the summit of Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina on Christmas, along with his father, Kevin, 30, and their guide Lhawang Dhondup, 50. It was confirmed, Friday, in a Facebook post on a page dedicated to Armstrong's climbs that they had reached the summit on Christmas Eve. "HUGE UPDATE: We are extremely proud and excited to officially announce that Tyler Armstrong has in fact broken the ACONCAGUA RECORD!!!! He was able to summit on Christmas Eve (Dece

Top 10 Facts About Mt. Kilimanjaro

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  If you’re considering taking on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, there are a few interesting facts you should know about the peak - we’ve compiled a list of our favourites. Hopefully they’ll prove inspiring and will help you on your way to the Roof of Africa. 1. There’s more than one way up Yes, that’s right, there are, in fact, six routes to the summit of Kilimanjaro and two different trails leading back down. The ascent paths are Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe, Machame and Marangu, while coming down you can follow either Machame or Mweka. 2. Kilimanjaro is a volcano Although it’s often called a mountain, Kilimanjaro is actually a volcano and it has three cones. The largest is Kibo - with the highest point on its crater rim - as well as Mawenzi and Shira. The latter two are extinct, but Kibo is classed as dormant and could, therefore, erupt again. 3. It’s the highest freestanding peak in the world As well as having the honour of

Nine Year Old Hopes to Become Youngest to Summit Mt. Aconcagua

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California Boy Hopes To Become Youngest Person To Summit Western Hemisphere's Highest Peak While many of his classmates will spend their winter holidays at home with family or maybe at best on the ski slopes around Lake Tahoe, nine-year-old Tyler Armstrong has a higher calling. The Yorba Linda, California native leaves in a few weeks for Argentina, where he plans to become the youngest person in history to summit the Andean peak of Mt. Aconcagua — the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. With impressive climbs up the highest peak in the contiguous United States, Mt. Whitney, and Africa’s highest summit Mt. Kilimanjaro already under his belt, this miniature mountaineer hopes to add one of South America’s most challenging mountains to his already remarkable resume. "It takes lots and lots of training," Tyler told ABC News. "I had to do ice-climbing training, so if I fall I can stop myself and not slide down the mountain. We're r

Holiday Sale - Murder on Everest

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Kilimanjaro Climb Featured in TV Documentary

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TUNE IN ROGERS TV PRESENTS THE CLIMB TO CONQUER, Sunday Sept. 15 at 5 p.m., on Rogers TV, cable 10 /63 in York Region.          The climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro by staff and supporters of Markham Stouffville Hospital has been turned into a documentary that will be featured on Rogers cable television this weekend.  The documentary tells the story of a team of 18 physicians, staff and community supporters from the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation who embarked on a journey to Tanzania, Africa, to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in July 2011 to raise funds for the hospital’s expansion.  The trek took nine days: seven days to climb the mountain and two days to

Moshi Dr. Msengi Demands Public Support to Protect Mt. Kilimanjaro

Moshi District Commissioner has appealed to the public to participate in the conservation of natural resources in their respective areas to protect Mt Kilimanjaro’s buffer zone. Dr Ibrahim Msengi said environmental conservation particularly on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro is crucial and called on everyone to join government efforts on environmental protection. He was speaking with the Village, Ward and Division Executive Officers here in Moshi over the weekend. “Despite government’s efforts in collaboration with other environmental stakeholders to provide much education to the ‘wananchi’ on the importance of environmental conservation, the problem of destroying environment persists,” Dr Msengi explained. According to the DC, the problem is also fueled by bad elements in the village, ward and division executive officers who failed in the implementation of their responsibilities. He said some of them actually participate fully in ruining the environment by cutti

Moshi Tour Guide Speaks Out About Being Underpaid

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Moshi tour guides, porters speak out Tourists and their guides during one of the trips to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro   Kilimanjaro climbing is a tough task. For one to trek this snow peaked highest mountain in Africa he has to be physically fit and forbearing. But it is soothing when one manages to climb the mountain up to it’s highest point-the Uhuru Peak (5,895 meters above the sea level),” says Boka wa Boka (not his real name) a tour guide working with one of the Moshi-based Tourism and mountain hiking tour companies. Speaking at different times with the writer of this article on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisal by tour operators some of Mt. Kilimanjaro tour guides and porters said that, in spite of the difficulty of their work, most tourguides and porters are underpaid. This is regardless of the routes they use to reach the peak, explaining “all mount Kilimanjaro routes are hard, but other routes are most hardier that others

MURDER ON EVEREST ON SALE NOW!

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To order your copy now, click HERE For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Kilimanjaro , CLICK HERE Follow Charles Irion on Twitter HERE Friend Charles Irion on Facebook HERE Visit Charles Irion's YouTube channel HERE 

Tulsa Minister Carries 12 Foot Cross To Mt. Kilimanjaro Summit

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  The group at the summit, from                                                          Walker Dean Moore's Facebook page.   Walker Moore carrying the cross on  day 5 of the climb, from his Facebook page.   ARUSHA, Tanzania - A Tulsa minister climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, carrying a 12 foot tall wooden cross, reached the summit Saturday.  Walker Moore is the founder of Awe Star ministries and has traveled all over the world. A lot of his work is in Panama, so the wood for the cross came from there. Then he had people in villages there sign it. "We're just going to take it to the top and I'm just going to say, 'Thank you, Lord, for an incredible journey, an incredible life.' Then we have about 10 minutes at the top and then we have to come back down because of the oxygen deprivation," Moore said when interviewed prior to the climb. Moore is the founder of Awe Star ministries

Murder on Kilimanjaro Audio Book Coming Soon!

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Check it out!  Here is a picture of me recording the intro to Murder on Kilimanjaro!  Get ready, it is coming to you via audio soon!  Catch up on the other books in the series before Murder on Kilimanjaro releases!  Click HERE to order the other audio books. For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Kilimanjaro via Amazon , CLICK HERE Follow Charles Irion on Twitter HERE Friend Charles Irion on Facebook HERE Visit Charles Irion's YouTube channel HERE 

Teenagers Conquer Mount Kilimanjaro for a Good Cause

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Moshi — IRENE Joachim (14) and her young brother Geoffrey Yohana (12) beat all odds and reached the snowcap of Mount Kilimanjaro helping to raise funds for HIV/AIDS orphans. As Irene recalls, around 7.30 a.m. on July 2, after a breathtaking two and half hour walk from Stellar Point on Mount Kilimanjaro she reached Uhuru Peak, 5,895 metres, above sea level. "For a few seconds I totally forgot that I had come along with my young brother, after 15 minutes or so I then saw him coming towards me with the second group and it dawned on me he had also made it. We both made it with assistance from two mountain guides from the ZARA Tanzania Adventures namely, Faustine Chambo and Theophil Karia." she narrated joyfully in an interview at Mweka Gate. The seven day climb up Mount Kilimanjaro through the tough Machame route still seems like a dream to her. "Reaching Uhuru Peak was a dream come true but the actual climb is tough, and I will forever be thankful for the

Oldest Man to Climb Everest

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80-year-old Japanese man becomes oldest to climb Mount Everest Yuichiro Miura (R) poses with his son Gota Miura (L) for photographers during a press conference in Tokyo on March 22. Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- An 80-year-old Japanese man on Thursday became the oldest person to reach the top of Mt. Everest, officials said. Yuichiro Miura reached the top of Everest Thursday morning with his physician son Gota, mountaineering official Gyanendra Shrestha said from the base of Everest. Miura's achievement eclipses that of a Nepali man who climbed Everest at age 76 in 2008. The oldest woman to climb Everest is also a Japanese. She was 73 when she reached the top last year. Miura broke his hip in an accident two years ago, and he underwent heart surgery in January. "I am still healthy and strong. I think I have a good chance to reach the summit of Everest," he said via phone earlier this month. To prepare, Miura walked three times a wee

First Everest climb

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First Everest climbers from US reminisce 4 men reunite 50 years later BERKELEY, Calif. — It might be hard to conceive now, in an era of extreme sports and ultra-light equipment, but there was a time when Americans who set out to conquer mountains engaged in a pursuit that was as lonely as it was dangerous. But four men — Norm Dyhrenfurth, now 94; Jim Whittaker, 84; Tom Hornbein, 82, and Dave Dingman, 76 — remember. The leather boots that stayed wet for weeks. Oxygen canisters that weighed 15 pounds. The shrugs of indifference most of their countrymen gave a half-century ago to what it would take to get a U.S.led mountaineering expedition to the top of Mt. Everest. "Americans when I first raised it, they said, "Well, Everest its been done.  Why do it again?"  Dyhrenfurth recalled Friday as he and three other surviving members of the 1963 expedition gathered in the San Francisco Bay area for a meeting honoring the 50th anni

Seven Year Old Boy Conquers Mt Kilimanjaro

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Moshi, March 4, 2013 — WHILE admitting that getting to the top of Africa's highest peak was not easy, seven-year old Aaryan Balaji from India has just achieved the feat and lived to tell his story. He sets the record for being the youngest climber to reach the Uhuru Summit on the world's tallest free standing mountain after braving the chilly weather, pounding rain and fever-inducing heights. "The paths up the mountain were muddy and slippery, the rains, mist and fog were scary but I was determined and thanks to the experienced guides the mission was successful," said Balaji who already holds a certificate of being the youngest adventurer to scale the Atlas range of mountains peaking at the world's highest point. Balaji may be holding a number of outdoor expedition records but he admits that scaling Mount Kilimanjaro was not easy and he couldn't believe it when he managed to reach the Uhuru Summit at 5,895 metres above sea level. This hasn&

Due To Frostbite Ranulph Fiennes Ends Vinson Massif Climb

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Ranulph Fiennes Unable to Continue Expedition After Developing Frostbite The 68-year-old explorer hoped to become the first person to cross the frozen continent in winter later this year, but pulled out of the journey after suffering the injury during training. A spokesman for the expedition, dubbed the "Coldest Journey on Earth", said Ranulph Fiennes had fallen while skiing in a blizzard and attempted to fix his binding with his bare hands. His five team-mates are attempting to extract him to South Africa, but have agreed to embark on the 2,000-mile without him, beginning on March 21. Tony Medniuk of the Coldest Journey expedition told the BBC: "In seeking to reattach his binding he felt that he couldn't get it on and had to take his glove off in very cold conditions and exposed his hand to snow and as a consequence he has contracted frostbite. "After five years of preparation, a small slip like th

Five things climbing Kilimanjaro taught me about being an entrepreneur

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This is a fantastic article that I though was worth sharing.  I couldn't have said these things better myself.  in Sha When I told people I planned to climb Kilimanjaro, their reactions were similar to when I started a business – a mix of indifference, awe, envy, and subtle questioning of my sanity. I know that many serious climbers don’t consider Kilimanjaro a real climb, but for me reaching 19,340 ft. was an eye-opening experience and proof that I could push my limits. While I was preparing for the climb, the parallels between mountaineering and founding a company became very interesting. While I am not sure if being an entrepreneur made me a better climber, or vice versa, there is tremendous overlap between the personalities of people who want to be entrepreneurs and people who want to climb Kilimanjaro. What separates those who dream of success and those who actually succeed? It really comes down to how you

Murder on Kilimanjaro - New Review

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I'm thrilled to share this new review from one of my favorite reviewers The Midwest Book Review.  Thank you very much to editor-in-chief James A. Cox for a wonderful review! “The country can wait when family is on the line.   “Murder on Kilimanjaro” is an entry into Charles G. Irion & Ronald J. Watkins’ Summit Murder Mystery series.   Scott Devlon is hired to be the president’s guide as he looks for his lost son on the top of Africa’s tallest mountain, Kilimanjaro.   Finding that this guidance job goes beyond being bizarre because it’s for an American president, there may be more that hangs in the balance than a son, a president, or his country.   “Murder on Kilimanjaro” is well worth considering for lovers of mystery and suspense.”   – The Midwest Book Review If you would like to read and review any of the books in my Summit Murder Mystery series or Hell Series, please contact my publicist Jennifer Howell at jennifer@irionbooks.com!  For more information a