Seven Bengaluru students scale Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro

Seven teenage boys of a school here recently climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa (19,336 feet), said the school on Sunday.

"Our seven students had set foot on the summit on September 29 after trekking 36 km through the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania during the 10-day expedition (September 24-October 3)," the statement quoted expedition in-charge Captain Mohit as saying.

The seven adventurous students, from classes 9 and 10 of the Indus International School are Siddharth Singh, Tarush Harris, Mihir Kansal, Aryaman Verma, Jasmeher Singh, Rahul Rao and William Joseph.

"The moment I had set foot on the peak, I broke down. I felt honoured and proud that life had presented me with such an opportunity," said Harris in the statement.

Kansal, the first among them to scale the peak, said since childhood, his dream was to pursue extreme sports when he grew up.

"As my goal is to scale seven highest peaks in seven continents, this was one step towards realizing my dream. My joy knew no bounds, when I was given this opportunity," he said.

The expedition team spent the first night in a hut in a rain forest, followed by a two-night halt at Horombu Hut in the grasslands, before ascending.

"The last lap of journey (6 km) was challenging, as we had to negotiate a steep climb to conquer the peak after a 6-7 hours struggle," said Mohit.

The peak is located on the rim of a dormant volcano, with a spectacular view of the crater in the centre and glaciers on the periphery.

"The expedition taught me that I am capable of overcoming pain. I became more self-reliant and independent in the process because in the wilderness, you don't have gadgets or any tools, the environment pushes you to help yourself," said Rao.

The school said its training institute imparts experiential leadership to its wards through outbound sessions to develop risk-taking, problem solving, resilience and self-reliance, and the Kilimanjaro expedition was one of such endeavours.

"We believe in preparing students for life challenges. By providing them with such opportunities, we inspire and motivate them to face challenging situations and develop leadership qualities," said school Principal Sarojini Rao in the statement.

--IANS

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