Two RCE officer-cadets, pictured at the right - OCdt Fraser Clark and OCdt Jacques Pecora, were among a small group of RMC Cadets who recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and made it to the very top. Here is their story.
By OCdt Jacques D. Pecora, RCE
The Royal Military College of Canada is committed to developing junior officers that lead with distinction for all branches of the Canadian Forces. One way of doing so is to provide Officer Cadets with unique opportunities and challenges. During the Christmas holidays, a group of nine OCdts were sent to Tanzania to climb to the highest point in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro.
After two years of planning and preparation, the group of nine, accompanied by an MWO, had the experience of a lifetime. Mt Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano that sits on the border between Tanzania and Kenya. Its summit, Uhuru peak, towers over the Serengeti at 5895 metres above sea level. After seven days of hiking, the RMC team conquered the summit, but it did not come without its challenges. The greatest of which was acute mountain sickness.
It did not take long for the physically fit group to be humbled by the significant lack of oxygen at high altitude. Acute mountain sickness is the condition that one’s body experiences when lacking oxygen. It has been described as the worst hangover imaginable. The most elegant plan was crafted in order to best acclimatise their bodies, but despite all efforts to prevent its effects, the symptoms of acute mountain sickness had the majority of the team heaving during the final summit push (but not the engineers).
Nonetheless, the team soldiered on, summited the mountain, and made RMC proud. After a safe decent, the team took no time to recover. Instead, a two-day safari in the African jungle was far more appealing. During which, the team explored Tarangire and Ngorongoro national parks.
Of the team’s 10 members, two will proudly be joining the Royal Canadian Engineers as they begin BEOC 1.1 and 1.2 in May of this year.
