CLIMBING MT. KILIMANJARO - STEVE BENDER & MAGGIE BENDER JOHNSON

Maggie and Steve

 Both Steve (father) and Maggie Bender Johnson (daughter) have impressive curriculum vitaes but came to our Club just to relate their story of how and why they climbed Mr. Kilamanjaro. It was something that they had talked about doing for years - so it was on their "bucket list" so to speak. Actually Steve went to La Sierra High School (a long time ago) and back packed around Ancil Hoffman. The impetus happened when Steve's sister (Maggie's aunt) died of cancer and the trip was meant to honor her life and also to raise funds to fight cancer. They started with the planning a couple of years in advance and started conditioning, getting VISAs, vaccinations etc. Unfortunately, there are no Mountains in California that are higher than 15,000

Reaching the Summit

feet (Mt. Kilamanjaro is 20,000 feet and Africa's highest mountain) so that they couldn't mimic actual condition they were going to face. They called their adventure "Climb over Cancer". Steve and Maggie brought us through their climb with slides and each day of their nine day trip starting from their flight, from San Francisco to Tanzania, through reaching the summit on day 9 at 19,341 feet. They had another climber who went with them, a lady pediatrician, Peggy Wong who became indispensable when Maggie had some altitude related sickness along the way. They took the longest route (the most successful route). They went 50 miles overall and had 13 porters who carried big loads, while the 3 climbers had loads of about 20 pounds. They talked about all the different ecological zones they encountered along the way. They kept a hypobaric tent (I guess for oxygen) and their own commode.
Both Steve and Maggie seemed to speak as if it was not a great ordeal, and, in fact, next year they are going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro again! They raised $18,000 for Leukemia also - they are to be congratulated.
 

Pres. David, Maggie & Steve

President Thorman thanked both Steve and

Maggie for an inpiring and educational

presentation and impressed upon them

that we shall donate a book to the

Carmichael Library in their honor......