What happens to a dream deferred? A question posed by the poet Langston
The view from the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro taken by local businessman Cooper Van Cott when he reached the summit in January.
Hughes is no longer pondered by local businessman Cooper Van Cott.
Van Cott fulfilled a goal of his and his brother, the late Forrest Van Cott, when he reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa in early January.
Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and Van Cott chose to make the trek to honor his brother Forrest and to raise money for a scholarship that has been established in his name through the Community Foundation.
Forrest was an avid hiker who hiked much of the Appalachian Trail as well as 23 other high points across the United States and dreamed of climbing Kilimanjaro.
“We had talked about doing it together but it never happend,” said VanCott.
So, Cooper decided that he would make the trip and arranged it with Ultimate Kilimanjaro a touring company based in Las Vegas. He arrived in Tanzania just after the new year and departing for the summit on January 3.
Grouped with six other hikers and group of support staff they began the arduous task to summit the mountain, which at its peak stands at 19,341 feet.
Van Cott explained that the experience draws the hikers together.
“The group I went with was like a family,” said Van Cott. “You basically spend 24/7 with everyone. You ate together, walked together.”
Braving the elements was the part of the journey as the cold temperatures and wind test the hikers resolve.
“The wind is a constant 25 miles per hour, with gusts of 35,” explained Van Cott. “And it’s three degrees!”
Van Cott purchased several pairs of mittens valued at over $100 for the trip because getting cold hands and feet were his biggest fear.
“The coldest I got was when I helped a young man put his ice spikes on,” explained Van Cott. “His hands were too cold, so I helped to put his spikes on and and then my hands were cold.”
Another obstacle Van Cott noted is the height of the mountain and its effects on the body.
“Altitude is the biggest challenge, half the people quit because of the altitude,” said Van Cott.
He noted that at one point a fellow hike began to bleed out of her ears.
“That was another concern of mine, as I sometime have issues with nose bleeds,” said Van Cott.
The trip was twofold for Van Cott. It was not only fulfilling he and his brother’s goal of climbing Kilimanjaro it also served as a fundraiser for a fund set up by the Van Cott family with the Community Foundation that will help establish a scholarship in Forrest’s name and will fund programs through the South New Milford Baptist church that were special to Forrest.
Forrest who suffered from tinnitus, committed suicide in February 2018. Some of the proceeds raised will go toward programs dedicated to raising awareness of both suicide and tinnitus, a condition that causes extreme ringing in the ears.
However, a majority will fund the scholarship and through clients and friends Cooper was able to raise over $12,000.
“I funded my trip myself, so the $12,000 raised goes toward the scholarship and the programs,” said Van Cott noting that the programs include sponsoring different missionary projects associated with the church and Bancroft Bible Camp in Tennessee.
While not physically accompanying him on the climb Cooper felt Forrest’s presence during the journey and after reaching the summit Cooper spread some of Forrest’s ashes that he carried with him.
“He was looking down on me and was a part of me through it,” reflected Cooper.
Donations can be made in Forrest VanCott’s name to the Community Foundation in Montrose or the South New Milford Baptist Church.
Be the first to comment on "Conquering Kilamanjaro"