There are some deals which last for years and years, until to be delivered.
This is the case of Angela Vorobyova, the 86-years-old woman who managed to climb the Kilimanjaro, establishing the new Guinness World Record, in order to keep a promise made 70 years ago.
Angela, currently a retired teacher from Ulan-Ude, comes from a eastern Russian city in to the Republic of Buryatia, where she lived with her family and her two sisters: Vera, the youngest, and Lida, the oldest. But, when Angela was a young girl, Lida died tragically of a dramatic pneumonia at only 12 years old. Considering their strong connection, this has been a huge blow for her, marking her for life. But before Lida’s death, the two sisters swore a sort of vow: to travel all around the world together.
“Lida was older than I, she was born in 1923 and died of pneumonia. She lived only 12 years and 4 days. I loved her.”
She left the camp at 9.45 am on the 24th of October arrived at the summit (Uhuru) on October 29th at 6.15 am. This extraordinary adventure included also her sister Vera, 62, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, with the support of Elias Masave and Shabani Svahele, guides with experience in Kilimanjaro more than 15 years.
Although the effort could be incredibly hard even for the most talented climber, she never thought to give up, even if the circumstances were such that she did temporarily lose her voice during the ascent.
“I had never thought about turning back,” she told. “At an altitude of 4,000 meters, we even danced the tango with our guide. And at 5,000 meters we saw the sunrise. Sunrise above the clouds. That’s impressive. I had lost my voice, and I couldn’t speak, but to turn back? No, I did not even think about it.’”
Furthermore during the climb, she handled the thin air fairly well over the seven-day trek, never needing supplemental oxygen or even a first aid kit. But finally, when they achieved the top of Kilimangiaro, the tiredness left space to emotion, join and happiness.
“October 29 – the day when I went to the (highest summit on Kilimanjaro) Uhuru Peak – was the day of her birth. I dedicated this climb to her.” she commented to Siberian Times later.
In addition, the Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the fastest ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro on crutches: in fact she managed to climb to the top in 4 days 20 hours 30 minutes, beating John Sandford Hart’record (UK) from 24 to 29 October 2009.
“Traveling is not only the cognition of the world, it’s more about the cognition of yourself, what you can, what are you worth in this life,” she said.
We cannot be surprised up to this courage, especially if we take account of this brilliant perspective of life. Angela Vorobyova, the oldest woman in the world who reached the top of Kilimangiaro, taught us that every kind of obstacle is ephemeral when our aims are stronger than any fear we can feel.
“Eighty years ago I made a promise to my sister, Lida, that I would travel for both of us.”
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