Two women from Queensland are celebrating after climbing Africa's highest mountain. But they have an extra reason to be happy because they conquered Mount Kilimanjaro while pushing a wheelbarrow. The triumphant summiteers, Lisa Conyers and Tabitha Knox-Carlson, say extra effort of pushing the wheelbarrow up the mountain was all worth it.
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00:00We do like pushing a wheelbarrow around different parts of Queensland, and we like to do things
00:08with a good purpose, like creating money for a charity, so it kind of all went in together
00:14really, really well.
00:15Who are you raising money for, Tabitha?
00:19So we're raising money for a small school near Arusha, so yeah, they're building some
00:25projects at the moment, a laundry and dining area, so the money will be going straight
00:33to helping that.
00:34You're laughing because you're seeing the pictures as we are.
00:38The Mancula Manjaro, it's a hard climb, I've heard, I haven't done it, but it must have
00:42been incredibly difficult to get that wheelbarrow up there.
00:46How did you do it?
00:48We did help as well from three amazing guides as well, so if we couldn't push it ourselves,
00:55they helped us to lever it, hoist it up over the rocks, and yeah, and if it was too treacherous,
01:01too tricky, like they really want our safety to be first, then they helped us as well,
01:05so yeah, it was amazing teamwork.
01:07We needed them, yeah.
01:08And what was the reaction from other climbers and trekkers as you passed them?
01:14It was a big mixture, most people were really interested and enthralled as to know why,
01:22and some people it was just a bit too much, and they, yes, they didn't ask, but most people
01:30asked and a few people actually donated there and then, which was just wonderful, but yeah.
01:36Fantastic.
01:37So what was it like when you got to the top?
01:39Yay, it was so good.
01:42It was amazing.
01:43It was amazing because it was a very hard challenge, obviously it had never been done
01:46because it is challenging, but the absolute fear, the feeling of joy and euphoria and
01:54success was really amazing that the whole team made it, that was really, really special
01:59and pushed through all their challenges, says Tabitha there, pushing it along at the summit
02:04there, it was pretty gruelling at the top, wasn't it?
02:06How was it for you?
02:08Yeah, I was glad to get up there.
02:11There were moments where I thought, I'm not going to be able to make it.
02:15There's a point between Stella and the summit, Stella Point, where all you can see are the
02:20headlamps, because we did it at night at that stage, of the headlamps just winding through
02:25the windy paths, and it seemed like to go up forever and ever, and that's when I thought,
02:30oh no, and I was not feeling well, I was vomiting and dizzy and breathless and very cold, but
02:40yeah, we made it.
02:41But you did it.
02:42This has done it, this is what, that was number six.
02:45Wow, gosh, it's an amazing achievement.
02:48Plans to take a wheelbarrow elsewhere to raise money?
02:52Yeah, why not?
02:55Back to Chilligo again, we'll go next year as well, but yeah, never know, we might have
03:00started something on Kanavanjara as well.
03:03That's wonderful, congratulations to you both and lovely to chat to you.
03:08You too.