Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro: ‘Worse Than Childbirth’

That’s the verdict Gayle MacDonald comes to, after making the climb with 11 other middle-aged Canadian moms. Her recent story in the Globe and Mail, which is heavy on the ugly details, doesn’t exactly make me eager to try taking on Kilimanjaro myself, but it does make for a fun read about an unlikely group of people breaking from their routines and rising to a challenge. Here’s a sample:

On the day I leave, my parents arrive to help with the kids. I hand them a 10-page note, detailing car pools, pick-up times for schools, directions to half a dozen hockey arenas, guitar lessons and orthodontist appointments. My mom looks at my 23-kilogram duffel bag and somewhat grim demeanour, clearly thinking this fully grown woman—who is afraid of heights—is out of her mind.

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