<Seattle-Mountaineers club; (from the left) adviser Jae-In Hong, president Chul-Woong Yu, and leader Chang-Young Kim are explaining plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next month>
The eleven members of Seattle-Mountaineers going on a climb next month
President Chul-woong Lee, “Anyone who wants to join regular hikes every Saturday is welcome”
Fearless Korean-American mountaineers in Seattle challenge themselves to Mount Kilimanjaro.
With a height of 5,895m above sea level, Mt. Kilimanjaro is known as the highest peak in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on earth. Trekking on Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain amateurs are fully capable of climbing, is considered an item on the bucket list of everyone who makes the journey.
The eleven members of the Seattle Mountaineers club are doing the climb over 12 days, starting Dec. 10th and going until the 22nd. Jae-In Hong, a renowned rock climber from Empor Alpine club in Korea, an experienced climber of high altitude hikes, is taking the role of expedition leader on the Kilimanjaro hike. Three sisters, Ok-Lang Kim, Helen Lee, and Bok-Lang Kim, and Chang-Young Kim, who is a head of Route A, and Hae-Jin Lee, the former president of this club, are included make up part of the eleven member team. The ages of the team members range from 60s to 70s.
“Altitude sickness is considered the biggest concern since Kilimanjaro is 1,500m higher than Mt. Rainier which rises to 4,392m,” says Hong, “but all of the members have managed to train themselves for high altitude regions over the last year.”
Since 2005 when the club was established, this climb is the tenth one abroad or to in other states. They have already reached the Kala Patthar peak of Mt. Everest, the three most beautiful peaks of the Alps, Canadian Rockies, and Grand Canyon.
After they complete the trekking and safari to Mount Kilimanjaro, they are set next to climb Mt Everest in March next year. Other ambitious plans include the Ancient Tea Road in China, the Alps in Europe, and Yosemite.
The Seattle-Mountaineers club, established for the purpose of bringing Korean alpinists together, has a membership of 365, and is the biggest Korean American social group on the West Coast. In order to train bodies and spirits and strengthen solidarity, they join three different groups with different trekking terrains depending on individual levels or experiences.
“We strengthen solidarity, sacrificing spirits, and brotherhood as we climb together every Saturday,” says Yoo, a president of the club, “we welcome anyone who loves hiking regardless of age or gender.”
