jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
In his 17 seasons as wrestling coach at Peters Township High School, Dale Murdock used numerous ways to motivate his wrestlers.
From time to time, he's implored them to try to reach the pinnacle in their sport.
This summer, he had the unique opportunity to follow that advice. Murdock and three friends scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, the 19,340-foot mountain located in northeast Tanzania on the continent of Africa.
"It was spectacular," said the 59-year-old Murdock, who made the trip with John Buckley, 53, his son Brian Buckley, 23, and Jerry Luxbacher, 55.
Murdock and Buckley retired from teaching at Peters Township but still coach in the youth league. Luxbacher is a teacher at Peters Township but recently retired from a highly successful stint as a soccer coach.
Murdock and friends have been making an annual hiking trip for more than two decades. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was actually a byproduct of another vacation idea.
"We were talking about it and I said that I always I wanted to see the Serengeti," Murdock said of the wildlife region that extends from northwest Tanzania to southwest Kenya. "Then, we thought about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro."
The group made a reservation with one of the travel agencies that specializes in organizing these types of trips. The flight had stops in Detroit and Amsterdam before arriving in Tanzania. Bad weather forced a layover in Amsterdam, but even that delay went well.
"They put us up for the night at whatever hotel we wanted," Murdock said. "We took the metro to downtown Amsterdam and a three-hour tour on a canal boat. Then, we sat outside, drank some Amstel and watched the world go by."
Once in Tanzania, Murdock's group began their conquest of Mt. Kilimanjaro. All they needed was their sleeping bag and any personal items to make the 71/2-day trek. They were accompanied by a head guide, two assistant guides, and 10 porters who carried their equipment.
"They provided the tents and the food," Murdock said. "We ate surprisingly well, real well actually. It was tremendous, fresh made each day. It was more than I normally ate in a day. The soup was outstanding."
The group made a was a slow, methodical ascent so as to acclimate themselves to the change in the oxygen levels. It took 51/2 days to go up and 11/2 days to come down.
"We climbed at night because the mountain is frozen that high up. You also don't overheat. It was 19 degrees at the top."
Murdock's group hit the peak just as the sun was coming up in the east. That was when Murdock made a common mistake for first-time hikers to this place.
"I turned and yelled some encouraging words and I ended up with a cough for three weeks," said Murdock. "The air is so thin that I ruptured some blood vessels in my lungs."
The hikers were only allowed to spend a half hour at the top because of the air pressure. The descent was the most difficult part, Murdock said, because it was easy to slip on the gravel.
"It was real hard on the knees because it's not even," Murdock said. "Plus, you're tired and hot. It's a grind, the hardest part."
Murdock said the tour cost about $2,700, excluding the air fare. Rates rise with add-ons to the package.
"One of the things they asked us was to donate any extra gear we had at the end," Murdock said. "The gear is as good as money there."
Murdock's tour company was using mostly donated equipment from previous tours. American money is difficult to spend in the wilds of Tanzania. There was no telling how long it would take to replace equipment that was lost or stolen.
Murdock said this trip topped his list of vacation destinations. Others that were memorable were a trip to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine, a train trip to Banff National Park near Alberta, Canada, and a trip to Isle Royale National Park at the northwest corner of Lake Superior.
"I guess the only problem now," Murdock said, "is what do we do to top this next year."