T. Falls man heading back to Kilimanjaro to raise awareness

Some people thrive on challenges, for the simple reason that when they conquer them, it makes them feel alive. Thompson Falls resident Joshua Allday must be one of those people. There is no other explanation for his planned expedition to hike to the 19,341-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro...for his second time.

Allday isn't simply doing this for his own glory. The purpose of the trek is to raise awareness and find sponsors for children living in poverty. "This is a sponsorship trip," he stated, sharing that his team has 400 kids they want to see sponsored.

Allday has joined a 23-person team underwritten by World Vision, a Christian-based group who works to aid impoverished communities. On this team, four members will be from Allday's original, 10-person Kilimanjaro team who first hiked to the summit six years ago, in 2012.

"It was amazing." he said of the expedition, "I was the hardest physical thing I have ever done. It takes tons of determination."

He explained that simply standing, without moving, at that elevation feels like one would feel after a full-on sprint from Town Pump to Thompson Falls Trading Post. "Imagine the way the body feels after doing that, and that is just standing still at 20,000 feet!" he exclaimed. "The lungs burn, your nauseous, have a headache, hear thumping in your ears. Your body wants you to quit."

That's why Allday has been on a strict 14-week training regimen to physically prepare himself for the jaunt.

On Mondays he completes six to 10 Yasso runs. He runs as hard as possible for 800 meters, recovers for 400 meters and runs right back into sprinting another 800 meters. Tuesdays are lower body and core workout day. Wednesday, he does a yoga or stretching routine. On Thursday he runs 6 kilometers (the 6-kilometer run is symbolic of the distance Ethiopian girls walk to fetch clean water. World Vision plays a significant role in providing clean water to poverty-stricken areas because having accessible, potable water reduces the chances of these girls suffering from human trafficking, violence and abuse). Fridays, Allday works the upper body and core. Saturdays he does a combined run and hike totaling 14 miles. And Sunday, is a recovery day. A day off.

Allday left for Tanzania last Friday, and began his ascent on Monday, July 9. His team will spend four days ascending to the summit and two days descending. The day the team will reach the summit, they begin hiking at midnight. At around 6 a.m. they should reach the rim. They will then have two-and-a-half miles left to reach Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro, where current weather conditions are...snow.

"It takes so long to hike those two-and-a-half miles," Allday painstakingly stated. Dehydration, altitude sickness, exhaustion and hallucinations slow the pace at this point. They will reach the summit, spend a brief amount of time there, and begin their descent. They are expected to arrive at their basecamp (at 12,000 feet in elevation) around dinner time that same day.

Allday received a call recruiting him to this second ascent in January from a friend who he hiked with on his last Kilimanjaro ascent. He said that it took him until February to decide that he would accept the challenge.

"I am pumped about it," Allday said with confidence. "Last time I was nervous, last time I was more physically ready, but this time I am more mentally ready."

When his journey to Uhuru is complete, Allday will spend one week in Uganda, reaching out to people living in underprivileged communities. Some of his fellow teammates will join him in visiting Uganda's Area Development Projects (ADPs), while the others will visit ADPs in Kenya. World Vision develops and assigns sponsorships and funding for ADPs, which can range from providing healthcare, clean water, education, economic and agricultural developments and child protection, according to Allday.

It is here where the true purpose of the adventure lays.

To find more information on World Vision visit http://www.worldvision.org. If interested in sponsoring a child through the efforts of Allday's team, visit http://www.worldvision.org/joshallday.