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Roxy GetterEight-year-old American girl climbs to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- The American 8-Year-Old Who Conquered Mount Kilimanjaro
- A Family Adventure
- Preparation and Challenges
- Overcoming Obstacles
- Invaluable Experience
The American 8-Year-Old Who Conquered Mount Kilimanjaro
As part of a family vacation to Africa, eight-year-old Roxy became the youngest female climber to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.
While vacationing in Tanzania, the American family decided to embark on a trek to Africa's highest mountain. Along with her parents, eight-year-old daughter Roxy and ten-year-old son Ben agreed to participate.
A Family Adventure
"I can't say enough about her," said Roxy's father, Bobby Getter. "She never quit, never complained, and it just blew my mind and made me so happy for her."
"It felt pretty awesome to say, 'I was the one at the top,'" remarked the young mountaineer.
Roxy and her family, including 10-year-old brother Ben, from Punta Gorda, Fla., successfully ascended the 19,341-foot (5895-meter) mountain during a transformative family excursion.
Bobby revealed that while on safari, a friend suggested they consider hiking Africa's highest stratovolcano.
Preparation and Challenges
"I wouldn't say we were confident but we love to hike," said Sara Getter, Bobby's wife. "When we lived in Arizona, we hiked all the time, but it's a lot harder to do in Florida. We compensate as much as we can. We do stairs, we do bikes, and we do a lot of long walks."
Sarah also mentioned that because Roxy and Ben both have heart murmurs, the children were cleared by a cardiologist before embarking on the trek.
Spending the night in the wilderness was new for the family, but that didn't deter the amateur mountaineers from spending nearly a week on the mountain.
Overcoming Obstacles
"It's dark, it's cold, it's windy, you're filthy, you haven't showered in a week, you're sleeping in a tent," recalled Bobby. "But I will say that the people that were part of our group played such a huge role in getting us through it. They kept our spirits up the whole time, singing songs, talking to us, keeping things light."
The patriarch of the family also noted that his son Ben was arguably the most resilient of the group. Even while both parents were struggling to breathe at the top of Kilimanjaro, he maintained his upbeat spirits.
Invaluable Experience
While the climb undoubtedly tested their nerves and physical endurance, Sarah expressed that the experience was invaluable for her family.
"We weren't sure if we could do it," she added. "But we worked together as a family and we just put one foot in front of the other and made it to the top. There were so many life lessons learned, especially for the kids. They learned about continuing to go even when things get hard."
