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Two determined employees of one of Bahrain’s major banks are hoping to climb their way up the career ladder and use the experience of trekking their way to the summit of a mountain peak as a path to personal development.
And, to prove their loyalty to their employers, Gulf International Bank, they even planted a flag at 5,895m above sea level on Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
Anthony Rea, 53, and Dominic Dunne, 47, have shared a diary of their exploits with GulfWeekly and hope that their mountaineering exploits will inspire others to reach for their dreams in and out of the workplace.
The two soared to the summit of Kilimanjaro following an eight-day trek last October as they marked GIB’s modernisation by planting the company’s logo at the highest point.
Anthony, an Englishman who has been in Bahrain for three years and works in the strategy and change office, said: “GIB was involved in a huge project to change the bank’s systems to one that spanned multiple countries and improved the infrastructure.
“Both Dominic and myself, along with the rest of the team, had devoted a huge amount of personal effort, pride and determination to hit the target date so we decided to mark the lofty occasion by reaching lofty heights too!”
Dominic, an Irishman who has been in Bahrain for five years and works in the finance department, said that Kilimanjaro represented the perfect challenge.
He explained: “It’s the highest free-standing mountain in the world, so it stands tall, stands out and stands strong. It seemed like a perfect fit for GIB.”
The two adventurers were initially just colleagues and casual acquaintances, but quickly became close friends on their expedition. So much so, that they pooled together their thoughts and produced a detailed diary of their climb, with in-depth descriptions summarising each day.
After a long day’s travel from Bahrain and finally arriving in Tanzania they were ready for the great adventure. At the crack of dawn the next morning, the two bade farewell to ‘a very good friend … the shower!’ and started their climb. They began at Lemosho Gate (2,424m) and trekked to Forest Camp (2,821m) which was a total distance of 4.5km.
Day 2 saw the group hike to Shira 1 Camp (3,508m) across the Shira Ridge, while Day 3 saw a deluge that soaked them to the bone on the way to Moir Hut (4,166m).
Day 4 was when the going really got tough, as Dominic and Anthony acclimatised to the altitude by circumnavigating the mountain rather than work upwards straight away. The weather was freezing and they were pounded by a hailstorm, which encouraged the duo to pound forward towards Pofu Camp (3,998m) as quickly as possible.
Day 5 was quiet and dry, which was perfect preparation for the final push to come. This started on Day 6 with a steep climb to School Hut (4,722m) before the big day, Day 7, which would see the team reach the summit.
The two described the experience best in their diary:
‘The night of Day 6, our plan was to wake up around 23:00-00:00 to begin our assault on the summit. We got very little sleep and all were wide awake by 11pm. After a final meal and gear check – five top layers and three bottom layers of clothing – we were ready to go.
‘The combination of a clear sky, a full moon and the biting cold air made for a perfect start. At this height our lungs can only fill with 40 per cent of air and every step we took made us breathless. Drinking water requires several breaths to be taken before a sip is attempted. Any mistake on the sequence caused us to gasp for air.’
For seven hours they climbed, the group and the guides, until they finally reached the first summit of Gilman’s Point.
They explained in the diary ‘The final rocky trek to Gilman’s was beyond our comprehension. Nothing in our lives had prepared us for what was ahead. Nothing except a steely determination to go on. One foot in front of the other.
‘We persevered somehow and after some very long soul and body-searching hours, we came to the first summit. We thanked the guides, had ‘high fives’ all-round and cried. We celebrated with a cherry-flavoured Red Bull to get the adrenaline flowing for the short push to the ultimate summit, Uhuru Peak (5,895m), which we then achieved’.
After taking a few snaps and enjoying the amazing views while soaking in their achievement, they began a nine-hour descent.
On reflection, Anthony and Dominic see their journey as one of the highlights of their lives. Anthony said: “It was far more amazing than even we expected. Both of us are experienced project managers: ‘Plan, Prepare and Execute’ is our mantra. We prepare for the unexpected and when the going gets tough, we get going.
“We trained in Bahrain, Ireland, Hungary and Oman. However, all our training and preparations left us during the final overnight assault on the summit. It was like 10 marathons in a row with no oxygen to breathe, the last bird we saw was two kilometres below us!
“But our teamwork, coupled with each other’s grit and determination enabled us to achieve our goal and put the GIB flag on the summit. In the whole history of mankind, only 380,000 people have made it to the top of Kilimanjaro and now we can join that pantheon.
“The true scale of our accomplishment came after our flight took off on the way home. When our plane had levelled off, we could see Kilimanjaro for the last time. It was still higher than our plane! There was nothing in our lives that compared to our sense of achievement upon seeing that.”
The journey doesn’t stop here though; Dominic has already climbed up to Everest Base Camp since his African adventure. Who knows, if GIB undergoes any more major overhauls, he may have to attempt that summit too.
