Vusi Shabalala, the fire fighter, sits at the head of the table as all the teenage burns survivors who climbed Mt Cameroon in January 2011, enjoyed a delicious celebratory meal at moyo Zoo Lake in Johannesburg. They toasted the health of Christian Tchintcha, their Cameroonian colleague, who could not be with them.







There are many steps to take before one climbs a mountain. First one needs to know what a mountain really is and why people climb them. What better way to imagine that, than to invite two South Africans who have already climbed to the top the world, to explain the hardships and the exhilaration of having climbed Mt Everest.
In July 2010 several teenage would-be Mt Cameroon climbers and lots of the younger burns survivors, listened to an inspiring talk about what real climbing involves.
In addition to that, a vulcanologist from the University of the Witwatersrand came and told them all about volcanoes around the world, the different types that exist and how they occur. Because Mt Cameroon is a slumbering volcano that might wake up at any time.







The pictures were taken in May-July 2010 when Michael Wessels and Tristan Jones went to Cameroon to make arrangements and climb the mountain as a test run.



One the slope of Mt. Cameroon at around 2000m



Tristan Jones blowing his vuvuzela upon arrival at the "Magic Tree"



Michael Wessels at the "Magic Tree"



Michael and Tristan at the very cold, misty and windy summit of Mt. Cameroon at 4095m.



The view of the nearby village Buea off the mountain



Michael in the rainforests on the descend of the climb



Tristan in rainforest



Michael at the Bonamoussadi Presbyterian Church in Douala where the teenagers will be staying for part of their stay in Cameroon



Tristan with Reverend Fonki of the Bonamoussadi Presbyterian Church

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

South African candidates for Cameroon trip

Mt Cameroon Expedition Proposal