Kevin Gormley (80) becomes the oldest Irish person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Kevin Gormley (80) becomes the oldest Irish person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro




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Grandfather of seven, Kevin Gormley (80) has become the oldest Irish person to reach the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic mountain in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free standing mountain in the world.

Gormley talked about how the altitude affects your body and mind, he said: “I collapsed twice it was that difficult, I couldn’t talk at times”.

Describing his experience, Gormley said: “We got to the summit as the sun was rising. It was such a euphoric feeling. We could see for miles and miles around. The adrenalin was pumping and we forgot about our tiredness”.

Speaking about his accomplishment, Gormley said: “It’s always something I wanted to do. I didn’t really have any mountaineering before this apart from climbing Carauntoohil and a few other small mountains. I would walk from the city centre out to Stillorgan a good bit but that’s the height of it”.

Gormley said: “I want it to be an inspiration to my seven grandchildren”.

The current record for the oldest man and woman to climb Mount Kilimanjaro is held by Martin Kafer (85) and Esther Kafer (84), a couple from Vancouver, Canada, who claimed the title in 2012.

 

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