On June 18, an odd looking group of mismatched mountain climbers started up Morro Peak. They were young, older, fit, not-so-fit, local, from Edmonton, missing legs, limping – but they were all there for the same goal. 

A group of every-day people used Jasper’s Morro Peak as a team building exercise to help work towards their bigger goal – to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in August in support of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. The climbers are hoping to help raise funds for a new orthopaedic surgery unit that will specialize in hip and knee replacements and be a hub of innovation in orthopaedics, and for the clinic in Tanzania near Kilimanjaro. The goal is to raise more than $500,000 to benefit Alberta’s orthopaedic care with help from the climbers, their fundraising efforts and corporate sponsors. 

It was the group’s first attempt up a mountain, and things went well – although some climbers had difficulty with the heavy backpacks, said Michael Chevalier, communications officer for the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation.

“Not everybody was prepared for Morro Peak,” Chevalier said. 

Four of the group’s members are current and former members of the Canadian Forces who were injured during their tours of duty in Afghanistan. The soldiers – Warrant Officer Quinn Beggs, Cpl. Mark Fuchko, Cpl. Lucas Mullens and Cpl. Dallas White – all joined on to support the Royal Alexandra Hospital because they learned the importance of orthopaedic units during their recoveries. 

The Morro Peak climb was the groups’ first in a single file and with their backpacks. The peak is similar to some of Kilimanjaro’s challenges, but certainly not nearly as long, Chevalier said. 

The group’s guide said the morraine scramble at the top of Morro is very similar to what the climbers will experience on Kilimanjaro. 

The mountain, also called the Rooftop of Africa, stands at 5,895 metres. The group will begin their ascent on Aug. 8 and is expected to complete the journey by Aug. 19. 

The Jasper hike will be the last actual climb the group does together before tackling Kilimanjaro, but there will be a few other events such as Soldier for a Day, where the group will get together for some team building activities at the Edmonton garrison.