Delmar couple to climb Kilimanjaro along with tennis star for charity
A week from now, Linda and David Burtis will be Africa, setting off on what is likely to be a difficult and extraordinary journey.
The Delmar couple are aiming to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, one of the highest points on the planet, along with an international expedition that includes a tennis star, Olympic athletes and a German paralympic cyclist who will be attempting to make the climb on prosthetic legs. A film crew will be tagging along to document the journey.
As Linda Burtis puts it, the opportunity to climb Kilimanjaro dropped out of the sky.
Experienced trekkers, climbing the Tanzanian peak is an item that’s long been on the couple’s minds. While watching tennis with her grandkids, Linda heard the announcer mention tennis star Martina Navratilova would be making the climb. A bit of Internet navigation later, the Burtises were reserving their slots as the only Americans in that expedition.
`The short answer is it was meant to be,` Linda Burtis said. `I heard about it, I checked it out… They had no Americans, so they were happy to have us sign up.`
Navratilova and the Burtises are raising money for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation of America, an organization that offers sporting opportunities to underprivileged youth. For Linda Burtis it’s a familiar cause`during her time running the Delmar Tennis Academy she tried to do the same thing with tennis.
The couple is paying their own way for the trip, so donations all go to the nonprofit.
`People have a positive reaction to the kind of charity it is because it’s for disadvantaged kids who have a tough life,` David Burtis said. `Sports is a very leveling kind of activity. It doesn’t matter what your background is.`
Before heading to the mountain, the trip will head to Naorobi to visit one of Laureus’ programs there, followed by a reception at the U.S. embassy.
The two recently climbed to the top of the Bank of America Tower along with Navratilova to fundraise for the Laureus Foundation. It was a small preview of the climbing they’ll be doing with the tennis star in December and a chance to meet some of the kids the foundation benefits.
The Burtises have set a fundrainsing goal of $6,000, and had made it just over halfway there with less than three weeks until they board a plane to head to Africa.
`I’d like to reach my goal of $6,000, and I’m very hopeful I’ll reach my goal by the time we leave,` Linda Burtis said.
Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent, making it one of the seven summits many serious climbers endeavor to conquer in their lifetimes.
Neither Linda or David are on a quest to join that ultra-exclusive club, but at over 19,300 feet the summit of Kilimajaro will be the highest point on earth either have stood should they make it up next month (by comparison, New York’s highest point, atop Mt. Marcy, is 5,343 feet). The altitude presents its own unique challenges. At such heights altitude sickness can strike climbers, potentially causing problems ranging from headaches and insomnia to life threatening internal hemorrhaging. Both Linda and David have been above 13,000 feet in the western U.S. and handled it fine, but this time they’ll be staying up for much longer.
To prepare for the trials of a long and difficult journey, the couple has been training every day and taking excursions into the Adirondacks, Berkshires, Catskills and Green Mountains on the weekends.
`It’s going to be something way out of what I’ve normally done,` said David Burtis. `There’s going to be pushing myself, and that’s going to be exciting.`
But one thing about Kilimanjaro that attracts climbers the world over is that despite its great height, it’s not a technically demanding hike. Still, it will take the expedition a full week to get up and down.
`Some of the trips go up much more quickly…so we’re very positive that we’ll be able to acclimatize and handle it as best as we can,` Linda Burtis said.
But getting the body ready is only half of the equation. Keeping a positive mental outlook can be just as important in achieving success, said Linda Burtis, and she hopes folks at home will support the expedition not only with donations, but with well wishes.
`It would be great to have the spirit of Delmar helping our life’s climb,` she said.
They’ll be getting some local support on Dec. 11, summit day, when Pat Humphries will be performing at Proctor’s in Schenectady. She’ll sing her song `Kilimanjaro` and encourage the audience to sing as well and send their thoughts to the climbers.
To read the Burtis’ blog or donate to the fundraising effort, visit burtisandkilimanjaro.blogspot.com.“
