Originally written by Chuck Steenburgh in 2013.
Regular readers of the National News know that our students and graduates provide daily examples of ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things. It鈥檚 an important part of National College and 麻豆社鈥檚 missions to prepare students for a full life, in which one is constantly expanding his or her horizons. President Frank Longaker, who began his 鈥渃limb鈥� at National College 41 years ago as an instructor, proved the point in spectacular fashion earlier this year, when at the age of 66 he completed an eight-day trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
At 19,342 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent. Accompanied by 69-year-old Patrick Kennard, a director of institutional planning for National College, President Longaker traveled to the East African nation of Tanzania to accomplish this feat. A lifelong athlete who has competed in triathlons, adventure races, and other endurance sports, President Longaker felt inspired to complete the ascent. By no means a mountain climber, President Longaker was enticed by the climb鈥檚 difficulty, which, while strenuous, did not require technical climbing skills.
The climb itself took eight days鈥攕ix days up, two down鈥攁nd the group was comprised of 14 people, mostly from the United States, plus about 35 Tanzanian porters and guides. One of the biggest challenges of the climb was the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. The first few days of the climb saw the group gradually ascend to 15,000 feet above sea level, where they spent several days traversing the mountain to different camps on the route to the summit. 鈥淎t that altitude, we were not carrying oxygen, so everyone was vulnerable to altitude sickness,鈥� President Longaker stated. The group learned breathing techniques suited for high altitude activities and took pains to avoid over-exertion.
On the day of the summit climb, the group had a light supper and early turn-in, to awake at 11 PM local time. 鈥淲e climbed all night,鈥� related President Longaker. 鈥淲e used headlamps, and just went one foot in front of the other.鈥� The last 4,000 feet, while steep, was largely a zig-zag route of switchback trails.
As the group neared the summit, the sun began to rise in the eastern sky, giving them a dramatic view of the surrounding countryside. 鈥淵ou almost want to stop and watch the sunrise, but you鈥檙e torn by a desire to finish the last few hundred feet to the top,鈥� admitted President Longaker.
After about two hours at the peak, where the group rested, snacked, and took photos, the group descended 4,000 feet back to the base camp they had left the night before, arriving early afternoon, local time. Due to the limited availability of water and supplies, they couldn鈥檛 stay at this base camp for long. After about an hour鈥檚 rest, they continued down the mountain until nightfall. A final day brought them the remainder of the way down the mountain to waiting transportation.
Afterward, the group took a jeep safari to a game preserve on the Serengeti Plain and saw a variety of wildlife鈥斺�渓ions and a wide variety of their prey鈥� as President Longaker put it. Aside from the unusual wildlife, President Longaker remarked upon several aspects of life in Africa. 鈥淚t was a very different standard of living from what we are used to in the United States,鈥� he explained. Stores and shopping centers were few; street vendors were the norm. Agriculture appeared to dominate the economy, with livestock brought out to pasture during the day and returning to the protection of villages overnight. 鈥淭he local Maasai people in the villages outside of the cities [whose warriors are mythically renowned lion hunters] are no longer allowed to kill lions, except to protect their livestock,鈥� said President Longaker. 鈥淗owever, it is still a mark of distinction for a young Maasai warrior to kill a lion protecting his flock.鈥�
A concluding point made by President Longaker was of the reception of his group received from the local populace. 鈥淚n all of the parts of Africa where we engaged, whether it was going through customers, in the cities, in the hotel, in the villages, or the people on the street, I never found anyone who had an unpleasant attitude toward visitors,鈥� he expressed. 鈥淭here was complete friendliness.鈥�
When people think of college and university presidents and their achievements, one typically thinks of contributions they make to education. President Longaker鈥攚ho last year received the Imagine American Foundation鈥檚 Lifetime Achievement Award for his 40 years of service to the career college sector鈥攈as certainly made his mark on the lives of thousands of graduates. It is not every day, however, that you see college presidents鈥攎uch less at the age of 66鈥攕caling 19,000-foot mountain peaks. Yet for President Longaker, this sort of accomplishment is routine. It is this ability to make extraordinary things look routine, in whatever you set out to pursue, that sets National apart.
鈥淥ur students and graduates show the world time and time again that challenges can be overcome, regardless of one鈥檚 age or circumstances,鈥� said President Longaker. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see myself as anything other than an ordinary person, just like them.鈥�
