Lankan who climbed Kilimanjaro now aiming at Everest

Ruwini Jayawardana

Sri Lankan born Huzam Kalam who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro now aims to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Kalam, born in Sri Lanka and employed in Dubai climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the largest stratovolcanoes in the world, reaching 19,340 feet into the air. Situated in Tanzania and lying three degrees below the equator Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world.

Kalam who had previously climbed Kirigalpotta and had been to Sinharaja and World’s End said that the idea of climbing Kilimanjaro had not been in his list till recently. He now vies to make it to the top of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

“There is no limit to nature’s splendours. Many people complain that either have no time or do not live in the right setting to enjoy the beauty of nature. They are cooped up in a technology driven environment. This setting is no barrier for nature lovers. You can start by visiting the city park and gradually expand your adventurous streak,” he said.

“The Kandyan environment sparked my passion for nature and adventure. My father believes that youths should be encouraged to explore nature. He wanted me to engage in studies as well as learn how to climb trees,” Kalam, 26, said.

Out of the six trekking routes Huzam and his team which consisted of four foreign nationals took the Marangu route. They made it to the crater rim also known as Gilmans point (5681 m) on August 4 at 6:30 am and the highest point in the crater namely Uhuru peak (5895 m) at 8:35 am.

Trekking the mountain is a physically demanding task and many are forced to abandon the trek. It is recorded that around 10 deaths are reported annually during the attempts.