Happy, but also at a loss for words. That鈥檚 how Jude Jackson relates his feelings after having summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest peak in Africa.  

He was on the trip of a lifetime, accompanied by his parents, Shannon and Aubrey Jackson of Williams Lake, B.C.  

The last of five children to be living in the family home, Jude鈥檚 parents wanted to celebrate with their son as he entered the 12th grade and inched closer to life on his own.  

Several months after their return, and with graduation now fast approaching, Jude told the Tribune he didn鈥檛 quite know how to process the whole experience.  

The 17-year-old Lake City Secondary student had initially suggested the family go on a safari, but the trip grew into much more.   

鈥淭he trip got bigger and bigger,鈥� Shannon said in an interview with the Tribune.  

A stopover in Italy becomes a vacation of its own 

Travelling to African countries, the Jacksons learned, is no simple matter. Vaccines and visas need to be sorted, and when you add hiking up a mountain 5,895 metres above sea level, you鈥檝e suddenly got much more to think about.  

They needed to 鈥渁cclimatize鈥� before their long climb, so on their way to Africa they stopped for a week in Italy.  

鈥淚 just kept saying it's just a stopover, but we ended up doing quite a lot as well,鈥� Shannon said.  

The jetlag slowed the family down a bit, but it didn鈥檛 stop them from keeping busy every day of their visit. A daily dose of irresistible gelato, pastries, cheese and prosciutto also didn鈥檛 hurt.  

The Jacksons spent four nights in Florence, and three in Rome. Aubrey celebrated his birthday with his family while visiting the Accademia Gallery of Florence and seeing Michael Angelo鈥檚 Statue of David with his own eyes.  

Aubrey said he was swept away by the history and culture he encountered left and right while in Italy, especially when visiting Siena, where they glimpsed colourful festivities leading up to the Palio.  

A centuries-long tradition, the Palio is a horse race involving 10 of the city鈥檚 17 remaining 鈥榗ontrade,鈥� communities with deep historical ties whose members wear their emblems proudly.  

鈥淚t absolutely fascinates me, and I want to witness it from beginning to end,鈥� Aubrey said about the Palio.  

The family visited all the highlights around Tuscany, then travelled to Rome via a fast train which moves at a maximum speed of 300 kilometres an hour. Their hotel room in the country鈥檚 capital overlooked parts of the Roman Forum, and they could see the Colosseum from the terrace.  

Gorillas, and shifting perspectives

Shannon told the Tribune climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has been a dream of hers for at least 25 years, so she didn鈥檛 expect a trek into the forest to see some gorillas would outshine the thrill of fulfilling her dream.  

But as she thought about the trip, she told the Tribune the moments she spent in the deep forest, wearing a mask and keeping a small distance while visiting a family of gorillas, was probably the highlight of the trip for her.  

鈥淚 was just blown away,鈥� she said.  

There would be no gorillas on the safari they planned for in Kenya, but just next door in Uganda鈥檚 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park resides about half of the world鈥檚 population of mountain gorillas. So, Uganda was their next stop. 

There was no guarantee they would encounter gorillas. Nevertheless, the Jacksons walked through the dense forest for about an hour with a small group of guides and tourists, hoping to get lucky.  

鈥淣ext thing you know, we see one up in the tree and then there's another one right beside my dad," Jude recounted.  

"It was unbelievable I've never experienced anything like that in my life and I don't expect to again,鈥� Shannon said. 

The family learned about conservation efforts in the 90s which meant an entire community of people who called the forest their home was displaced; good for the gorillas, not so good for the Batwa.  

鈥淏asically, the Batwa people are now like squatters on their own land,鈥� Shannon said. The family wanted to ensure the Batwa would benefit from their tourist dollars, so they booked a locally-owned tour in their community. 

鈥淚t was a really intense cultural experience...but it felt like the most authentic cultural experience we had on our whole trip,鈥� Shannon reflected. Aubrey said the Batwa encouraged them to share their experience to bring more tourism to the community.  

As they drove through the region, many waved and smiled, and children often chased after their vehicle. It was heartening to see how welcoming and friendly people were, though difficult.  

鈥淚 found the people in Uganda out of all of our travels, the most gracious...they're just beautiful people, really friendly and welcoming,鈥� Shannon said. 

鈥榃e put our lives in their hands鈥� 

Tanzania was next, where the family spent a week climbing up the snow-capped volcano known as Mount Kilimanjaro. They added the hike to their trip because it was just next door to Kenya and Uganda and had been a long-time dream of Shannon鈥檚.  

They were accompanied by a team of 13 experienced locals from Kilimanjaro Amazing 鈥� one lead guide, one assistant guide, one cook, one personal assistant and nine porters.  

鈥淲e put our lives in their hands, and they take it seriously,鈥� said Aubrey, explaining one of the biggest risks on the hike is altitude sickness.  

They travelled slow, careful to take the time adjusting to the oxygen levels. The family remembers being told 鈥減olepole鈥� meaning slow in Swahili, the guides鈥� native language.  

They averaged about five or six hours of hiking per day, and after a meal and a bit of chatting and enjoying the scenery, the family would go straight to bed. There was little energy for much more, and they would start most days at 8 a.m.  

The entire hike was over 60 kilometres, and on summit day they started off at midnight.  

鈥淭hey (the guides) don鈥檛 really tell you until after,鈥� Jude said about why they needed to start off so early. 鈥淚f you saw that (the ascent) in the daytime you wouldn鈥檛 want to go up,鈥� he explained.  

The last stretch to the summit is only five kilometres, but it takes about seven hours to reach the top. It鈥檚 so cold, the family said, that you can鈥檛 stop for a rest.  

鈥淭hat was a brutal, brutal hike,鈥� Shannon said. Both she and Jude insisted they fell asleep while walking.  

When they were just about to summit, Aubrey let Jude go ahead of him.  

鈥淚t was really emotional for me, summiting,鈥� Aubrey said. 鈥淚 was just watching my little, tiny boy summit...and I was like man, Jude might be the first Damlaxhamid man to ever summit Kilimanjaro.鈥� 

鈥淧retty cool man,鈥� Jude said. An experience unlike any other, he told the Tribune he didn鈥檛 know how to process what he鈥檇 done.  

鈥淚 was...happy but also 鈥� not sad 鈥� I just didn't know what to do after.鈥� 

After they summited, there was little rest. They tackled the hike back down the mountain, a 14-hour, knee-jarring descent. Things got a bit scary as it grew dark, and their headlamps began to fade.  

鈥淲e heard the jungle come to life,鈥� Aubrey said. When they finally reached the end, it was a big celebration with the porters, who they are still connected with today over social media. 

For anyone else considering doing the hike, the Jacksons have some tips. You can rent equipment like sleeping bags and tents for the climb, but they said never to go without your own boots.  

鈥淚f you don't have your boots, you鈥檙e going to be bloody miserable,鈥� Aubrey said.  

They also recommended renting portable washrooms, which they were very grateful to have.  

The Great Migration 

After summiting Kilimanjaro, the family was just about travelled out. But there was still a safari to get to. 

They spent four nights in Kenya and booked their safari at a prime time to catch the Great Migration.  

Hundreds of thousands of wildebeests, strange looking creatures with big horns and wild eyes, raging past as they come up from Tanzania through the Mara River. The beasts sped by frantically, some running off cliffs and falling to their deaths. Their jumbled race formed a stampede, one much less organized than what we see here in Williams Lake.  

鈥淵ou just can't even believe that you're seeing it,鈥� said Shannon, though they said the safari itself felt a bit commercialized.   

There was no shortage of wild animals; they spotted lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, antelopes, water buffaloes, cheetahs, leopards, ostriches and hyenas. 

鈥淵ou get desensitized pretty quick,鈥� Aubrey said, adding it took a bit of time before they really processed the full experience.  

They passed by a giraffe standing just on the side of the road, Jude spotted a lion chasing a wildebeest and the family watched as a young wildebeest crossed a river infested with crocodiles. The calf鈥檚 mother was injured, but when her baby made the crossing, she found the will to go on. The family cheered as the mother pushed through, narrowly escaping an angry hippo in the process. 

鈥楾he first thing I did was grab a fishing rod鈥� 

On their way home, the Jacksons spent three days in Ireland, hopping from one pub to another to enjoy some beer and live music.  

They did a day trip to the Cliffs of Mohair and Galway, but their focus was to relax. 

鈥淚 think we were pretty ready to come home when we came home,鈥� Shannon said.  

As she reflected over the trip, Shannon said she was proud to have accomplished her goal, but what she really appreciated was everything she learned on her travels. 

鈥淵ou learn a lot about each other and yourself and I think that experience is really invaluable. It's not anything that can be taught for sure.鈥� 

After weeks of travelling, the family said they didn鈥檛 quite know what to do with their time.  

鈥淭he first thing I did was grab a fishing rod,鈥� Jude said, and the Jacksons joked it was nice to not worry about crocodiles while fishing.  

There wasn鈥檛 much going on now they were home, but there was lots to think about. Aubrey pictured himself in a retirement home one day, recounting his experiences, while Jude said he wasn鈥檛 quite sure what to do with it all.  

鈥淚n time you will know what to do with it,鈥� Aubrey said.  

The day after their arrival, their first grandchild was born. Jude, who had been the baby of the family before setting off on their trip, became an uncle.