Climbing Mountains – A Journey from Georgia to Africa in a Time of Covid

By Beth Volpert Johansen

It all started as a way to get moving. Life as an educator, especially in a technical support capacity, means sitting in front of a bank of screens all day long solving issues and keeping things running smoothly for those inside the classroom. For Sherie Green, hiking began as a way to stretch the body and the mind during the trying times of pandemic-related virtual education. But, somewhere along the trail, hiking became so much more than a walk in the woods.

Meeting Sherie means you have made a friend. She is always quick to provide help and is generous with her time and talents. When it came to hiking, she found existing friends who wanted to join in for a hike or two, some for more. And, in true Sherie fashion, she quickly fell into step with new friends along the way. “The people you meet on the trail are the nicest ever,” says Sherie. “Some of the people I have met have become good friends.”

From those early relatively level-ground walks, Sherie began to work her way uphill. Eventually, she placed her sights less on the mileage and more on the challenge of the hike and set her goals on increasing the number of her hikes each year. In 2021, she joined the 52 Hike Challenge and completed 52 hikes in 10 months – 2 months before the deadline.

Chronicling her journey on Facebook, Sherie had no idea how many people would follow her self-paced tour of some of the most beautiful hikes available in Georgia and across the Southeast. “It thrilled me to know that I am actually making a difference in people’s lives with my posts,” explains Sherie. “During the 52 Hike Challenge, I posted each hike and I have heard from other people that this has inspired them to get outside and walk more. I was shocked to know that my posts have helped people get healthy.”

From the canyons and peaks of the Southeast, Sherie’s goals grew beyond the boundaries of the United States. With strong legs, a healthy heart, and a love of adventure, Sherie went about planning a bucket-list trip of a lifetime. “I set my sights on Kilimanjaro – 19,341 feet above the clouds,” says Sherie. “The top of Africa!” Sherie wrote: “Kilimanjaro is known as ‘Everyman’s Everest’ because it is a challenge that is completely doable by laymen. It is what is known as a ‘walk up’ mountain because, well, you just walk up it.” Her posts were tagged with: #countdowntoafrica. Training wasn’t always easy and Sherie was honest with her followers: “Today I doubted myself – haven’t done that yet while training. I went with a new group and they hiked faster than me. Need to remember it is not a race.”

It was during the Thanksgiving holiday, time spent with her sons, and the beginning of Hanukkah that word of Omicron in Africa began to really weigh in on Sherie’s mind. While she did not doubt her physical ability or her commitment to her goal, Sherie had to shrug off any thoughts of Covid stopping her. “I adopted a wait-and-see mindset and hoped and prayed that we could still go,” remembers Sherie. “The next miracle I needed was to be able to stuff everything required into one 50 lb. pack!”

Sherie got her miracles and boarded her flight to Africa where she would meet up with her friend Marianne Maddox for the first leg of her trip in Nairobi, Kenya – a safari. After some good sleep, the pair set out to greet the beautiful animals of Africa.

Their first game drive was to the area around Lake Elementaita where the pair snapped brilliant photos of zebras, bucks, hyenas, and giraffes. Sherie was able to share video of several animals, but none managed to entertain as much as the giraffes. Both graceful and mischievous, the videos captured the many moods of the elegant creatures. One video features Sherie on the receiving end of a swooping “head-butt.” She admits to having read the warning signs, so she wasn’t too unhappy about the close encounter. Besides, it made a really good story!

Taking to the skies gave an entirely different perspective on the whole landscape. An early morning hot-air balloon ride over the Masai Mara provided the day’s excitement. “We had breakfast in the middle of nowhere!” says Sherie. “There was so much to see and take in.” The highlight of the day was seeing two leopards up close and then, because animals will be, well, animals, a pair of amorous lions made an appearance and Sherie caught it all on video.

Boarding an 18-seat plane took a good bit of faith and Hakuna Matata, but Sherie and Marianne made their way to Tanzania and one step closer to the hike of Sherie’s dreams. The pair spent time in a tent lodge where they were treated to African drums and dance, local cuisine, and more wild adventures. “We completed our big five at Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania where we spotted the endangered black rhino,” says Sherie. “It was exciting as he kept running and running!”

As if the joy and exhilaration of the safari were not enough for one trip, Sherie bid Marianne farewell and prepared to embark on the Kilimanjaro climb. What Sherie learned was that she was in no way prepared for the life-changing experience this climb came to represent. Sure, she had physically, spiritually, and financially prepared, but no amount of planning had prepared Sherie for the reality of the summit. The Swahili words of wisdom that she had learned while in Tanzania – “Pole Pole” which means “Slow Slow” – would come in handy over the course of her climb.

She wrote:

“Ascending was hard. Descending was harder. I did an excellent job on the first half with my pace. We were one of the first hikers starting up. About half way through, every few minutes I announced,

‘little break’ and we would stop to catch my breath. I swear my heart was beating a thousand beats a minute. Slow it down. Keep moving forward. Always Pole Pole.

I kept looking back at the horizon when we got close to Stella