One day Geoffrey and I decided that we would develop a fundraiser to benefit Team Fox, the fundraising arm of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. We knew that we wanted to plan a fundraiser that would raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease and one that would allow those living with the disease to see that there are significant benefits to staying physically active, even when living with Parkinson’s disease, as Geoffrey illustrates on a daily basis.
Geoffrey and I have always had a sense of adventure so we decided to set a lofty goal to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. We knew that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro would not be a walk in the park and that it could be even more difficult since Geoff had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in early 2006 and quite honestly, I had never considered training to climb a mountain. But, Parker’s Climb was born and we are off to climb a mountain in 60 more days!
Meet Eddie Frank, Founder of Tusker Trail
Eddie Frank, Tusker Trail’s founder was born and raised in South Africa. His vast experience on Mt. Kilimanjaro has earned Tusker’s reputation as the most skilled and professional trekking company on Mt. Kilimanjaro today.
Eddie Frank - Founder Tusker Trail
As a young man, Eddie trained as a professional photographer, with hopes of someday shooting for National Geographic. Eddie found no shortage of fascinating subjects as he worked to perfect his skill as a world class photographer. As the young Frank explored Africa on his Land Rover expeditions, he shot unforgettable scenes – twilight in the Sahara, sunrise filtering through the Rwandan jungle, agile Bushman hunters closing in on dinner. At a point in his life, Eddie’s passion for photography took a back seat to a bigger dream that had been brewing since birth; expedition travel.
Eddie has logged a lot of trekking experience – 33 Sahara crossings, 44 Kilimanjaro climbs, horse riding on the Mongolian frontier, standing in the shadow of Everest and on each expedition, he has carried his camera, capturing an extensive and outstanding archive of adventure photography. Eddie is a man who has lived his dream, in fact, he has lived two dreams by becoming an accomplished photographer and by building a world class trekking company.
Despite being a rugged outdoors man, Eddie has a creative streak and generally a talent like this cannot be suppressed. So when he decided it was time to make a video with his collection of Kilimanjaro photos, there was no question that he was going to do it right.
“Kilimanjaro – A Lost World”
“Kilimanjaro – A Lost World” was created by Eddie using his best photos and imagery from his years on the mountain. The end result was a captivating visual story of the mountain that is Tusker’s lifeblood and in many respects, some of the best visuals through the eyes of a man who literally grew up on Kilimanjaro’s slopes. Throughout the years Eddie has recorded receding glaciers, rose-colored ice fields, tears at the summit, inky mountain dusk, and so much more.
To complete the video project, Eddie knew that his imagery still needed a voice, a voice that would do this awesome mountain proud. And just how does one go about finding a voice that could be as regal as Mt. Kilimanjaro, the forth highest mountain in the world? Not an easy task! But, once again, the resourceful Eddie Frank selected and obtained one of the most well known voices across the world, and one quite worthy of the Mt. Kilimanjaro project.
Will Lyman is ranked as one of the most accomplished narrator’s of our time. He has been described as the greatest Military narrator and has been the voice behind more than 120 documentaries, PBS specials, Discovery Channel programs, Nova specials and Frontline segments, just to name a few.
The combination of Eddie Frank’s vision and tremendous photography, and Will Lyman’s distinguished voice has produced a first rate Mt. Kilimanjaro documentary. First aired on YouTube in 2007, “Kilimanjaro – The Lost World” has just reached over 100,000 views. As of today, it has reached 103,075 views! It is amazing and breathtaking and once you see it, you may long to climb this mountain, just as I have! To view this amazing documentary click here: Kilimanjaro – A Lost World
Kilimanjaro - A Lost World
Geoffrey and I are so pleased to be climbing with the Tusker Trail Team! In the early days, as George and Larri were making the decision to climb with us, Larri viewed “Kilimanjaro – A Lost World”. She sent me the link one evening just after they had made their decision to join the Parker’s Climb Team. Her one line comment on the email was this; “You can sure pick em!”
I have no doubt that we will be in great hands with Tusker Trail. They have medically trained staff who will be watching over us carefully. They have so much experience on this mountain, and they are going to all become part of the Parker’s Climb experience – just as we are going to become part of the Mt. Kilimanjaro experience!
Our congratulations to you Eddie, (and wife Amy) for their brilliant documentary, and to the success of the Tusker Trail organization. As of this minute, the video now has 103,076 views because I just had to watch it again! We will see you all soon in Tanzania – in 60 days to be exact! pkp
