BANDON – Michele Mattingly, writer of “Before The Empress: Messages from Mount Kilimanjaro,” shares the journey of her climb to the tallest peak in Africa. She will share a slide presentation and talk about Up a Mountain and Into Her Soul at 2 p.M., Sap.m.ay, July 6, at the Bandon Public Library Sprague Room, 1204 eleventhEleventh At age 50, Mattingly planned a ride to Africa to take on the assignment of a lifetime: hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.
“I had hoped to increase some new friendships on the climb,” she said. “Few things bond human beings in addition to a shared trauma, and mountain climbing is simply a trauma — mainly at 19,000 feet. But the Empress had other plans.” While most guided climbs are done in small corporations, no person else signed on for Mattingly’s adventure. “I ‘heard’ the Empress on my first morning in Tanzania, and he or she stayed with me for the duration of my trek,” Mattingly stated. “If there were other vacationers, I might no longer have heard her.” “Before the Empress: Messages from Mount Kilimanjaro” is for people who long to make sizeable adjustments to their lives — at any age. It is for folks who marvel at what’s possible for themselves and those who dare to dream.
“I hope this tale will inspire human beings to take possibilities, bounce back from adversity, and search for the real which means in their lives. You should climb Mount Kilimanjaro; however, we have to take a journey if we want to be more than we are. Whatever direction you take, remember that we are all safari — tourists through this journey. Journey on.” Mattingly will be available to signal books after the presentation.
BANDON – Michele Mattingly, author of “Before The Empress: Messages from Mount Kilimanjaro,” shares the adventure of her climb of the tallest top in Africa. She will give a slide presentation and speak about her experience up a mountain and into her soul at 2 p.m., Saturday, July 6, at the Bandon Public Library Sprague Room, 1204 Eleventh St. SW. At age 50, Mattingly planned a journey to Africa to take on the task of a lifetime: hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. “I was hoping to broaden some new friendships at the climb,” she said. “Few matters bond human beings as well as a shared trauma, and mountaineering is a trauma — especially at 19,000 feet. But the Empress had different plans.”
While most guided climbs are executed in small businesses, no person else signed on for Mattingly’s adventure.
“I ‘heard’ the Empress on my first morning in Tanzania, and he or she stayed with me throughout my trek,” Mattingly said. “If there had been other tourists, I might not have heard her.” Buffalo Mountain Park has been underutilized forever,” said Johnson City Mayor Jenny Brock. “We’re looking at how we can make that a much more usable park for the citizens.” In the wake of the much-anticipated opening of the Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park, Johnson City has hired IMBA Trail Solutions, a wing of the International Mountain Bicycling Association that designs and builds trails, to conduct a $19,000 feasibility study this fall to determine whether it can install mountain bike trails at Buffalo Mountain Park. The money will also pay for training for city employees at Tannery Knobs.
Jim Hughes, the city’s interim assistant parks director, said the park is fairly well-used by people who enjoy hiking, trail running, and other activities. Still, he said it’s not as frequently visited as, for example, Winged Deer Park, which has space for softball games, disc golf, and mountain biking. “It’s not near as heavily populated with people as you see at our others,” Hughes said. Hughes believes new paths could help Buffalo Mountain Park act as a “gateway” to other trail systems in the Cherokee National Forest, connecting bikers to hundreds of miles of trails.
