Retha Charette wears many hats.
The 30-year-old works at the One World Conservation Center, an educational nature reserve in Bennington, Vermont. She’s a part-time program coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters and a nanny. She skates for Southshire Roller Derby and serves as their Sponsorship and Community Outreach Coordinator.
She has also added a new title to her expansive list: mountain climber.
After her plans to visit a friend in New Zealand fell through two years ago, Charette started looking for other destinations. A quick internet search brought her to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with Adventures in Good Company, a women’s travel company.
“I’m a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, so I really enjoy the female empowerment aspect of being in a group of all women,” she said. “It was definitely a draw.”
One day on her way to work, she called to ask about the climbing trip and was told that there was only one spot left. She pulled over her car, pulled out her credit card, and put down a deposit.
“I didn’t know how high Mt. Kilimanjaro was when I put that deposit down,” she said. “To this day, [it’s] one of the most spontaneous things I’ve ever done.”
She didn't exactly know what she was getting herself into.
Mt. Kilimanjaro, as it turns out, is Africa's highest point and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world at 19,341 feet high.
Charette had some hiking experience in the Rockies and the Appalachian trail, “but nothing as intense as this,” she said. “I grew up in New England and our mountains don’t get that high.”
She trained for four months before the climb, swimming laps and lifting weights.
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