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Climber Caroline Leon didn’t let a life-threatening accident prevent her from scaling new heights as she travelled around the Middle East to conquer mountains in a bid to set a record, raise awareness and funds for charity as well as to promote the region.
The 34-year-old Australian mountaineer, who has been living in Dubai for the past 11 years, wanted to highlight the country’s beauty as well as showcase the magnificence of the Middle East by attempting to climb 15 of the highest peaks in the region, totalling around 40,000m in height, in just 30 days.
“I had a really severe rock climbing accident a few years back and at the beginning of this year, I came to a realisation that this chapter in my life is coming to an end,” said the co-founder and operations director of A Life of Education, which is an online health and fitness education website. “I wanted to so do something that was significant to me, to show myself that I wasn’t injured anymore and that it was doable. I wanted to achieve something in the region that I lived in. This is my home!”
Caroline came up with the idea of attempting to set a Guiness World Record when she was visiting her best friend in Australia in February.
“We were climbing in Australia and that is when the concept came about,” she explained. “The idea was to summit all the mountains in a particular geographical region in the fastest possible time. I did a lot of research on the matter and when I came back to Dubai, the idea began to grow and it snowballed. DHL Express came on board along with the not-for-profit organisation Gulf for Good.”
Gulf for Good, which operates under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, chairman of the Emirates Group, aims to empower people to change their lives and help children around the world. “I wanted to raise money and awareness for the charity and also show people that the region I live in is beautiful. Most people living in the Gulf tend to travel abroad for holiday but there is so much beauty here that we should really consider traveling within.
“I also wanted to show people that if a disabled bionic person can do this, then anyone can! I was really fortunate to have the help of DHL along the way. They sponsored this whole journey and logistically supported me in every way possible.”
On September 8, Caroline started her journey in Turkey and ended it in Oman. Although Bahrain was on her bucket list, she was unable to complete her Jabal Ad Dukhan (the mountain of smoke) trek due to security issues. At 122m above mean sea level, it is the country’s highest point and is named as such because of the haze which often surrounds it on humid days. Caroline vows to return to the kingdom she adores to carry out the summit, stating: “Get ready for me Bahrain…I will be back!”
