JJ nears end of extreme journey in Ethiopia

SooToday.com has received the following update of JJ Hilsinger's fund-raising cycling journey through Ethiopia:

************************* Adventure cyclist JJ Hilsinger faces off with the fierce conditions of Ethiopia’s daunting Danakil Depression

Over $5,000 raised for tree-planting projects in Ethiopia

Local businessman and endurance cyclist JJ Hilsinger, is closing in on the end to his month-long, 2,000 kilometer ride through Extreme Ethiopia.

The trip has taken him from the 10,000-foot vertical Highlands area to the Danakil Depression in northeastern Ethiopia, which still has active volcanoes and is one of the lowest points on the planet at 500 feet below sea level.

The seasoned two-wheel trekker has pedaled 12,000 kilometers from Cairo to Capetown, and 11,000 kilometers from Istanbul to Beijing on earlier adventure tours, but this shorter journey is challenging every ounce of his mettle.

“Riding bicycle along paved roads through the high elevations and steep valleys of the Ethiopian Highlands is one challenge overcome by sweat and time in the saddle,” he writes, “even while encountering the youthful, stone-throwing cattle herders, and every kid shouting 'bir, bir' meaning, 'give me some money.' In comparison, riding the harsh conditions of the Danakil Depression, officially with the highest average temperature on earth (up to 50 degrees Celsius), is made up of great rides, stimulating experiences, severe physical punishment and frustrating group logistics.”

Staying strong to recount the experiences of this desert area means you become as tough as the traditional inhabitants of the region, the historically fearsome Afar tribe, whose motto - “It is better to die than to live without killing” - reflects the stark reality of survival in the Danakil.”

JJ started his trip at the end of March, and hopes to raise enough money to plant 20,000 trees in forest-ravished Ethiopia through the Ethiopian Tree Fund Foundation (ETFF).

His motto has been “Stick a tree in Ethiopia” and local residents have been coming to the lobby of Algoma’s Water Tower Inn and Suites (JJ is the proprietor) to donate money to his cause, and sign sticks that JJ will send to Ethiopia on his return, to be attached to ETFF projects.

JJ describes his experiences in the Danakil in detail on his website journal.

“When you are somewhere ‘out there,'" writes JJ, “in this vast area of flat, white, salt-encrusted desert terrain, the sun reflects back with a vengeance. But once away from salt-mines or the gooey, Elmer-glue-like mud, the hard crystalline surface is fun to ride.

"Surprisingly, as salt miners pry the slabs from the surface, a layer of water lies below. This phenomenon is ever present while you are being baked in 45 degree plus temperatures, gazing at the process. The bubbling sulphur pools, which paint dramatic hues of soft greens to blood reds as they generate eloquent shapes, create visual inspiration. The remnants of volcanic spires jutting from the salt are an ancient creation.”

JJ has to date raised over $6,000 for ETFF.

Donations will be accepted through to the end of May at Reception, Algoma’s Water Tower Inn and Suites.

PHOTO CAPTION: "Sticks" signed by Sault Ste. Marie donors and transported by JJ are attached to a community tree-planting project. ************************* ////