14 DAY TRIAL // In September last year, Jessica Biel, along with many other celebrities, pledged their support for a good cause and promised they would climb Mount Kilimanjaro in support of that cause. On Tuesday, Biel and the others reached the top of the highest peak in Africa, as People magazine can confirm.
Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch and Isabel Lucas reached the summit of 19,340 –foot Mt. Kilimanjaro Tuesday, the sixth day of their trek up Africa’s tallest peak, in their quest to raise awareness of the global water crisis. After enduring torrential rain and a blizzard earlier in the trek, the star-studded group of entertainers and activists started their final ascent of the Tanzanian mountain at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. They climbed for seven hours, then finally reached Uhuru Peak, where they posed for a photograph holding a sign that read ‘SEND WATER’,” People writes.
The website set up specifically in support of the cause, Summit on the Summit, is also updated now with photos of the team of activists, while offering visitors the possibility of “tagging along” for the journey as well. Their progress can be followed via Twitter too, as all possible directions of getting the most exposure for the campaign are being exploited.
“With single-digit temperatures at the summit, the climbers were expected to remain at the top for no more than 45 minutes. They had planned to give a special shout-out to the father of Ethiopian-born musician Kenna, who organized the climb. Kenna’s father lost several family members due to waterborne illnesses. […] Joining them on the climb are UN Foundation executive Elizabeth Gore; Alexandria Cousteau, granddaughter of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau; photographer Michael Muller, and Kick Kennedy, environmentalist and granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy,” People further informs of the expedition.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Biel’s boyfriend, pop star Justin Timberlake, did not accompany her on the expedition, which Hirsch describes as positively the most difficult and challenging thing she ever had to do in her life.