Who is Gino ???

Gino has been my friend for the past 7 years. I feel very lucky to have him in my life. He brought so much into my life just by being himself, but also for giving me the opportunity to know the people around him, his kids, Joseph and Kaly, his ex-girlfriend Colleen and her family, the Mc Manuses.   

Gino is a very generous person. He could give you the moon. He IS the guy in charge. You can always rely on him if ever you need something. He will always think of the little something he could do to please you more. 

Even if I had been on the mountains and in the outdoor before, I can easily say that Gino made a whole difference when it came to do it seriously and on a regular basis. He's the one who made me believe that I could do things such as trekking in the Kumbu Valley to get to Everest Base Camp, climbing Cotopaxi in Ecuador and also support me through my whole adventure prior, during and after my climb on Kilimanjaro.

Gino has always been in sports. When he was a 10 year old kid, he used to jog everywhere he would go; to school, around the lake close to his house and in the village where he lived, in Rawdon, Quebec. It's also at that age that he started to have a taste for adventure and also climbing mountains. There is a small mountain in Rawdon, called Mont Pontbriand. He would run up this hill back and forth a few times during a workout and would imagine himself on the highest summits in the world. Gino has always liked to push himself really hard and likes the rewarding feeling it provides when you reach your goals…

At age 14, he decided he was up for more adventure. He left home and decided he would be travelling all alone, hitchhiking to go in Gaspésie, an area in Quebec that is about a 15 hour drive from where Gino lived. His mom did not approve, but she had no choice to let him go, since he was going to leave anyway, with or without her approval...

In Gaspésie, he saw bigger mountains. He climbed Mont Albert and Mont Jacques-Cartier. Those climbs just confirmed his passion for hiking and going higher.

Later, at age 24, he hiked for 7 days in a row in the Appalachian Trail, in New Hampshire, USA, on the Presidential Range. He then did many other hikes. Along with the hiking, he was still jogging and he also did muscular training. He completed a degree in University in Physical Education, but he never worked as a teacher. He’s been doing different kinds of job since then.   

His passion for the mountains grew bigger when he saw a documentary on television about THE biggest of all : Everest… Of course, it attracted him and he kept on doing things to bring him closer to his dream.  Then, everyday life settled in and he started thinking it would only stay a dream. He brought up to life and he raised his two wonderful kids Joseph and Kaly (who are now 17 and 15). Having kids didn’t stop him from doing physical things. He would put one in a sleigh and another on his back and he would go around the lake, up the hill in Rawdon, walking and jogging when possible. When they grew older he brought them with him to do all those hikes or bike rides or whatever sports he felt like doing. They always followed… and they still do !!! Unless it’s him that follows them now… ;o)     

When we met in 2001, we started to do these things together and if you’ve read a bit on the site, you should know by now that among other things, we’ve hiked Grand Canyon, in Arizona, USA, we’ve been to Everest Base Camp in 2006 and we’ve climbed Cotopaxi, in Ecuador, also in 2006. I went alone on Kilimanjaro last june. Gino couldn’t come with me, but as soon as I came out of the plane, he started to talk about climbing Aconcagua. My trip has given him the push probably that he needed to believe that he could do this thing by himself.

He’s been training really hard the past 6 months to get ready and in shape for the big A in Argentina. He’s leaving in 3 weeks from now and he can’t wait to set foot on the mountain. He is up for a great experience and adventure, going there all alone… just like he did when he went on his hitchhike trip in Gaspésie when he was just 14.

Gino will turn 45 on february 19th, 2008.