SEPANG: After experiencing extreme weather condition on top of Mount Elbrus in Russia, six female hikers, including cancer survivor Rene'e Aziz Ahmad arrived safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport this afternoon.
They were given a warm reception by Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin and the president of National Adventure Association, Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Mohd Yunus.
A beaming Rene'e looked the healthiest among the lot. The 56-year-old has no visible frost bite scar on her face - unlike her team captain Ummu Farah Haidar Zulkifli.
But 30-year-old Ummu Farah was the only one in her team who managed to reach the peak of Mt Elbrus and flew the Malaysian flag on Sept 2 .
The rest of her team-mates had to back off when the temperature dipped to -15 degrees Celcius amid strong winds travelling at 35km per hour.
"It was my team's prayers and strong spirit that motivated me to reach the top," said Ummu Farah. "I also carried the hope of my fellow Malaysians."
Contrary to popular reports, Ummu Farah and her companions were not stranded on top of Europe's highest mountain due to mudslide.
"It was the bad weather that hindered the rest of my team from reaching the top. Upon being advised by our rescue guide, we made a collective decision that I was the only one to soldier on. I was already 200m ahead of the team," she said.
The mudslide hit a village that was three hours' drive from Mount Elbrus. But it caused a major transportation breakdown and erractic weather conditions on top of the mountain.
"I did it after our second attempt. Our first attempt on Aug 31 failed because the weather was extremely bad. The cold wind was blowing at 55km per hour," Ummu Farah said.
According to Rene'e, the five of them reached an altitude of 5000m before making the painful decision to retrieve.
"We would risk getting the Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) if we had continued our journey," she said. "Ummu Farah was the fastest (and fittest) among us. She was 200m ahead and on top of a mountain, that was too great a distance to catch up."
Their expedition dubbed "Kembara Srikandi Prihatin" saw the six determined women embarking on their journey to scale the 5,642m high Mount Elbrus in Russia, from Aug 23 to Sept 5.
Joining Rene'e and Ummu Farah were Puteri Umno members Nurul Huda Samsuddin, 31, Nir Azmin Adnan, 34, and Fazilah Abd Manan, 41, as well as Harian Metro journalist Fairul Asmaini Mohd Pilus, 35.
Organised by National Adventure Association, the expedition was supported by Puteri Umno with Harian Metro as the official media.
The programme was conducted in conjunction with the Negaraku campaign which is aimed at cultivating patriotism, love and loyalty among Malaysians.
Mohd Khalid said the expedition would be made an annual programme for his club.