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Mother-daughter duo Nada Abandah and Anoud set their sights on scaling Aconcagua in Argentina

Hiba Khan

17:38 28/04/2018

There are no mountains high enough for 40-year-old Jordanian national Nada Abandah and her 12-year old daughter, Anoud, as they continue to add one mountain after another in their long list of conquests.

Next up, the duo are aiming for Mount Elbrus in Europe and Aconcagua – the highest mountain outside of Asia – that is situated in Argentina.

Aconcagua stands at nearly 7,000 metres tall and Nada had previously attempted to scale the incredible height, but was forced to quit just 10 metres below the summit.

Nada is a single mother, who discovered her love for hiking on a casual trip as a teen and found that the activity provided much-needed respite from the rigors of modern life.

She has gone from the rugged Mountains of Jordan and Jabal Shams in Oman to climbing 19,340feet and reaching the summit of the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro.

She also hiked Kilimanjaro with Anoud and reached the Stella point, which is a couple of meters away from the summit and according to the rangers in Kilimanjaro, Anoud is potentially the youngest Arab to reach that point. 

The high-spirited Jordanian trains hard to acclimatize herself to all kinds of terrains and fluctuating temperatures, so she can move on to even more challenging mountains.

Nada learned some valuable life lessons by being outdoors which she wanted to instill in her daughter, allowing her to also experience the idyllic serenity of the mountains that a then-five-year-old Anoud was instantly captivated by.

“Being on the mountains is just a very different experience, you see sides of yourself that you didn’t know existed and you learn so much about yourself and others. I used to tell my daughter about my experiences on the mountains, but it is not like going out there and experiencing it for yourself,” she explained.

Mountain climbing and hiking is a cathartic experience for both mother and daughter, which also helps them understand and realize their strengths that in turn helps them tackle the challenges of their daily lives.

She said: “In 2012, I went to Kilimanjaro and it was a big summit. Climbing that mountain taught me so much about myself and what I can do. There is also the element of putting your hard work and seeing it come to fruition when you go to the top, which fills you up with a profound sense of achievement and makes you feel like you can do anything. You feel like no challenge is tough enough or task is hard enough.”

Besides her hiking expeditions, Nada also wants to encourage her daughter and little girls to become more active.

She is the co-founder of Miran Gear, which is an active wear brand that focuses on producing modest wear that is fit for Hijabi or veiled girls and will help them to get more involved in sport without compromising their values.

“For the future, my plan is to enable Anoud to scale more mountains and I also want to enable little girls like my daughter to get more involved in sports and fitness,” she said.

The mother-daughter family have a lot to look forward to and are gearing up for many more mountain adventures that they can enjoy together.

Watch the video below to see them open up about their journey.

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