Kilimanjaro Challenge. Day 5 27th August 2013

Today was our acclimatisation day. We would finish up only about 100 meters higher in Barranco Camp than our start from Shira Camp, however we would be walking to Lava Tower for lunch, gaining almost 700 meters in height.
We left camp at 8 and slowly climbed a dusty track. Today was a long walk, but it was good preparation for summit night and allowing our bodies to acclimatise to the altitude. We walked at a slow but steady pace. I had by now found a good rhythm in my walking. I always tried to stay towards the middle of the group. The pace at the front I usually found a little fast and it suited me to take my time in the middle.
Around 90 minutes into the walk, one of the assistant guides, Moses came up to me and asked how I was. I replied I was good, yesterday was tough, but I'm here for day 3. He said 'Good, you look very strong today. Keep drinking, and pole pole' Pole pole is Swahili for Slowly slowly. It is the motto of Kilimanjaro.
I was also used to the amount of water we needed to drink each day by now. On average I was drinking between 4 to 5 litres a day. We would always set off from camp with full water containers. My camelback/hydrarion pack was ideal as I could just sip water on the move, I tended to drink from my flasks on our breaks, we usually were able to refill water at lunch.
As we gained altitude towards Lava Tower, I started to feel a headache coming on. 'Oh no acute mountain sickness!' I got a bit worried, I was taking Diamox, what was this all about? It was a steady pressure like pain on my head. It wasn't excruciating but it was irritating.
I talked to my fellow trekkers and other people were experiencing the same. I slowed down and kept drinking water. I resisted the urge to take paracetamol and just tried to ride it out. We approached the impressive lava tower and had lunch. Our crew had raced ahead of us setting up our mess tent. When we sat down to eat, it was clear that the majority of the group were feeling ropey. Dean asked everyone to say how they were feeling. Pretty much all of us said we had a headache, some more severe than others, some people also felt sick. Dean and Amanda explained this was normal and nothing to be worried about and we should feel better later as we had a long descent to camp.
The afternoon was tiring. We descended over rocky terrain. It was hard going. My head was hurting, my knees were giving off signals that they were finding the going tough. But I pressed on. I found myself becoming a little seperated from the group. I was in the middle somewhere. I was walking with Jo, and Jon. We, like everyone else were getting tired, and feeling the effects of the days work. I stopped to get a second wind, one of the guides caught up with me and paced me into camp. Very slowly now I plodded on, just wanting a hot drink and a nice rest. Eventually I made it in to camp, actually I had caught the lead group up and we all signed in to camp together.
We enjoyed a lovely Spag Bol dinner. I got a good look afterwards at the awesome Barranco Wall that towered above us, that would be our first challenge tomorrow. I lay in bed thinking of the Barranco wall. It did look like it was going to be hard work, my head had cleared by now and I fell asleep feeling proud that I'd really dug in today.

Kilimanjaro Challenge Day 4. 26th August 2013

Today we would walk 7 km from Machame Camp to Shira camp. We set off after breakfast around 8.15 on very steep moorland terrain. Very early in to the walk, I could tell it was going to be a very challenging day. The altitude was already making me breath hard and I could feel I was working hard. I tried not to look up too much to where we were going as it seemed the path was taking us up into outer space, it was very high up. When I did stop looking at where I was putting my feet I was greeted by just the most incredible views. This was why I was here! You don't get these sort of views in England.
Throughout the day I went through phases of being out of breath and feeling that I was quite out of my depth here and wondering what I was doing, to feeling that it was a real pleasure to be here and how much I was enjoying it.
On occasions when I did find it hard going, I just took a moment to myself to remind myself of why I was here. I was here for an amazing experience that I had trained for. I was here because many people had put their faith in me by sponsoring me in order that I could help Greyhound Rescue West of England. Strong motivation, and it would not be the last time during the trip that, I would think this.
We finally made it into camp mid afternoon for lunch. We were served a delicious leek soup followed by pasta and salad. We were being treated very well, in the middle of nowhere.
After lunch a few of us went on a short walk of around 2 hours out of camp and uphill with some of the guides and Amanda, where we got some amazing views of the mountain. We passed a helipad which was used for emergency evacuations. This brought the concept of acute mountain sickness back into my thinking. So far I had felt good, I was taking diamox and the altitude had not affected me. I hoped that would remain the case for the duration of the trip.
We made our way back to camp, where the others had been resting, and had dinner. Vegetable soup and beef stroganoff.
I seemed to find sleeping tonight a little harder, it was certainly cooler the ground a little harder, but eventually I drifted off to sleep.

Kilimanjaro Challenge. Day 3. 25th August 2013

I woke fairly early after a good nights sleep. Today it would begin. All the training was about to be put to the test. I was really looking forward to it. After a good cooked breakfast and my last hot shower for a week, I climbed the bus and we went to the Machame gate. The nervousness in the bus was eased by a couple of the guys at the back of the bus cracking truly lame jokes, but we all laughed anyway.
On arrival at the gate after we had all signed the register we were introduced to some of the team who would help us. We saw Godfrey again, and our assistant guides introduced themselves, as did our chef, some of our porters and our 'ambulance' I was amazed by how many people would be with us, there would be nearly 100 members of the team on top of the 25 of us trekkers, and Dean and Amanda as

well. It was like an army who were going on this big adventure together.
After a hot drink we were off. Andy and I shook hands at the start and wished each other luck. We then followed Jackson who was going to be our pacemaker for the trip. He set us off very slowly. We eventually all filed into a line and headed up into the rainforest behind him.
I was taking it all in. I had watched so many videos on you tube about the trail and here I was actually now walking it, it just seemed surreal. Soon our team of porters went passed us with bags and equipment. I was in awe of these guys powering ahead of us to our first camp.
We had a surprise a few hours in, turning the corner to find a large table laid for us with lunch. We could not believe it, but settled down to sandwiches, crisps juice and fruit. Eating in the middle of a forest was just incredible.
After lunch the track got steeper as we plodded on through the rainforest. I felt that I was managing ok. I was drifting towards the middle of the group and felt comfortable. We were all still getting to know each other and time passed quickly talking to other members of the group and hearing their stories.
We were a group of different people with the same ambition, to reach Uhuru peak for different reasons.
At around 5pm I spotted tents as we emerged onto moorland just on the fringe of the rainforest. Our first camp was ahead. We could hear singing, as we entered Machame Camp we were greeted by our team who welcomed us by singing. It was a real party atmosphere and was truly amazing.
We found our tents then had a snack in our mess tent. Popcorn and coffee. We later had a fish supper before Dean briefed us on the next days walk.
My first night under canvas was good. This had been the first time I had slept in a tent since I was in the cubs, many moons ago. The temperature dropped but my sleeping bag kept me warm through the night.

Kilimanjaro Challenge Day 2. 24th August 2013

The sun was just rising as we landed in Nairobi Kenya. I walked down the steps of the aircraft and set foot on the continent of Africa for the first time.
The airport had been gutted by fire a few weeks ago and much of the buildings were replaced by temporary tents. We passed through the airport to a tent and waited there for our flight to Kilimanjaro. I was fairly tired still and dozed, between talking to other members of the group.
Soon we were on our flight to Tanzania and in the air. The flight was not a long one, we passed Kilimanjaro. I was on the wrong side of the aircraft to get a great view however I leaned over to look out of the window and saw the mountain that I had come to climb for the first time. Woah was it impressive,I could feel the excitement build again.
We arrived into Kilimanjaro International Airport, and after collecting our bags we went outside where our head guide, Godfrey and some of his team were waiting. He struck me straight away as a kind, decent chap. We loaded our bags onto two busses and then got on the busses to our hotel.
I sat towards the back and looked out of the windows to the side, the rear window and ahead out of the windscreen, trying to take everything in along the way to our hotel, the AMEG lodge in Moshi. I guess it was just under an hour drive before we arrived.
The rooms were allocated, Andy and I would room together. We freshened up then got some lunch from the buffet. After lunch Dean briefed us on what would happen the following day and then showed us what we should take in our kit bags.
We were asked to try and get the weight of our bags to between 12 and 14 Kilo's, I thought this would be a tough task considering I struggled to get the bag to 15 kilo's but eventually I got the weight to 13kilo's
The rest of the afternoon I talked with other members of the group and the football fans amongst us got up to date with the football scores back home.
Andy and I made our way to the bar and tried Kilimanjaro beer. The rest of the group slowly joined us and we had a good laugh whilst waiting for dinner.
Later that night in bed I lay thinking of what was ahead of me, the challenge of a lifetime,Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro Challenge Day 1 23rd August 2013

Here we go then. An idea that hatched over 8 months ago was about to become a reality.
I had been seriously nervous in the past few days,questioning myself, and what I was doing. At the same time though I was very excited. I was heading for an experience like no other I had been through in my life. More so I was doing it to help Greyhound Rescue West of England, and the hounds that they look after.
I was about to take myself way out of my comfort zone. Only good things could come from this, I knew that, but the nerves were still there.
I had received so many good luck messages from not only my friends,family and GRWE volunteers. But also from people who could see what I was attempting in order to help these wonderful dogs. It filled me with so much pride, and I knew that thinking of all the positive messages would spur me on throughout my adventure.
I had somehow managed a good nights sleep and woke around 8am. No rush today, so I went back to sleep till 9 then got up. I spent the morning rechecking my kit bags and then listened to music to try and relax.
At 1pm I left for the airport. My father kindly gave me a lift to Heathrow. It was a 2 hour journey. We didn't really talk much about the trip. I think my father could sense I was nervous and so we dodged the whole subject.
I said my goodbyes to my father at the drop off point at terminal 4. I made my way very slowly to the terminal entrance. I have travelled by myself before,so I wasn't nervous about that. Something, oh about nineteen thousand feet high was giving me the jitters.
As I walked in to the terminal I was looking for a coffee bar. I was around 2 hours early for the time I was supposed to meet the Action Challenge team and my fellow climbers. To my surprise someone walked past me enquiring 'Action Challenge?' pointing at my big red and black holdall with Action Challenge emblazoned on the side. Taken aback I looked at the man, and replied 'yes' The man shook my hand and introduced himself as Dean, the leader of my trip.
We walked together to the Kenya Airways check in zone and talked. I felt much less nervous now and more relaxed. Dean went for some food so I guarded his bag and my own until he returned. In the meantime more of the group arrived and we introduced ourselves and chatted briefly. Excitement and apprehension summed all of us up well I think.
Dean arranged to meet us at our gate 30 minutes prior to our boarding time. So we checked in and went through security and all did our own things. I went and found a cafe and enjoyed a latte and a breakfast ciabatta .It was possibly then, that I really got into the adventure spirit. I'm here because I want to be here. I've trained hard for this,and I'm ready for it. I'm going to enjoy as much of it as I can, and gut it out when I need to, to realise my dream of standing at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
I got to the departure gate around 5pm and was talking to Dave,Grady,Alice and Jack. We seemed to have had the same issues packing and the same mix of nerves and excitement. Dave and I had also trained very similarly.
Dean gathered our group of 25 and introduced us to our trip doctor,Amanda. Dean explained we would get a full brief when we got to our hotel in Tanzania, but today was just a case of actually getting there. I boarded the 2000 Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi and found my seat in the middle row. I had an aisle seat,an empty seat to my right, and a fellow group member Andy had the other seat in the row.
Andy and I hit it off straight away, we share a passion for football and beer. We talked for a while and then tried unsuccessfully to get much sleep before landing in Nairobi.

Just Days From Kilimanjaro.

I set an event countdown on my phone weeks and weeks ago. A check on it now, informs me that my flight to Nairobi takes off in 2 Days 23 hours 9 minutes! I can be honest and say that I do feel ready for it. I am very excited and very nervous but I am looking forward to it.
I finished my training last Friday. I went for a short run. I felt like I had come full circle. I can clearly remember starting my training last December with a walk in the pouring rain, and there I was, one day in August out in the pouring rain.
That short run brought the curtain down on eight months of hard work. I feel very proud looking back on it all, seeing for myself just how far I have come. I also take confidence and pride from the fact that in my heart I know I have given it everything I have got to be ready, and I can go to Africa knowing that I could not have done anything more or tried any harder. I feel fit, I feel healthy and I feel as ready as I will ever be.
After concluding my training I have tried to take it easy over my final week, and save my energy. It's hard to ignore the feeling inside that I should be doing something. Running, walking, going to the Gym. But I have resisted the urge and not felt too guilty,
Yesterday I trialled Diamox tabletS, or to give them their official name,Acetazolomide. I have done my research on these and spent months trying to decide if I would use them or not. Basically they help someone to acclimatise to altitude. I got them on a prescription from my Doctor, They can cause a few side effects but on balance once I sat down and thought about it, the idea of not reaching the summit because I got accute Mountain sickness and didn't take these tablets, well, I think I would be heartbroken and would kick myself forever and a day. I will start taking them the day before I begin the climb, but I took a dose yesterday to make sure I was not allergic to it.
Apart from a bit of a thick head I did not really have any problems, so I hope that is the case when I have to take them for a week.
I have to start taking my anti-malaria tablets on Thursday, with paracetamol and Ibuprofen in my kit bag I could well rattle all the way to Uhuru Peak.
Today I packed my kit away into my kit bag. It took quite an effort and several attempts but I got there in the end. I can now forget about it until I get to Tanzania. My Kit bag weighs 18KG which is fine for the aeroplane, but I need to get the weight down to 15KG for the mountain. I'm optimistic I can do that, as there are few items I will be leaving at the hotel.
Ever wonder what you need to take on a 10 day trip to the highest freestanding mountain in the world? Here goes:-
A pair of boots,
A pair of trainers
Trekking Gaiters-These wrap around your lower leg/ankles to stop scree getting in your boots
3 pairs of walking socks,3 pairs of liner socks to avoid blisters
1 pair of extra thick walking socks
A waterproof jacket
Waterproof trousers
Heavyweight trekking trousers (for the last push to the top in cold temperatures)
Lightweight trekking trousers
A Down Jacket
2 Micro Fleece tops
3 Trekking T-Shirts
Thermal underwear and base layer tops
A pair of windstopper gloves
Thick pair of waterproof gloves
Pair of fleecy Mitts
Fleece Hat
Bandana or Buff
Wide Brimmed hat
Casual clothes (for the hotel)
Tracksuit bottoms for the campsites
Swimming trunks (for the inevitable morning by/in the pool when we get off the mountain)
100 litre duffel bag
35 litre rucksack
Sleeping Bag
3 Litre hydration pack/camelback and 2x1 litre bottles
Head Torch with spare batteries
Sun Glasses
Sleeping Bag Liner
Sleeping mat
Camera/Video camera with spare batteries/memory cards
Snacks for 6/7 days (I have used trail mix bars whilst training so taking them and jelly babies)
Travel Pillow
Travel Towel
Trekking Poles
Ear Plugs
2 sets of chemical handwarmers for summit day
Anti bacterial hand gel
Toilet roll
Sun Screen,After Sun and lip balm
Wet wipes
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Insect repellent
Soap
Pain relief
Malaria tablets
Antihistamines
Zinc tape or blister plasters ( I prefer tape..get me sounding like a pro)
Rehydration Powder (you put this in your drink if you are starting to struggle)
Imodium (Hopefully wont need this)
Antiseptic wipes
Throat Lozenges
Deep Heat
Knee supports (I wear them to protect my knees a little)
Vaseline (Again blister prevention)
Talcum Powder
Diamox
Pee bottle (Not sure on if I will use this yet, I shall see how I go There will be a toilet at each camp, but it is an option for use in the middle of the night to save leaving the tent.)
As you can see its quite a list, and I have worked my way through getting it all, over the months.
Now that I am all packed, all I have to do is wait for the adventure to begin on Friday.

The photo shows my red holdall full with the above list, my rucksack on the left, my hat,coat and trusty boots

T Minus 25 days and counting!

25 Days! That's all I have left to wait now! In 25 days I will be at Heathrow Airport ready to go to Africa. I have been pushing myself really hard over the last couple of weeks. Most of my work has been on my strength and fitness. The unusual but very welcome Sunshine and high temperatures have not really stopped me. On cool days I have been out running, mainly up and down hills to increase my leg strength and my overall fitness. There have been days where I have timed my runs well to get home just as the temperature rises.
On really warm days I have sought refuge in an air conditioned Gym. Putting the miles in on the treadmill and exercise bike, and then doing some weight training. I am happy with the level of fitness I have now. It's really comforting and encouraging to see my improved performances on my runs.
My kit list is almost checked off. The last one or two things I will have very shortly. I will then have the task of packing it. The weight limit for my holdall will be 20KG on the aeroplane. But, it will be a maximum of 15KG when I get to Kilimanjaro. At the moment I seem to be comfortably under the 15kg limit, even though I still have things to pack I don't think weight will be the problem, its room. My first couple of attempts to pack have been quite comical. The bag seems ready to burst at the seems. I am sure it will be fine, I keep telling myself.
The nerves and the excitement are really building now. Part of me can't wait to get cracking, the other part can wait. I still can't quite believe what I am doing, and how far I have come in the last 8 months. It might sound like a cliche but I have learnt so much about myself while I have been training. I have discovered a real enthusiasm for walking. I have also discovered a real self motivation and self determination. All those horrible winter days, the thought of not going for a walk because it was too cold never entered my head. There have been days when I have found training hard, but I have always had one not so secret weapon to drive me on. I just remind myself exactly why I am doing this. It is all to help a fantastic cause-Greyhound Rescue West of England.
I had the pleasure a few weeks ago of attending a GRWE fun dog show. I got to meet many of the volunteers who give so much of their time and effort to helping these amazing dogs. I also got to meet lots of GRWE dogs looking for homes. It's these dogs that all the sponsorship money that I have raised is going to help.
All of the support I have had so far to raise a stunning amount for GRWE makes me feel very proud. The good wishes and moral support I have been given is just amazing. For that, to everyone who has been backing me I offer my heartfelt thanks.
The last few weeks, I plan to make as stress free as possible. I aim to finish all my training a week prior to going. I have taken advice on this and getting a good weeks rest before it's 'Go time' seems to be highly recommended. If I do anything in the last week, it will only be a light bit of jogging to stay loose.
It seems like only yesterday that I stumbled across that video on youtube of the celebrities making their journey to the Summit of Kilimanjaro. In just a few short weeks I will be following in their footsteps. I don't expect it will be a walk in the park. I know it will be the toughest thing I have ever done in my life. But I am ready, and I am looking forward to the challenge.