SHELTERBOX KILIMANJARO CLIMB.

DAY 7 -SUN 01/08/10 - KILIMANJARO - DONE!

2010-08-09T16:14:00.004+01:00

At dinner last night Chris our guide told us we had been the best group he had led in 10 years on the mountain. We were all really touched by his comments. He said we hadn't complained, we were a strong team, and we were doing this for a good cause. And that is something that has never escaped any of us - why we did this!

When I was ill on the mountain, Jimmy said to me "Think of your friends and family who have sponsored you and why you are doing this" I thought of them, and of Shelterbox and the amount of people that can now receive shelter after a disaster as a result of the money we raised. This motivated me to continue, and Im now glad I did.

"Pain is temporary, glory is forever" - One of Jimmy's motos, and it couldnt be more fitting.
I imagined how I would feel today descending knowing that I didnt make it. It doesnt bear thinking about!

So we set off early at 7.15am. We had a 10km descent ahead, and all of just wanted to get down now! All of us had slept well, even Rich thankfully, so we had a bit more energy! We had 3900 metres to descend, and was expected to be down by 12-1pm.

Breathing got easier with each step. The terrain changed and we were back into lush greenery. The rainforest called us below. We descended into the cool clouds, and exited out an hour or so later! The terrain was wet muddy and cool. It began to rain, which at first was quite nice and refreshing. It did get heavier and we all got soaked. The first real rain we had seen on the trip!

We spilt into 4 groups, due to the speed we were descending at. At the front was Chris, Phil and Dave. These nut jobs decided to RUN with Jimmy!!!!!! They broke a Kilimanjaro record and beat the porters to the bottom. They finished at 10.20am!!!! All it meant was they had to wait for the rest of us ha ha!! But they did have a nice cool beer waiting for them!!

Sean, Eric, Mark E were next at the bottom at 10.50hrs. Next up was me Lizzy and Mark D at 11.15pm, and by 11.45pm, Rich Emily and Steve had joined us. The feeling was incredible!! We were all safely down, knees very creaky and sore, but happy, contented satisfied and very proud of ourselves and each other. We all had our moments on the mountain but we all worked as a team and kept the spirits and laughter up. This was the most important thing and what got us all through no doubt, one of the toughest weeks of our lives!

It would be wrong not to mention the incredible stamina strength and support of our crew. Jimmy Chris and George were fantastic, as were our chefs, porters and assistant guides. Basically everyone that made this week possible. - Amazing people!
Ahsante Tours were definitely the right guys to book with. They take care of their porters and their clients, and we have made some good friends along the way.

10 days ago, we were all relative strangers, having only met some of the team a handful of times, and some never before. By the end of the week we had all formed a very special bond having shared such an incredible experience. Each of us now has 11 very good friends. I felt very privileged to climb Kili with them all and to be able to raise the money for Shelterbox that we have done which was the main aim of this trip! So far we have raised £13,000. Enough to shelter 260 people during a disaster. We are still asking for donations and would love to reach at least £15,000, therefore sheltering 300 people. Our justgiving page is linked to this blog. Please donate if you can and havent already.

So, the challenge is over. Thankyou and well done to each and every one of my fellow climbers.
Chris Donald, Mark Eccles, Emily Eccles, Lizzy Treglown, Phil Duloy, Rich McSweeney, Sean Jarvis, Steve Blunsdon, Mark Dyer, Eric Dyer and Dave Achtemichuck. - I miss and Love you all - Sharon xxxxxxxx

DAY 6 - SAT 31/07/10 - SUMMIT HELL!!!!!!!!

2010-08-09T14:31:00.007+01:00

Barafu Camp 4600m - Uhuru Peak 5895m - Barafu Camp 4600m - Millenium camp 3800m)

Last night at 5pm, we had a hearty dinner of stew, potatoes and lots of carbs. Jimmy ad Chris briefed us on the climb ahead. They told us there were 9 guides and assistant guides coming with us. We would set off at 12.30am, and hope to summit before 8am. One short break for tea, but we would get our heads down and plod on. I had a nervous sicky feeling in my stomach. He mentioned there would be bottled oxygen if we needed it.
I didnt realise, but if you flew direct to the summit of Kili in a helicopter and got out, you would fall unconscious straight away due to the lack of oxygen!!!!!
So we went off to bed again and tried desperately to get some sleep. It was hard, knowing what lay ahead to drift off. I maybe had an hour if that.

It was 11.30pm when we woke. Cold, below zero but the wind had thankfully dropped. We gathered in the mess tent for popcorn, tea and biscuits.
A nervous apprehension in the air. Dave had caught Phils earlier bug and was in the loo, vomitting and with tummy troubles. Not a good sign at the start. Rich was still very tired having not slept much all week. Other than that, we were as fit and ready to go as we could be.

So keen, and determined to make the top as a 12, we set off at 12.30am on the dot. Apparently 1 in 3 people dont make it. Tried not to think about that!
It was weird walking in the dark, and soon we realised we didnt need our headtorch as the moonlight was so bright it shone the way for us.
The initial terrain was tricky. Very rocky indeed, and headtorches were needed to see where we going. Rich fell behind fairly early on. It was hard going. An assistant guide would stay with whoever fell out the pack, and support us through. The guides and crew came into their own on this particular night, and we will never forget that!

Wind was 5mph, pretty good, but the cold was biting. I can only describe the first two hours as slogging away, up, up up!!! The crew kept us entertained by singing all the way up, and when our breath would allow, we would join in with their songs...

"Bumbaaaa yeaaaaah bumba" "Jambo, wooo, jambo bueono, habari gani, nzuru sana! Wagemi, woo wakari bishwa, Kilimanjaro, acuna matata woo"....(or something like that!)

After a while, the air was noticably thinner (well except for Phil the smoker, who was never once bothered by the altitude gard damn him!) The team went quiet, and just got our heads down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, 'pole pole'

Rich was suffering fatigue exhaustion from lack of sleep, and was being supported at the rear of the group. Dave was struggling on. I would ask how he was feeling, and his face said it all "Not good" was the answer. But he struggled on.

Then out the blue, I started to falter......it was around 2-3am (I think...because after this I have no real concept of time) Crippling stomach cramps, and an overwhelming tiredness and dizzyness set it. "Can we take a break please?" I asked...but I knew this was not in the deal...we knew from the brief we were to keep going, and if someone became ill, they would be supported by the crew.

A sudden urge overwhelmed me to visit a rock and relieve my stomach cramp. So I did. Urgh!
Id dropped behind the team. Next up, was the urge to vomit....so I did! What was happening to me....Id been so strong, and felt ready for this. No illness at all - until now!
Jimmy our guide remained with me, while the team plodded onwards ahead. It took every ounce of energy I had to put one foot in front of the other, but I did and kept moving...for 10 minutes at least, until I vomitted again. An overwhelming urge to sleep was taking me and I was constantly fighting it. Lightheaded, dizzy, double vision this was worse than any hangover Id ever had!! We were over 5000m by this point, and even though I'd been taking diamox acclimatization tablets, I knew I was suffering AMS (acute mountain sickness)
Jimmy was asking me lots of questions. He would have taken me off if he felt it was getting worse, and had said so in the briefing. If they call it - you go down, no questions asked. I didnt want this, so kept walking.

Unbeknown to me, Mark Dyer was also suffering in the same way that I was, up ahead. Eric his son remained with him for support against the crews advice. They just wanted everyone to make it. Mark and I swapped stories at the end. Both agree this was a horrible feeling. Dave and Rich were still not great either.

I gradually began to feel demoralised. I THOUGHT Id dropped behind the team by around 45 minutes (in reality I was about 10 minutes behind) Lizzy was with the group, making stange noises im told hehehe wheeeeeeeeeze!!!! Lol. Emily wanted to go faster because she was too cold - crazy girl!!! Everyone was suffering shortness of breath, dizzyness, and generally thinking "What the hell!!" Apart from Phil (the smoker!!!!) and Sean Jarvis, who was a tower of strength!

Those 3 hours or so passed in a daze. I found myself resting with Jimmy on a rock, at our one and only tea stop. It was at the base to the trecherous scree 45 degree incline scramble up to Stella Point. I needed a drink! Shame it was only tea! But it was the blackest most sweetest tea id ever drank and it gave me a much needed boost!

Another huge boost, was the sunrise. The sky turned a deep shade of blue and orange and over to the East we watched the sunrise. It was beautiful. I was too weak to get my camera out, so Jimmy got it for me and snapped away!! This definately lifted my spirits after trekking through the pitch black for 6 hours. I wanted to do this and couldnt imagine the team photo without me in it!!

So I got up, and together with Jimmy, we were now joined by Oswad and Mussa, who had tea and water with them. My water system, as had many others had frozen up, even though we had insulaters and tried to safeguard against this. Phil had his water bottle in a sock, and this worked a treat!

So, Stella Point - the big push!! Stella Point is 45 minutes from the summit Uhuru Peak, and about 150m below it. The climb up to it took about 30 minutes. This was the hardest terrain especially when you are feeling at your worse! With each step up, you slid back down two. It was nearly vertical, and very slippy and screey! The guides tried to link arms with me and lift me up...but no, I didnt want this and felt better doing it myself with my poles. One step at a time..mind over matter.

Finally I reached Stella Point, and crashed out. My eyes were shut before I touched the floor. Jimmy pounced and shouted at me."You cant sleep no no no!!"
I became emotional. I asked Jimmy where the rest of my team were. I had visions of them standing at Uhuru Peak without me, having their photos taken, and setting off back down before Id even reached them.....So Jimmy radioed through to the other guide Chris who was leading the main group. He handed me the radio, and I spoke to my Chris. We both got emotional. He honestly felt I wouldnt make it when he left me 3 hours ago due to my state. We'd made an agreement before we went up, that if one of us got ill, the other would continue on (unless it was really serious) I was glad he carried on, I wanted him to do it if I couldnt.
But - I found out they still were not at Uhuru Peak. They were about 10-15 minutes ahead of me!!!!! Wow!

The energy I then found, I have no idea where from. I got up and said "Twendy twendy" - Lets go in Swahili to Jimmy and the boys! I was determined to meet my team at Uhuru Peak!!!

We trekked through the ice field. What an amazing sight. The sun was up and there was people at the top, some still heading to Uhuru, others leaving, and offering me words of encouragement. It was a great feeling. I was nearly there. Some were sat by the side of the path, clearly no energy left. This was a beautiful place. The crater of Kili dropped off to my right. You sometimes forget that this IS a dormant volcano. I did think, 'Gosh I hope it doesnt come to life today' at one point! That would be just my luck!

After 45 minutes, a small hill lay before me. People that passed and saw me resting on my poles, encouraged me "Its just over that hill, keep going, you're nearly there!"
I was permanently crying by now! Jimmy was telling me off, saying that to cry would give me headaches. But I was crying happy tears. I knew over that hill I would see my team again. It had been 3-4 hours, the longest Id been away from them, in 10 days!!!!

So, over the hill, there it was, about 50m away, that little wooden sign that I have seen so many times in pictures and magazines. Uhuru Peak.
A melee of people stood around hugging and laughing. I struggled to make out who was who. And then I saw Chris. He couldnt really miss me in my bright red jacket!
He came running over and we hugged and hugged and cried!

I met the rest of the team and did the same! Yes grown men can cry too and that is fine! We had all worked so hard to be here this was a massive achievement for us...ALL 12 OF US MADE IT!!!!
I soon learnt Rich was in a bad way, feeling awful. Mark D was not great either, and Dave who had been ill from the start fought through it and was one of the first up with Phil, Sean and Chris!!

The team all made it within 10 minutes of each other. Our average time was 7.42hrs and this is what shows on our certificates!
It was an amazing feeling! We all hugged and congratulated each other and had our photos taken. But we were very aware the day was not even half over!!! I asked Rich how was he feeling. He replied
"Bloody awful, but how the hell am I going to get down!!!!!" - Oh yeah! We have to get down!

So the decline began! For me, with each step down, I felt better, as did most of us! Like breathing again! We almost skied down on the scree. We followed a different route down, and just dug our heels in, and slid slid slid. The aim - Barafu camp for 1 hours sleep and food, before carrying on down to Millenium camp!!
This part I found enjoyable, but you had to concentrate as one wrong step and you could topple forwards and not get back up, just roll roll roll!!! (as my rucksack found out!)
Yes, silly me sat down for a break and put my rucksack down - then it rolled and rolled and rolled!!!! Poor Babu, one of our assistant guides ran after it! It smashed the buckle, but hey, I didnt care by then!

Rich's legs had given up, and he was being escorted down by two of the guides. He was fit to drop and needed sleep now! The guides were brilliant, and even though Rich didnt want to be helped, they knew we had a time limit to get off the mountain before the weather would turn and we could be in trouble.

We reached Barafu at around 11.45am. Mango juice and an hours sleep awaited us in our hot sticky tents! At 1pm we gatherered for lunch. We were all exhausted, but knew we had to get through this next stage. a 2-3 hour trek down to Millenium Camp 3800m. Here we would rest for the night, and rumours were, there was a bar!!! Ha! Sean and Steve were most excited!

So some of us rushed on ahead, others a more slower pace. We all made it to camp around 3-4pm. Yes there was a bar, but we drank the few beers they had within 15 minutes!
Sleep was what we all needed. We had been awake for over 18 hours, maybe more. And the physical exertion we had put in, was unbelievable! How were we still standing? Walking zombies!
We had a wash with warm water and dinner. Sean brought some local gin, from the bar! That was all they had. It wasnt really a bar, more like a local entrepeneur who thought of a good idea, and sold a few beers in a wooden shed. He Steve and Phil popped it in their tea and had a nice warming bedtime drink! All we wanted to do was sleep!!! And sleep we did!!!! A full 10 hours of it!
So it was over.....The most rewarding and most difficult day of my life! - KILIMANJARO- JOB DONE!!

DAY 5 - FRI 30/07/10 - BYE BYE GEORGIE :-(

2010-08-09T03:08:00.005+01:00

Well we had a shock at breakfast this morning!! Jimmy our guide came to tell us some bad news. Overnight, one of the porters, as well as George our buffalo soldier guide, had both developed pretty serious AMS symptoms, and were being taken down and off the mountain this morning.

This was a huge shock to us! George has been great since day 1. He met us at Nairobi airport and we have seen him every day since we arrived. He has kept our spirits up with his singing, and music and kept us motivated. But he is not well. He came into see us at breakfast and we could tell he was struggling to breathe. Apparently he could not lie on his back overnight as his lungs were sore. This was not a good sign. AMS can be fatal and can develop on the brain or the lungs. So Georgie left us and was taken to hospital. I think it really hit us then, that even George who has been up the mountain dozens of times, can still fall foul of AMS, and one of us could too!

We set off around 08.30am, deep in thought, quietly plodding onwards to our next and final camp before summit....tonight!!!!! We were heading to Barafu Camp, about 5km away at 4600m. This is a short day, to give us at least 10-12 hours to rest before we start the summit at 12.30am tomorrow morning.

We arrived at camp around 11.30am. It was funny to see people who were just coming down from the summit, that had made it early that morning. Some were elated, some were exhausted!

Its 2pm now. Im resting in my tent after a hearty lunch of pasta, soup and fruit. We are told to get as much rest now, during the day as we can. There is dinner and briefing at 5pm this evening, followed by more sleep and we will set off for the summit around half past midnight. This is so we can summit for between 6.30am and 8am for sunrise. Apparently anything later than that would be dangerous as the weather at the top can change in an instant. My thermals are at the ready. The temperature could reach anything down to minus 15. Im planning on wearing thermals, tights, walking trousers, and waterproofs on my bottoms. Top will be a thermal, long sleeved wicker shirt, fleece, waterproof and down jacket. Im not taking any risk of being cold!!! Its very windy here at the moment. I hope it dies down!

So this is the challenge we have been working towards for 18 months! Im excited but nervous too! Id better try and get some sleep then. I hope we all make it!!!! x

DAY 4 - THUR 29/07/10 - THE GREAT BARRANCO WALL!!!!

2010-08-09T02:09:00.004+01:00

Well the climb high, sleep low idea of yesterday had worked well. We all woke up today feeling a whole lot better. Rich was still having trouble sleeping though. The task for today was to get to Karranga Valley camp 6km away. Again climbing the 300m high Barranco wall, taking us up to 4200m, then descending again to 4000m at Karranga Valley.

So what was I worrying about???
The Barranco Wall - otherwise known as the Breakfast wall (is that because you tackle it just after brekkie or because you very nearly SEE your brekkie again??)
The second one, very nearly in my case! Id done so much research on this wall that Id frightened myself silly, thinking it was a narrow piece of ridge that we could all fall off...in reality it wasnt too bad, and we all actually quite enjoyed the challenge of something a bit different than 'pole pole.'
The wall is 300 metres vertical. It took about 90 minutes to get to the top. Dont get me wrong, it was hard going, scrambling and climbing involved, and tiring. You needed to find somewhere to place your feet in the rocks and pull yourself up. The guides were brilliant as ever and helped us through the tricky bits.

The views at the top were fantasic. Kili was right there in front of us!! (Well ok, about another 1800m up) We were now directly due south of the mountain and really felt like we were getting there! We rested and took photos, before continuing on, and downhill again. Sometimes it was a bit demoralising to use such effort to ascend, only to have to go back down again grrrrrr....but we all understood the reasons why...acclimatization. You can never do enough. Thankfully none of us had, or were suffering any real problems, only the odd headache and dizzy feeling.

We had a really steep descent into the Karanga Valley. This was tricky and we worked well as a team to get everyone down safely. Before having to go all the way back up again!!! This was the last water stop for the porters before the summit, which was crazy. We still had 10km to the summit, and the porters stocked up with water at this point.

We got to camp around 2pm. It was a very exposed and windy area, and on a slope so awkward to move around. We all took a nap on arrival, and later went for a further acclimatization walk with George and Chris. Everyone was tired, and we went back for dinner. Great food as ever! Bed calls yet again. Ive never had so many early nights but boy do we need them. The body needs rest rest rest!

Cant believe that tomorrow night will be summit night. Better get some more sleep! Nite x

DAY 3 - WEDS 28/07/10 - SHIRA TO BARRANCO OH OHHH

2010-08-09T01:29:00.004+01:00

Wow - today the going got tough! It was an acclimatization day. The idea, to leave Shira Camp (3800m) ascend up to Lava Tower (4600m), then descend back down to Barranco Camp (3900m) The total distance was about 12km.

We set off, all bright eyed and bushy tailed along the Shira Plateaux, heading east towards the mountain. The terrain started to change pretty quickly and greenery began to disappear. Instead replaced with a barren heather and moorland. It was a gradual ascent so not too tiring on the legs. However it was a long trek, and as we climbed, some of us gradually began to feel the altitude. Queasy, headaches, heart pumping. These are all signs of acclimatizing to the height. Richard was struggling through lack of sleep and tiredness as well. We stopped for lunch. Yummy cheese sandwiches, or not so yummy for poor Eric!

We continued to Lava Tower, the highest point of the day at 4600m. We stayed here for 20 minutes or so, to get used to the air. Chris and Steves hearts were racing even when resting. This is one of the bodys way of adjusting.
Amazingly while resting at this height, 2 little mice sauntered past me!!! I thought I was having hallucinations! But no, there they were!!

The climb down from Lava Tower to Barranco was tough. Very steep descent and quite tricky in places. My head was banging, and so were a few others.
Today was very much a day of peaks and troughs for the team. Not sure if any of us found it a particularly pleasant one. So different from yesterday.

By the time we got to Barranco Camp, we were exhausted and many took straight to their tents. Rich, Mark E, Mark D and Eric went straight for a nap and missed tea and biscuits.I was about to, when the crew started to sing again. I couldnt help but to go and join them. They certainly do lift the spirits.

Everyone came out their tents for dinner. But we just wanted to eat and go back to bed. It was only 7pm. Weird what today did to us all. Phil had picked up a tummy bug too and was feeling the effects. However before we hit the sack, we simply had to stand outside and amaze at the clear Southern night skies. The milky way was right above us, and tiny tiny lights shimmered in the distance down below. It was the town of Moshi. It was beautiful! Dave took some fantastic photographs!

So off to bed I go. Nervous about tomorrow and climbling the Barranco Wall. I feel sick thinking about it! Not as much writing tonight as other nights, just want to sleep. Nite x

DAY 2 - TUESDAY 27/07/10 - OFF TO SHIRA PLATEAUX - 3800M

2010-08-08T22:09:00.004+01:00

We were woken at 6.30am with a steaming cup of tea by John.
Breakfast was porridge, bread, sausage eggs and fruit, which set us up for the climb ahead.

It was very cold this morning, but we set off walking by 8am, out of Machame Huts and began the steep incline up, up and up! Most of the team had their walking poles out and discussed their night’s sleep. Rich didn’t have a good one. I on the other hand, slept like a log. Sean and Babu (Steve) had us in stitches with their flatulence stories. Yes it’s a fact, that acclimatizing to altitude does makes you fart!!! As we all started to find out one by one! Dignity has now gone, who cares paaarrrrp!

We found out that Georgie our buffalo soldier was also helping Chris and Jimmy to guide us up. He got his phone out and started playing the reggae tunes of UB40 red red wine, as well as of course, Bob Marley and Buffalo soldier!! So, we had to give him renditions of a few select 80’s tunes, as well as a few anthems like swing low, and any other song we could think of! We were enjoying this, whilst continuing to walk pole pole!

The terrain was much rockier than yesterday. Big steps up on the rocks and much steeper. It was hard work. But we were rewarded after an hour or two when we stopped and looked back, only to realise we were above the clouds, and was looking down on a sea of white fluff! Wow! Above, was sun sun sun, it was getting hot hot hot. But the most rewarding view was of the beast before us, way off in the distance to our right. Beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro!

We had been warned at the start of the day that this could be the first day we may start to feel the effects of AMS. Even though I was taking diamox, I did begin to feel a little lightheaded. Chris and Mark E both got bad headaches which are also a sign, but by lunch, all symptoms had thankfully passed.

As ever the fabulous porters had gone on ahead and prepared a hot lunch of soup and pasta. Only 2 hours left to get to Shira Camp so we plodded on.

The terrain turned scrambly for a while and a little hairy in places. Hands and feet were needed to navigate through, but no-one had any real problems.

At 3pm we eventually arrived at the beautiful camp that is Shira Plateaux. We are on the south west of the mountain here, and the Shira plateaux is a collapsed caldera from one of the volcanic eruptions on the mountain many thousands of years ago. A large flat area, but quite stunning. The views off to the West are of Mount Meru in the distance peering over the clouds. To the right, and in the distance is Kili, watching over us, and waiting.....

More popcorn, tea and biscuits, then we set off with George for an hour’s walk to help us acclimatize further. We climbed another 150 metres where we stayed for 30 minutes or so, and took some amazing pictures of Kili. We walked back down, and had a wash with some warm water the porters prepared for us. I am manky!! It’s so so dusty here, there is dirt everywhere. But at least it is dry and not muddy!

The fantastic crew sang and danced for us again. This is really a motivation exercise and certainly keeps us all smiling and motivated!
As the sun set, we ate a yummy meal of pumpkin soup, potatoes chicken and veg.
The view of the sun going down over the Shira Peaks was awesome and one I won’t forget

So, JD (Job done for today) Jimmy briefed us after dinner, and told us to beware for tomorrow. The trek will be 11km. We will climb to 4600 metres and then descend to 3900 metres to acclimatize. It’s meant to be the toughest day (apart from summit day) It’s 9pm now, so I’d better get some sleep then. Nite! x.

DAY 1 - MON 26/07/10 - THROUGH THE RAINFOREST

2010-08-08T19:12:00.004+01:00

After a nervous few hours sleep, we were up at 6am for breakfast. Jimmy and Chris our guides picked us up at 7am and we set off to the Machame Gate entrance.
Jimmy and Chris are both very experienced guides and have worked on the mountain for many years. Chris started out as a porter. They can’t recall how many times they have summated Kili. it has been that many!!
In fact they only got down last night from leading a team, and they are heading back up today with us!!!! Very fit guys! Phew!

Today is very cloudy. We can’t see Kili at all which is a shame.
Once at Machame Gate we all had to register with the park authorities and then we met the crew who were coming with us.
29 in all (porters, guides, assistant guides, chefs, waiters, tent crew)
We soon learnt these guys were to be admired immensely. Amazing, strong, pleasant and fun. They deserved our ‘Maximum respect’ for the job they do! They each carry around 20-25kg. Our bergens, the tents, food, cooking equipment.
They used their heads, backs or necks. Some was wearing highly inadequate mountain clothing. I was already planning what items I could give away to them at the end of the trip. However they are very used to doing this. This is their living, and how they feed their families. I felt very humbled meeting them.

We eventually got going around 9.30am. Chris our guide, led the first days trek and led us well. He set the pace from the start ‘Pole Pole’ which in Swahili means ‘slowly, slowly’. This is so we can acclimatize well. If we set off too quick AMS (acute mountain sickness) could hit us at any time. It was a good maintainable pace.

The terrain was muddy. We trekked through the warm humid rainforest, and saw some amazing flora and fauna, some of which can only be found on this mountain. It was a steep trek, often slippy. Poor Lizzy tripped over and cut her knee. Dr Chris Donald lept into action with his first aid kit and patched her up.
In between doing his Dr duty, Chris also peed.....a lot!!! Say 6-8 times in the space of 2 hours!!!! Now that could possibly be down to the Diamox he was taking. ( helps with acclimatization) A side effect is peeing a lot...he certainly did that and was the brunt of many jokes!
We also got our first view of the types of latrines we would be using for the next 7 days....Think stinking long drop, in a tiny wooden wardrobe, with millions of flies down there and you have an idea!

Ahsante Tours packed us a lunch for the first day, consisting of honey sandwiches, Cadburys choc, cake, banana, and sausage and fruit juice.
After lunch the gradient increased to around 25 degrees. We soon found ourselves trekking into the cloud forest. The temperature dropped to about 1-2 degree, but it wasn’t cold due to the hard work we were putting in. We were quiet and just got our heads down and cracked on. This was quite tough, so the walking poles came out which made things a little easier on the already creaking knees!

By 2pm, the rainforest was behind us, and whilst still in the clouds, we came across the first camp of our trek, Machame Huts 3000 metres high! Phew! We’d climbed more than height of Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in the UK.
We were all chuffed to be here. Chris congratulated us on a good pace and told us to relax until the morning.

We were amazed to see the porters had gone on ahead of us and set up camp already. Our 2 man tents were waiting and a dining mess tent had been set up.
We settled in, before tea, popcorn and biscuits were served around 4pm.

Then, the highlight of our day...Out of the blue, the guides and porters began to sing for us. Swahili song after Swahili song. “Jambo, Jambo bueno”!! Their energy and enthusiasm was boundless. We simply had to join them!
So we all sang and danced and enjoyed a special moment with our newly found friends and family for the next week.

I took a nap for an hour and was woken at 6pm for dinner.
The 12 of us sat round in the mess tent. Hot chicken soup to start, followed by beef, rice, vegetables and tea. How did they make such a good meal 3000m up? Amazing!
Nothing was too much trouble for the crew. Mussa and John were our waiters. We were all shocked by the quality and volume of the meal. But we were told that meal times were the most important part of the day to obtain our fuel for the following day. AMS can affect your appetite. Mmm, I’d like to see it! Ha!

Jimmy came and gave us a briefing for tomorrow. JD he said (meaning job done for today) I thought he was offering JD and coke. Now that would have gone down well! Tomorrow is going to be very tough, much steeper than today. I can tell, we are all a little apprehensive, but keen and determined to do this!
So as the daylight faded we sat by candlelight, chatting away and excited for what events the following week would bring. It was great to have Steve (or as he was fondly known by then, Babu (Swahili for ole man [Symbol]) and Sean to keep us laughing and our spirits were high.

So its 7.30pm and I’m in my sleeping bag writing this. Very tired and ready to sleep. I hope I have the energy to write my diary to this extent for the next few days haha! Nite x

SUN 25TH JULY 2010 - SOME R & R BEFORE THE BIG PUSH!

2010-07-25T11:59:00.004+01:00

Yes, the reggae concert was great fun, and yes we drank lots of the local beer...called Kilimanjaro funnily enough. So yes, today we are taking some much needed R&R! Even Mark Eccles and Steve Blunsdon are on the soft drinks :-)

And by the way, Chris has only gone and broken his toe!!!! Doh!!!! Well, we hope its just badly sprained but the dafty was playing footie yesterday with the school kids....IN BARE FEET!!!! Not the wisest thing to do 2 days before you tackle a beast like Kili, but in his words "I'll cut the b#$tard off if i have to"" and it shouldnt affect him! (we hope!)

Ahsante Tours took us to a great bar called Glaciers last night and laid on a BBQ for us. It was delicious. We then sat around the campfire listening to Bob Marley classics, and chatting about the task ahead with George and Timba. Both are really great guys. Timba has been my contact from day one, and it was so good to meet him at last. He has exceeded our expectations and has really looked after us. He wont be coming on the climb with us, but will arrange for the rest of the school books to be delivered while we are on the mountain. George is 24, and will be our assistant guide. He works hard with Ahsante to fund the schooling of his two younger brothers. He has climbed Kili 8 times before. He was honest enough to tell us he didnt make it up the first time due to altitude sickness...OH GARD!!!! But he was wise enough to know it was because he didnt have the right clothing and equipment.
Thats why, in an hours time George and Timba are coming to our hotel to do a full kit check. We will lay all our gear out on the beds and they will check we have the right stuff. Then they will brief us, for our 7am start tomorrow. The rest of the afternoon will be spent chilling, reading and eating pasta no doubt!

We cant all quite believe the sight we witnessed yesterday. We are all still talking about how beautiful Kili is and taking in the sheer size of it! Like nothing seen before. Its always there, lurking in the distance above Moshi, waiting for us! Amazing! This time next week, we hope to have all summitted and be back down, in a pool and sipping more Kilimanjaro. But in the meantime, the challenge calls and we are all really excited and ready for it..... I doubt I will have internet on the mountain, so my written journal will be copied on when im down....wish us luck and bye for now...we're off to conquer Kili wooohoooo!!!! xx

SAT 24TH JULY 2010 - KILI ABOVE THE CLOUDS...WOW!!

2010-07-24T16:16:00.005+01:00

Today, is the school project day. We were up and out the hotel by 10am, with 250 Shelterbox school bags and classroom textbooks books in tow. Ahsante Tours have been brilliant and sourced us a local school that was in need of some help with equipment. The school, NKUU priimary school holds 200 children and is located at 4,500 feet in the foothills of Kili...Yes that is higher than Ben Nevis, the highest point in the UK.

It wasnt until we were on the road out to the school, that we caught our first awe inspiring sight of the beastly challenge that lay head. Beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro. I cant describe how I felt when I first saw it. After 18 months planning this trip I was amazed, gobsmacked, astonished (and yes, thinking what have I let myself in for...very scared, but strangely very excited too!) Nothing could have prepared me for seeing the snow covered peak peeping out the TOP of the clouds. Absoloutly beautiful. It didnt look real....It was just soooo high...Photo time!!!

Anyway once over the shock we continued up to the school. We spent an amazing couple of hours there. Even though it was a Saturday, all 200 kids had turned out in their uniform to greet us! Wow! We gave them the Shelterbox school bags with coloured pencils and maths sets inside. We then handed out the classroom text books that we bought for them from some of the funds we raised. Brand new. Their old ones were about 20 years old and falling apart. But finally, we gave them the footballs, and all hell broke loose. Fantastic! They ran and ran with the balls and the scene in front just made you laugh, smile but also cry with happiness. How can something so simple and what you take for granted like a football make these kids so so happy. Brilliant! Its been an emotional day!

So, back to Moshi we go. Timba, our tour lead has arranged a BBQ and a reggae concert for us all to go tonight. Very much looking forward to a few beers and good times. Sunday will be a day of rest, breifing and preparation before the climb on Monday.... So until then TTFN x

FRI 23RD JULY 2010 - WELCOME TO DUSTY DUSTY AFRICA

2010-07-24T16:05:00.003+01:00

After the usual Heathrow delays, we finally touched down in Nairobi, an hour later than scheduled at 9am local time (7am GMT) Once we collected our bags, you cannot imagine the relief I felt to meet our 12th and final member Dave from Canada who landed in from Vancouver at 4am..and with him, with a HUGE welcoming grin, was George, our rep from Ahsante Tours. Happy happy happy. We are all together and ready to go....
And so began the 10 hour road trip from Nairobi Kenya, into Tanzania and to our base at the foot of Kili, Moshi....what an experience that was!
The bus was decent enough, shame about the roads! Dusty dusty dusty!! Bumpy, grindy, jumpy, shakey, bang your head your legs, the lot! The only bit of enjoyment was the odd sightings of the wild camels, giraffes and cows (or wilderbeasts as Chris liked to call them)
We stopped at the border for lunch (which took 2 hours for chicken and chips to arrive) Maaaan, we sure are on Africa time! The rest of the journey was quiet. We were all completely exhaused, and eventually arrived at our Hotel, The Leopard in Moshi at around 8pm....some 30 plus hours travelling, and it was too dark to see the looming Kili which we knew was nearby, but just couldnt see it yet. Damn! A really warm welcome and a juice at the hotel was just what we needed, along with one or two cold beers and some good food...Early to bed for some much needed rest (well apart from the hardcore who went out to explore :-)...Cant wait for tomorrow x

...AND OFF WE GO!!!

2010-07-22T11:39:00.002+01:00

Well, the day is finally here, we're sitting waiting for the heathrow connection to take us all the was from sunny Cornwall to Heathrow for our flight. We will then meet Eric and Mark from the US and fly at 9pm tonight, landing at 8am Kenyan time tomorrow. Then an 8 hour bus ride will take us into Tanzania and to Kilimanjaro!
Ive just done a radio interview with Radio Cornwall and waiting for Atlantic FM next eeek!!...that will be broadcast tomorrow morning! Listen in TTFN x

WE'VE REACHED OUR TARGET!!!!

2010-07-20T19:31:00.003+01:00

Brilliant news!! Before we have even left for our trip, we have reached our £10,000 fundraising target for Shelterbox...and then some!!! We are now up to over £12,000 which is great going. Last minute fundraising totals from Mark and Eric in the USA, totalled over £1400. Dave in Canada has raised £943. Both totals have gone into Shelterbox USA and Shelterbox Canada. Big totals are now coming in too from last minute donations in the UK....Keep it up, lets see if £13,000 can be reached....

Anyway, bags are now packed, and last minute details are being finalised. A trip to the Doctors for mozzie tablets, altitude sickness tabs, oh and a last minute trip to the chiropodist to make sure my piggies are in tip top condition....all there is to do now, is get on the way!! This time next week, we will all be on Kilimanjaro. Soooo excited, cant believe its finally here!! 2 more sleeps...TTFN xx

10 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!!

2010-07-12T13:25:00.000+01:00

Well, after 18 months planning, the day is dawning where we will set off for Tanzania to attempt the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro!...Thursday 22nd July 2010!!
Its been a busy 18 months planning and getting the final team together, but I am happy we have 12 dedicated and enthusiastic climbers that cant wait for this challenge! Dave Achtemichuck from Canada and Mark and Eric Dyer from the US. The rest of the team are based in Cornwall, and all of us are either Shelterbox response Team members, or are supporters of the charity.
Im confident we are all fit enough for this challenge. The worrying thing will be tackling the altitude. It doesnt matter how fit you are, it can still get you! After all we are climbing higher than Everest base camp, and in only 7 days!!!
We are using a local Tanzanian company called Ahsante tours to lead us up. Timba, our main correspondant has been brilliant up to now, and I am more than confident we have chosen a good team to lead us up the big hill!
We start the actual climb on Monday 26th July. For 2 days before this, we will be helping out a local school by giving them much needed text books and equipment we have purchased from our fundraising. It will also be a good way to acclimatize to the already high altitude we will be at in the town of Moshi which is at the foot of Kili....I will keep the updates coming, TTFN (ta ta for now - for all of you not in the know :-) xx