A bit about our Kilimanjaro challenge
Eight years ago I climbed Kilimanjaro in aid of Hospice Care Kenya and Oxfam. At the time I said that it was the hardest thing I had ever done and I would never do it again. Then in a moment of weakness I said ‘unless one of the boys wants to do it when they are older'.
Fast forward seven years ………
Last year Callum went on a school trip to . While he was there he visited a School in Naivasha 100 miles form . He was struck by two things. Firstly how enthusiastic the children were about being at school and education. They saw it as a real opportunity for them and their families. The other thing that struck him was how little they had in the way of resources and facilities. The classes were fairly bare rooms with a board at the front and rows of desks. Classes had between 90 and 100 children each. Callum decided he wanted to raise some money for schools in . £5000 will build a classroom in Kenya so that seemed like a good target.
Kilimanjaro has captured Callum’s imagination and since I had said I would do it again if one of the boys wanted to ….
Kilimanjaro is a 19,341 feet or 5,895 metres high, dormant volcano. Strictly speaking it is three volcanoes, one of which is almost entirely eroded away, one is still obvious as a secondary peak and the third is the snow capped mountain we are all familiar with.
The ascent will take five days with the help of a guide and porters (porters are vital because as you get higher the air becomes so thin those of us who don’t live or spend time at altitude would find it difficult to carry a wash bag let alone a tent.) We will be camping each night. Other routes on the mountain have huts to sleep in but we are approaching from the north east side which is used rather less. The first four days involve an ascent of about two to two and a half thousand feet a day. Not too bad until the air starts getting noticeably thinner and breathing becomes more of an issue. The final three and a half thousand feet are started around on the fifth day. The early start is so we are walking on frozen paths (a little easier), so we can reach the rim for sunrise and so we can be heading down by the afternoon when the clouds often descend on the summit. Temperatures on the last day can vary from -20 C to +10 if the sun comes out.
There is no way of telling if we will suffer from altitude sickness. As long as it is nausea and headaches we will carry on. If we develop pulmonary or cerebral oedema I promise we will not push on but will turn around and head down!
So that is a flavour of what we are planning. All the money we raise goes to the charity. We are paying all our own costs. Callum and I hope to be able to show you a photo of us on the summit when we come to collect your money! Better still donate now and we will send you the photo later. Thanks in advance.
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