In February 2010, I scaled the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro in , Africa to raise money for Diabetes . Diabetes is the largest organisation in the working for people with diabetes, helping people live with the condition as well as campaigning and continuing the search for a cure.
Diabetes is an illness in which the body either does not produce enough (or any) insulin which is required to control the amount of glucose in the blood stream. Low or high blood-glucose levels can result in short-term loss of consciousness and possible long-term eyesight, circulation, and heart/kidney problems. As such, Diabetes sufferers control their blood-sugar levels with a strictly controlled regime of injections, diet and/or tablets along with daily monitoring of their blood-glucose levels.
My mum has Diabetes along with a number of close friends of mine, plus over 2 million people across the .
At 19,340 feet above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is 's highest peak and the world's highest free-standing mountain. On February 24th, I raised money for this fantastic charity by travelling to and made the trek to the dominating with my friend Paul Sheen. Below is an overview of our itinerary:
24/02 Day 1
Arrive at hotel in at 10:30pm.
25/02 Day 2
Drive to Marangu Gate. Walk through the rain forest to Mandara hut (4 hour hike, 2743m).
26/02 Day 3
Leave the forest and cross open moor land to Horombo hut (5 hour hike, 3760m).
27/02 Day 4
Rest and acclimatisation day at Horombo Hut. Day walk to Zebra Rocks or to Mawenzi Hut.
28/02 Day 5
Walk through moorland then across The Saddle to Kibo hut (5 hour hike, 4730m)
01/03 Day 6
Very early start for the summit on steep scree up to Gillman's Point (5 hour hike, 5681m), continue to Uhuru Peak (1 hour, 30min hike, 5895m). Descend to Kibo Hut for lunch and a rest before descending to Horombo hut (about 13 hour total walking time).
02/03 Day 7
Descend to Marangu gate (5 hours). Drive back to the hotel.
03/03 Day 8
Depart for .
The money that you give to this incredible charity will go towards vital research to improve the treatment of Diabetes and continue the search for a cure.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you so much for your support,
Lee
