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OK - so, we made it. I must admit it was seriously difficult, not least because Morocco had a heatwave whilst we were there. At the hottest we endured (and that is really the only word I can use) temperatures of 56 degrees. Admittedly we were lying in our tent at the time but I defy anyone to be able to do anything other than concentrate on breathing at that sort of temperature.

I am a geek - I admit it - and I had a pedometer to measure how many steps we did and how far we trekked. It is an inexact science as not all the steps would be the same length but I can give you an idea.

Day 1 - 10,217 steps (1 hour and 38 minutes in a sandstorm and rain (really) after 6 and a half hours in a car). Approx 7 km.

Day 2 - 28,810 steps, approx 21 km. Overcast and mercifully cool although a dreadful sandstorm blew up about 5 minutes after we reached camp which finished us off for the night.

Day 3 - 33,470 steps, approx 25 km (temperatures reaching in excess of 45 degrees). This was the hardest day - we trekked over rocky terrrain in the morning and in the afternoon endured relentless sun, rocky walking conditions and absolutely no shade.

Day 4 - 21,075 steps, approx 16 km (temperature reached 56 degrees by 1pm and it was a mere 38 degrees at 6am).

Day 5 - 14,806 steps, approx 11 km and a chilly 43 degrees at 10am.

Day 6 - 8,331 steps, approx 6km. Lee's boots literally fell to pieces at this stage. Thankfully Suan had some gaffer tape to hold them together to get to the finish. The boots were left behind in Morocco where they will be lovingly mended and donated to one of the guides in the mountains.

The eagle eyed amongst you will note that this is less than the 100km I said we were going to do. But the temperature and the experience we had in camp (one of our party very nearly died from heat stroke and had to be evacuated to a cockroach infested hospital after being unconscious for a number of hours - it was very scary) meant that for our own safety our group couldn't do as many hours or miles as had been planned - after all we were enduring temperatures up to 20 degrees higher than expected.

All in all it was an extraordinary experience and one which Lee and I will treasure - we really pushed ourselves to the limits and endured it, the relentless heat and terrain, together. I have upload some photographs to try give you an idea of our experience - you will note it is not all rolling sand dunes!

To those who have already donated, a huge thank you. To those who were waiting to check if we made it or who might be wondering whether it really was a challenge - let me tell you, it was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done.

I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved - and so thrilled that we did this together.

Thanks for reading this update. Thank you again to those who have already donated. And thank you in advance to those who may now choose to donate. It really means a lot.

K & L

xxxx

For the first time Lee and I are doing a charity challenge together - a 7 day trek in the Sahara Desert. Lee is, of course, an old hand at these challenges but this is the first time I've joined him. I must admit I am a bit nervous but I am also excited about the challenge - 100km through the desert in 40 degree heat, trekking for up to 8 hours a day and sleeping in a bedouin tent at night - not exactly a week by the pool! But it is about time I tried to give something back and push myself to try to help those less fortunate than me.

We have decided to keep the Ol Malo Trust as our nominated charity so that we can build upon the money Lee has already raised for them and which is making such a difference. Some of you will remember the details of Ol Malo from the information we provided when Lee did his Vietnam/Cambodia cycle challenge. For those who are not familar the Ol Malo Trust raises money to help the Samburu people - the local nomadic people based in north-central Kenya - in a way which helps them to maintain their traditional culture. The Trust is active in a range of areas - education, health and water conservation. We chose this Trust as we were fortunate enough to visit Ol Malo when we were in Kenya last year.

However, we do recognise that it may be difficult to contemplate a donation to a charity based in a remote part of Kenya when there is such devastation in Pakistan and there are so many good causes closer to home. All we can say is that any donations would be very gratefully received and that our long term intention is to raise enough money to build a school to educate some of the youngest Samburu children (between the ages of 5 and 10).

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 UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thanks for reading

Kate & Lee xxx