Thank you for your curiosity regarding this adventure I'm about to embark on.

In October, I will participate in the UNICEF Global Challenge. The challenge is a 4-day journey in Ethiopia, trekking across (and up!) one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the world: the Simien Mountains (2-10 October 2015).

I am an occasional runner, but I'm told that this is a rather involved and enduring trek, walking 7 hours a day at a high altitude across challenging terrain, i.e. between 2,235m to 3,600m; Our ultimate goal is to reach the summit of Mount Bwahit at 4,450m. Not your basic hike, and definitely out of my comfort zone ...

But whatever lies ahead, the opportunity for such a challenge has come at the right time in my life, and I'm looking forward to doing something that will be meaningful, far away from the comfort of my daily "corporate" and Parisian life. Notwithstanding my personal motivations, fundraising to help strengthen the protection of the most vulnerable children in the world is truly a good cause. This opportunity to take part in UNICEF's Global Challenge is made possible because of DLA Piper's award-winning partnership with UNICEF. 

Together, our fundraising target is U$ 280,000. If we meet this target, we will help raise awareness of children's rights and achieve a little something towards bettering the lives of those who need it most.

So this is what we'll do:

Day 1: We arrive in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
Day 2: Short internal flight to Gonder (2133m), gateway to the Simien Mountain National Park.
Day 3: We drive to the town of Debark (3 hours away), and enter the Simien Mountain National Park. Now on foot (5 hour trek), we set off around the cliff face high on the plateau. Night camp (3200m).
Day 4: We head towards Geech abyss and the Jin Bahir Falls. Leaving the falls, we have a sharp climb to rejoin the road before veering off into the valley and crossing the Jin Bahir River further upstream (6-7 hour trek). Night camp (3600m).
Day 5: We set off on a steady climb across open moorland towards Imet Gogo, a rocky outcrop perched high above the canyons. Retracing our steps, we head east and drop down until we are just above the source of the river. We then commence the steady climb to Inatye crest (4090m), following the path over the top and down around the mountain, descending nearly 500m to our campsite (9 hour trek). Night camp (3600m).
Day 6: We will ascend through the valley from Chenek, to scale Ethiopia’s second highest mountain, Mount Bwahit at 4430 meters (7 hour trek). Night camp (3600m).
Day 7: I guess I'll be going home on a stretcher!

You can help me through this with your donations and support.

Thank you for anything you care to contribute, and wish me luck!