Dave and I will be visiting a hospital in Tanzania after our final medical school exams next year, and the decision to visit this apparently stunning (if what I have been told is true), but undoutedly poor country was sparked by the stories of good friends of mine who have worked out there starting up a fantastic charity over the last few years.

 

<-- Some details on the left here. You can find their website and further details of their work here:

 

Tanzania is home to the highest mountain on the African continent, and in order to raise money for Breakfast Club, we thought it would be a great idea to seek sponsorship to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. There is, however, a problem with this otherwise super plan, though; you have to be in Africa. And given that Dave and I only have a few available weekends, this would be impossible, non?

 

Let me introduce the concept of prominence. The peak of Kilimanjaro is 5895m above sea level, but has a prominence of 4600m from the plains below. On this index it is sometimes (rather hopefully) claimed to be the highest mountain in the world, mainly by Tanzanians. It is more prominent than Everest, but maybe not quite as prominent as Mount McKinley, or Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. Anyway, get the impression of a proper mountain; altitude sickness, trains of porters and glacier topped volcanic craters.

 

We thought a far more civilized way to conquer this mighty peak was from the comfort of our very own Lake District. A place where real ale will be available at reasonable intervals throughout the expedition, and altitude sickness will be caused only by an attack of vertigo or an inappropriate level of refreshment on the previous evening.

 

So Kilimanjaro is 4600m.

 

We are going to climb:

 

Scafell Pike             912m (DONE!)

Helvellyn                  712m (DONE! In two and half hours!)

Skiddaw                   709m (DONE! At the cost of Bab's knee!)

Grasmoor                left out (we climbed Grisedale Pike and Crag Hill instead)

Blencathra               461m (DONE!)

Great Gable             425m (DONE!)

Coniston Old Man   416m (DONE!)

Dale Head                397m (DONE!)

, and to make up the numbers, Broad Crag (DONE!), which is part of Scafell Pike, will give us 52m, making 4603m.

 

 

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