Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I am attempting to do a daily blog along with my Team Members. If you haven't considered donating already, please can you do so now. Cancer Research would appreciate your help. This has been done in honour of Uncle Tez and people like him who will be sadly missed by their family and friends.

DAY ONE - KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE

Well we have reached camp and I can see pasta - lots of it. There is nothing like a mountain walk to stir up an appetite. Have been chomping through the Kendal Mintcakes like they are going out of fashion. Sir Edmund Hilary certainly had good taste. Suffering dreadfully from flatulence and whilst I am not alone as this is due to changes in altitude, I am acutely aware that the condition is extreme and I have been informed that it is only going to get worse As you can imagine, we are in beautiful surroundings and this is certainly helping to keep spirits high. The team are feeling really positive and we are all looking forward to the days ahead. There are quite a few elephants about and whilst the guides are concerned about their vicinity to camp, those of you who know me will appreciate just how pleased I am to see them. My love of elephants extends to a collection of various pictures of them and statues. Seeing them in the flesh is awesome. I think I can speak for all of us when I confirm that sleep will come easy tonight. We are all very excited to be here and whilst the journey ahead will no doubt be arduous, we are savouring every moment. On that note, I need to go and get some grub before Barnsey and Maggy get there first!! Please stay tuned in for my next instalment and thanks again for your donations. This means a lot to me!

DAY TWO - KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE

Before I go any further, after talks with my teammates who are in complete agreement, we must thank our sponsors, Berghaus, Gatorade, Skins and Maxi Muscle for without them we do not believe we would have achieved 20km today. Seriously 20KM and uphill at that. Considering all this, we are feeling great. We are now at camp and according to Altitude Ant's watch we are at 4000metres.  My compadres have indicated their intention to report an incident with a certain American and I feel it appropriate to set the story straight. For those of you who have been following our exploits, you will note that there has been problems with flatulence well, for some of us, this has developed further. Much as I hate to embellish on this, I do want to apologise to the American who kindly facilitated the use of his WC and confirm that it was not my intention to be so productive! Sadly I didn't see any beloved elephants today which was rather disappointing. However, we did perchance upon some Jackals and Columbus Monkeys which was really amazing. Now that we are at camp and we have been fed and watered, our thoughts are turning to the next stage. We are two thirds of the way there and in normal circumstances that would be considered over the hill so to speak. However, the guides are clearly impressing upon us that the last third of the journey is possibly worse than the first two thirds put together. They are spending a lot of time checking us out for altitude sickness and whilst we are experiencing headaches, they appear satisfied at this time regarding our current state of health. I have no doubt that the great camaraderie, the thought of our families and friends back home egging us on, and our selected charities will get us through. Well thats all for now.

DAY THREE - KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE. Well all I can say is those guides were not kidding. We have reached camp (more like a crater!) at Mawernzi and we are now at 4300metres. Now for those of you who are saying "hang on they were at 4000metres yesterday thats not very far" let me assure you that the climb was vertical and those 300 metres have made a real difference in terms of the altitude sickness. Headaches and retching are the main symptoms which thankfully, are alleviated quite promptly by medication. I should make a mention of Barnsey at this stage whom I admire greatly. He is unable to alleviate his symptoms due to the medication being a banned substance which would affect his professional status as a rugby player. He has remained in good spirits and doesn't complain despite very difficult circumstances at times. I personally take my hat off to him. Despite the climb today, things were far from negative. I mean how many of you could say that you marched up Killi listening to the Proclaimers or woke up in a tent at 4000m to a steaming mug of tea. OK it's not the Dorchester but early this morning it might well of been. That cup of tea was certainly a highlight! Now we are settled for the night once again we are thinking of the climb ahead. The guides are again reinforcing the fact that the journey will be more difficult tomorrow and whilst we are taking their advice very seriously, we are all in agreement that the only thing stopping us from getting to the top will be an Elephant Gun!!!  I think that's about all for today. Sorry it is so short but it is rather cold ( approaching -10) and now that I have touched base with home, I think it is time to settle down for the night and see what amazing things we are going to experience tomorrow. I hope you will check in then for a progress report. Remember, if you know anyone who might be interested in donating to Cancer Research, send them my weblink. 

DAY FOUR - KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE. I know I probably sound like I am repeating myself but today really was the hardest day yet. I was quite concerned about Barnsey this morning as his altitude sickness really was taking a toll. Thankfully, he is feeling much better this evening. We travelled 10km today and we are now tucked up at Horombo Camp. As you may recall we stayed in a crater last night and this morning we climbed the west side of Mawernzi, went round heading north west and then crossed the east edge plateau. We have actually descended for this evening and we are now at 3,714 metres. This is quite an oxygen rich environment in comparison to the higher levels and will hopefully allow our bodies to recover sufficiently for the summit ahead. Barnsey is certainly more comfortable this evening and this is a relief. I know I keep saying that spirits are high but this is genuinely true. As far as we are concerned, this is an adventure and we are attempting to do something that not many people would in a lifetime. It is hard not to take in the breathtaking views and feel lucky. Tomorrow is DDay. Well, strictly speaking tomorrow at midnight is DDay in which we will be starting the final climb to the summit but we have a lot to do before then and, as the guides have pointed out, our bodies and minds will be struggling with the lack of oxygen. I was alarmed when they told me that at the top there will be only 50% of the oxygen you can expect to find at sea level. We have been given instructions that near the top our minds will be telling our bodies to sleep. We are not allowed to lie down and we have been told, however tempting, not to close our eyes. Our bodies may try to shut down due to lack of oxygen and we must not give in. Sound quite extreme but bearing in mind the guides have been  spot on so far about what to expect on a daily basis, we are heeding their instructions to the letter. In the meantime we are trying not to think too much about tomorrow, which starts with a six mile hike. We are very comfortable at the moment and I am certain that we are all going to get a good night's sleep. This will put us in a good position for the long day ahead. Our next stop tomorrow is Earafu camp which is the highest camp at 4,600 metres. We will get an opportunity to rest there before we start the final climb but as the oxygen is less at this height, I suspect the rest will not be as comfortable as tonight. As you can imagine we are excited and whilst we will try and get the next instalment to you, it may not be possible so please bear with us. We are getting information from Home and we are delighted with the support we have been receiving. Thank you so much. Your support means so much.

Until next time. Vive la Killi!!!!

DAY FIVE - KILL GREENE KING CHALLENGE

I have to admit that my body is feeling a little shell shocked. Yesterday, I couldn't imagine the next day being any harder but it was. I personally found the six hour hike this morning very challenging so when the Guides reinforce that the final push is going to be the hardest yet, I am starting to imagine what they mean. We are now settled in at Earafu Camp and it feels like artic conditions. The basic tasks are a bit of a chore. Partly because of the cold and partly because of the lack of oxygen causes our bodies to ache relentlessly. However, we can see our goal and it is truly amazing to be so near but so far. Unfortunately, we have just been informed that we will be unable to start out assault at midnight. We are ready to go but we are just waiting for the Guides. Whilst we are frustrated. These guys are professional and we are happy to stick to their timescale if it means coming home safe and sound. We are acclimatising slowly to the change in air and it is comical at times. Everyone is dreading the moment that nature calls because at these levels, you can't just leave your tent and do the necessary otherwise there would be scenes reminiscent of scraping ice off you car but in more personal areas. I don't want to get too graphic here but when I set off on this excursion, the last thing I was thinking about what "How to......at 4600 metres". You never know, I might put the details in a book one day. So now we are playing the waiting game. We are so ready to do this and the worst part is that we can no longer play music as the IPOD speakers have packed up. I am really missing The Proclaimers. I suppose I should be grateful that Mags hasn't started singing again. I think it is just too cold!! As mentioned previously in the blog, the food hasn't been bad. I think we have been spoiled though because I am not too chuffed with their offerings today. We still have our own stash of Kendall Mint Cakes and Maxi Muscle Energy Bars but the main debate we have had is whether the guides have run out of food and just what are they serving us?  I think I can cope as long as they continue serving hot tea. The Gatorade is going down a storm too. Spirits remain high and we have hatched a plan to extract a donation from Virgin Atlantic. We were very disappointed when they failed to make a donation and are hoping that we were just an oversight. We have therefore decided that we are going to return home on one of their flights au naturelle unless a donation is forthcoming. We haven't washed ourselves since starting out and bearing in mind our symptoms whilst acclimatising to the altitude, you can only imagine how we smell. We still have to descend the mountain so things will get worse. I therefore would  ask please for everyone to contact Virgin, or petition them if necessary and let them know about this blog. It only takes one donation from Virgin and we will shower before boarding their flight home. If they fail to do this then we cannot be held responsible for the welfare of their staff/passengers looking after us on the return journey. Remember Virgin, you recycle your air on flights!!!! We are getting information from the UK and we are very grateful for everyone's support. We will try and let you know when we are setting off as soon as we know and if we can't then no doubt, the next time I write in we will have done it. Here's hoping!!!!

DAY SIX OF THE KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE

WE DID IT I!!! I am so tired I can't say much more but I promise you a full update will be forthcoming as soon as I have had some rest. In the meantime, thank you all for your support. SUMMIT DAY :- FINAL BLOG The reason for the delay in tackling the summit was that David was showing signs of suffering with HAPE ( High Altitude pluminary idema) the very first symptoms of this being that the person speaks incoherently and talks complete rubbish, obviously as it was Barnsey we missed these first symptoms! Being told that one of your closest friends and expedition members was so ill and if worsened could die came as a complete shock. As is our way we first thought it was some elaborate wind up but unfortunately on this occassion that was not to be the case. We were at Barafu camp at a staggering altitude of some 4000+m, it was incredibly cold and the dilemma facing barnsey and the rest of the team was either he evacuates the mountain as the cure for puliminary edema is rapid descent to a lower altitude or he stayed where he was got some rest , acclimatized a bit more overnight and then we decided on the morning if the HAPE had gone. Our guide Dior and the entire team at Team Kilmanjaro.com have been first class, absolute experts in thier field. Dior suggest the delayed summitting attempt and Barnsey bravely opted to wait it out and see. An incredibly brave decision, if he had worsened an evacuation at night in the cold and dark would have been interesting to say the least. Had it been me with two young children who needed their Daddy I would have walked off the mountain and I told David that, equally i told David that we had to be confident that team kilomanjaro would not have delayed taking David off the mountain if he did not have a good chance of acclimatizing. It was an agonizing decision for David and by staying and chancing his arm he managed to acclimatize and the rest , as they say, is history. Was this the turning point for our expedition , good god yes we had stared death in the face and barnsey set the tone by refusing to walk down, success was written all over this but none of us would know at what cost. To lighten what was a very scared team I quizzed Barnsey on his last will and testament and so developed our new game of "if you die up here I'm getting......" being by far the best negotiator in the group, Altitude Ant and Maggy were easy prey. I got Barnsey's swanky omega watch a beautiful gift from Bath Rugby to commeroate him playing 200 games, his gorgeous labrador dogs Meg and Sam and his golfclubs ( albeit I play lefthanded!) 5am on the 26th and following a great nights sleep David was passed fit to proceed as fit as he ever was going to be anyway. Breakfast was toast and tea wolfed down as we were all eager to get our summit day started. In the freezing cold Dior called us together and we stood in a circle and prayed in swalihi for a safe ascent. If it hadn't been so incredibly cold a blast of Jerusalem may have occurred as it was were were happy with our swalhili blessing and felt Jerusalem could wait for the bar later. With the formalities over with we were off, at long last we we're getting a crack at the main prize our resolve was absolute , no great speeches, no chest beating just a sense of we had a job to get done, a lot of people had supported us family and friends, a lot of people had kindly donated to our chosen charities and a lot of people had provided equipment and sponsorship so from our point of view it whilst we weren't burdened with the weight of expectation we nevertheless felt a need to succeed. They say fear is the greatest motivator and I am inclined to agree, being four proud men we had a fear of failure we used that fear to motivate ourselves and we were off! Barafu camp to the foot of stellar point took forever , the air is so thin you struggle to breathe, it took us 5 hours to reach the foot of stellar point, five hours of hell, every 4th step you had to stop to breath and the steps we were taking were tiny, imagine one foot in front of the other as opposed to strides. We hit the snow at the foot of stellar point and I was reminded of Hemingways book. Stellar Point is vertical you climb that and the summit is only a mere 200m higher. (That 200m to the summit takes approx. one and a half hours to climb might I add). Halfway up and we were all feeling strong, progress was very slow but we knew we were getting there. At one point I recall Maggy saying we're going to do this, we going to do this, I smiled to myself it was way too soon for talk like that, but that's Maggy all over "Premature" or as he said to his last girlfriend 'Premature for who"? Climbing up through the frozen snow was hard work and slippy and in the back of our minds we were all conscious of slipping and blowing a knee or ankle. At last we reached the top of Stellar Point we collapsed in a heap beneath the rocks to shelter from the wind and stuffed ourselves with energy bars and drinks. Altitude seriously affects your appetite and it was getting food and drinks down. We could see the summit, it was so close but still so far, we knew the worst was over and that lifted us but to be honest the climb to steallar point was energy sapping. The summit was only 200m up and we set off through the snow, it was a case of one foot in front of the other, never looking up never daring to dream that we were getting there and then after what seemed an age we'd done it, a simple sign telling us we had reached the highest point in Africa. Elation, relief, emotion we'd done it and there wasn't a dry eye in the team. All of us had been driven by something within, for me it was the memory of a lost loved one Uncle Terry was taken from us so suddenly and this was my way of honoring his memory, being at the roof of Africa i somehow felt closer to him. We called our love ones on the satellite phone but to be honest I think we were affected with the altitude the could harldy make out what we were saying . Dior was keen to get us off the mountain the altitude at the summit meant that the oxygen in the air was only 50% of what we could expect at sea level. First things first and it was photo time for each of our sponsors. Without our sponsors the expedition could never have got off the ground. We owe a debt of deep gratitude to : GREEN KING IPA GATORADE SKINS MAXIMUSCLE BERGHAUS We left the summit and headed to Gillmans point, every ounce of energy had been used getting to the summit , it was even harder work getting off the mountain. Dior was insistent that we get moving and get ourselves to a lower altitude for safety reasons . At Gillmans point I was ready to collapse, we had some more food and then proceeded to descend via the scree slope. Had we more energy it would have been great fun jumping down the scree to Kibo Huts As it was it was a long ardous slog the elation and euphoria of successfully summating had soon passed. We managed to et some water at Kibo Huts and then it was a 11km hike to Horombo Camp in the dark. We arrived at Horombo , having been climbing and descending for a staggering 15hours we literally collapsed into our tents by this time my chesty cough had developed into fluid on the lungs and David's symptoms had also re-appeared. Earlier in the week we had presumed we would be hitting the beers hard after successfully summating as it was the only thin we hit hard was our sleeping bags and makeshift pillows. David and I spent a restless night comparing our symptoms and wondering if we would make it through the night. At night it gets much colder and the air much thiner thus you suffer more. With the morning light we packed and were off. It was a 7 hour downhill hike to the gate, we were in fine spirits and had developed a new game called " when i get home I'm going to eat ......" At Moranga gate we received our certificates and were treated to a nice lunch cooked by the porters after lunch the porters sang us a farewell song, we stood in a line as they formed a semi circle in front of us and sang their praises , it was like facing the all blacks HAKA but this time it was the friendly smiling faces of our tanzanian guides and porters. We had three guides and 14 porters on our expedition and to be honest they were as proud of our achievement as we were. i had been very fortunate to have travelled extensively around the world and in my opinion you would have to go a long way to find people as warm, welcoming and friendly as the tanzanian people. Everywhere we went it was big smiles, high fives and "Acouna matata" (Swahili for no worries / takie it easy) Via a Pharmacy for my antibiotics for the fluid on the lung issue and the next stop was the Movaro Coffee plantation in Arusha where we were staying, Maggy tried to get a tusker beer down my neck but to be quite honest I was coughing and spluttering so it was a nice cup of tea, a quick bite to eat and then bed. We may have summated but the toil on our bodies was massive . As I was suffering I thought I'd light the fire in my hut only to smoke the place out and have a million ants invade the room from the fire logs, you don"t have those sort of problems at the Dorchester!!!! On saturday we met our guides for lunch and a few quite beers, we clubbed together and hopefully Joseph now has enough money to sort his english language course , he is a first class guide but lacks the confidence due to his limited english. Patrick is definitely the village idiot of the guides he has a wonderfully warm humours personality and had us falling off our chairs with his tales of being a taxi driver and fly catcher. Dior was much more relaxed over lunch and was on top form we learnt a lot about Tanzania and it's history, it's amazing if you look at the war torn countries that border Tanzania , Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi and then see how tanzania has remained peaceful it amazes me, it obviously has to do with the Tanzanian Psyche, Acouna matata, To conclude our expedition has been a huge success we hope to raise in excess of $50,000 Dollars, SKY SPORTS sent a camera with us to film the expedition so please keep an eye out on SKY SPORTS RUGBY for 4 scruffy looking mountaineers climbing Africa's Highest Mountain. If by chance you have not yet sponsored us, please do so, every penny/cent helps. As for next year, watch this space we are keen to do a POLAR EXPEDITION , now that sounds like a challenge!

Jason

Feel free to check out my teammates blogs on www.justgiving.com/dbarnes and www.justgiving.com/pvmaguire to get their version of events.

Thanks

Jason