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My story

 
We did it!!!! We summited Kilimanjaro.

Thank you ALL for making it possible and for your generous donations to Diabetes UK. We wouldn't have done it without you.

Our challenge started pretty much as soon as we landed in Nairobi - a 6 hour road trip to Arusha in a rickety bus with precious little in the way of suspension over rough African roads (African massage they call it!) By the time we arrived we were tired and covered in dirt, a theme that was to follow throughout the trip.
More challenges followed as the days wore on- a shared bucket as a toilet in camp, headaches, nausea, dirt, having to stop every 1/2 hour and find a bush as we were encouraged to drink up to 6L of water a day, more dirt, crawling out of a cosy sleeping bag in -20 + at night for yet another pee, matted hair and filthy nails (despite endless hand washing and tons of baby wipes), more dirt and of course the FINAL CHALLENGE- the 9 hour push to the summit in the dark - the hardest thing we've ever done in our lives. It's difficult to describe the feeling of being at altitude. Even without suffering too badly from headaches and nausea it was incredibly difficult to force one foot in front of the other. Our bodies felt completely devoid of  energy, I can only guess it would be like climbing twice the height of  Ben Nevis with a really bad bout of flu and concrete blocks on your feet! Then of course there was the 6 hour descent which was only marginally less hellish!

On the plus side?
-The heart warming generosity of our friends and relations and even people we didn't know- Thank you.
-The overwhelming sense of achievement. All our team made it which was fantastic and made celebrating all the sweeter.
-The bucket loos- funny how your perceptions change, but our private team buckets were luxury compared to the communal African long drops!
-The sense of fun and camaraderie amongst our fellow trekkers who ranged from students to a banking millionaire, ages 18 to 55. We started as a group and finished as a team
-The fantastic support from our porters and stomach engineer who kept us going over the 9 days of the challenge, ensuring we were well fed and that camp was always ready for us after our long days of trekking ever higher.
-Our guides, Jez, Passian, Robson, Viviano, Crossmand, Edwardo and Stratton who did a fantastic job throughout but particularly on summit night when they kept our spirits up by singing African chants and giving us the support we needed to make it to the top.
- A coke and a SHOWER on returning to Arusha
-The superb views and strange wildlife

and for me, the most awesome of all- sitting in our frost covered tent drinking tea and looking DOWN on the clouds.

There were loads of incidents and conversations that will stay with us forever and our memories will be jogged by the 2000 photos Sandy took. Make sure you have at least a day spare if you ask to see our pictures!!

 



Well done Donation by Lorraine Cowe 18/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Well done :) Donation by Andrew Allardice 16/09/09  

£10.00

All the best, happy climbing !!! Donation by Bill Moir 14/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Good Luck from Rona, her mum, the hounds, the horses and of course Pepe! Donation by Rona Blackwood 09/09/09  

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THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH AND GOOD LUCK FROM ZODIAK XXXXX Donation by Clare Adam 31/08/09  

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good luck!!!can't wait to see the photos. Donation by Nicola Davidson 27/08/09  

£10.00

Good Luck! Donation by Zulin Zhang 27/08/09  

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have fun and enjoy love derek and alice xXx Donation by Alice Gartly 25/08/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Very best of luck to you both! Donation by Doodlebug Cards 20/08/09  

£43.12 + £12.16 Gift Aid

Good Luck to you both, just remember, "one step at a time". Kind Regards, Mark, Tania, Katie & Emma Donation by Mark, Tania, Katie & Emma 18/08/09  

£75.00

Good Luck Carol and Sandy. Donation by Mick Rae 18/08/09  

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Good luck to you both, love from mum x Donation by Rose Main 16/08/09  

£100.00

Donation by Anonymous 13/08/09  

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Best of luck to you both, from Jane, Trevor, Evelyn, Raymond, Saffie and L&T Donation by Trevor Kyle 02/08/09  

£200.00 + £56.41 Gift Aid

Neigh...... Donation by Mr T 20/07/09  

£10.00

good luck and enjoy Donation by Simon Thirgood 17/06/09  

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Good luck! Donation by Emma Defew (area 22) 16/06/09  

£5.00 + £1.41 Gift Aid

The best of luck Donation by Andy & Moira 09/06/09  

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Good luck - enjoy it too Donation by Tom and Beth 05/06/09  

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WOOP! cannae wait to hear your stories! Donation by Nadia from across the field 05/06/09  

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I like turtles Donation by Robbie 04/06/09  

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Good luck to you both! Donation by Karen, Elegant Beauty 03/06/09  

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All the best a fantastic challenge and sure you will both make it ! Good luck ! Donation by Nicola and Gary 02/06/09  

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Best of luck! Donation by Andy, Cathy & Isla 29/05/09  

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Good luck on your trip! Donation by Lucinda 27/05/09  

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Power to your knees!! Donation by Marty & Malcolm 25/05/09  

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I bet your faster than Dave uphill. Hope you have a great time and enjoy every minute. Good Luck (4 Peaks Team) Donation by Terry, Corinne and Yasmin Hislop 15/05/09  

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good luck Donation by sally lithgow 14/05/09  

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Good Luck! & don't forget your gel-plasters & vaseline to banish friction ... essential on such a trek! Donation by Anne & Wendy of Vital Veg 14/05/09  

£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid

Very well done & good luck !! Donation by Ronald Glennie 14/05/09  

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