Well, as you can see, we have made it to the top!! After an incredibly hard 9 day's of trekking we reached the Uhuru peak summit of mount Kilimanjaro on Thursday morning the 13th of July around 09.00 AM.

The first eight day’s of trekking were only occasionally demanding. Having started our ascent with two day’s of walking through the rain forests at the foot of the Kili, the nightly temperatures during our third night of camping already dropped below -5C. By this time we had reached an altitude of 3,500m.

The fourth day started with a climb to a 4,000m peak with fantastic views of life above the clouds. The end of this long day was far less pleasant for Freek, as he struggled with the 3,800m altitude and felt really rough.

Having adjusted to the altitude overnight both lads were ready for the long 7 ½ hour acclimatisation trek the next day that would get them past a massive height of 4,600m to spend the night at 3,950m.

The next day Sanjay was faced with the daunting task of climbing the Barafu Wall despite his fear of heights. Walking directly next to steep 50m drops and having to tackle the notorious ‘kissing rock’ (a 100m drop and only 4 small rocks to hold onto), it was his genuine bravery and determination that got him passed this challenge.

Although we gradually ascended to a camping altitude of 4,600m the next two day’s were relatively easy and allowed us to gather strength for the big day.

After some afternoon resting and an early diner, the summit day started at 23.30 PM. Geared up with five layers of clothing, a standard 6 litres/kg of water and a head torch, we marched the next 7 hours in the moonlight. With temperatures dropping below -15C, a firm breeze and severe lack of oxygen, it was incredibly difficult to keep going. Having reached the first peak (Stella Point) it was another 1 1/2h to make it to the sign at Uhuru Peak. At this point Freek was suffering severely and was being sick on multiple occasions. By now Sanjay’s was barely shuffling forward. After some very quick snap shots we had to gather all the strength to make it through the three hour descent back to camp. This day certainly provided us with the hardest physical challenge of our lives!!

Although we arrived back at camp completely exhausted, there was only time for 2 hours of rest before we had to continue our descent with another 3-hour walk. After a sleep we were fit again to for the final 6 hour leg through a very muddy rainforest to arrive in a small hostel late afternoon for some celebrations.

Although we are very proud to have made it to the top, we are overwhelmed by all the support we received in our quest to raise money for the Variety Club Children's Charity. With your help we have been able to raised more then £6,100 so far and we are still hoping for some 'post arrival' support!!

Once again we would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your generous support, we really could not have done this without you!!