In September 2013 I will be climbing Kilimanjaro, at 19500ft, the highest free standing mountain in the world!  I will be travelling to Tanzania, Africa with Global Adventure Challenges (www.globaladventurechallenges.com) who will be guiding the 10 day trek.

Why I hear you ask!………..why am I climbing Kilimanjaro?…………………..thin oxygen levels………….. 10 days of 10 hour trekking and climbing……..no toilets………no showers……….carrying my life on my back……………aged 41?

I forget now……………….It seemed a good idea at the time!!!

But to be serious, there are 3 reasons:

• For the personal achievement of the challenge – to prove I’m still alive!
• In memory of my dad who sadly passed away in 2010 and shared my love of the mountains.
• To raise money for a fantastic charity (Caring For Life) who do great work up in Yorkshire providing accomodation, daytime activities and support to homeless and vulnerable people, young and old.  And who have been so supportive of my mother who volunteers for them since my father passed away, and who my father supported when he was alive.

The work at Caring For Life started 25 years ago with the sentence thrown as a challenge “You can do something.  Or you can do nothing!”.   When you hear it like that “nothing” does not seem like an option.   Climbing Kilimanjaro feels like nothing in comparison to what has been achieved at Caring For Life for the vulnerable and homeless – but I cannot do nothing, and this is what I can do.  

For the next 12 months I will be training hard and preparing for the challenge of a lifetime, and would appreciate all support – e-mails, messages, donations.  You can follow via this site my progress as I attempt to go from middle aged and unfit to healthy and “buff”, and attempt to understand how to apply zinc tape to blisters before I start!