The tortoise and the hare

Paola and I returned from the most incredible trip to Tanzania on Sunday - I am pleased to say we made the summit of Kilimanjaro at 7am last Saturday 1st November. It was the most memorable moment of my 26 years so far, and was an unforgettable experience - the views from the 'roof of Africa' were breathtakingly beautiful, and I can only begin to imagine what they will be like in the Himalayas next year on our trek to Everest base camp.

The weeks trek flew past and I think we were both surprised at how much we enjoyed it, I think we had both secretly been expecting to be dreading emerging from our tent each morning knowing what was ahead of us! Our guides were amazing and extremely knowledgeable and the two if us were looked after by our very own team of 17 people for the week, we were desperate to get going each morning knowing that more stunning scenery would be waiting, and each day took us closer to the summit attempt which we were both hugely excited about.

Despite some smug glances over the first 3 days from other trekkers on the same route, all appearing amused at how slow we were walking, we were continually assured by Joseph and Godwin, our guides, of the tale of the tortoise and the hare, and that taking it reeeeeeally slowly would get us to the top. Sure enough, and to the annoyance of a particular group of Swiss who we kept passing over the week, we were indeed the first to the summit on the day - many of them didn't make it and had to turn back due to altitude sickness. Paola and I were both incredibly lucky - less than 5% of people who attempt the Kilimanjaro climb manage to make it to the summit with NO effects of the altitude, we were both in that small proportion of lucky climbers, and were incredibly grateful when we saw the effects that this has on others. Apart from some minor and quickly disappearing headaches and a few re-occurring nose bleeds, which both still clearly demonstrate the effects of altitude on the body, we managed to get through the week pain free. We passed many people on the summit day who just fell short of the final summit - due to overpowering headaches, continuous vomiting, and feeling so weak that they literally were unable to continue to put one foot in front of the other. Many people had begun to spot the signs of altitude early into their trip, but had carried on regardless, ignoring symptoms and hoping that they would go away as they continued walking. It was those who sadly did not make the top, and hearing all of these stories on the decent really made the seriousness of altitude hit home.
It was purely chance and luck that the two of us had been so fortunate, and of course due to the excellent advice of our guides.

Kilimanjaro is a beautiful mountain, and if I had the chance I would turn around and fly back out tomorrow to do the week again.
Our first two days were spent walking through lush and verdant rainforest, we were lucky enough to see some rarely spotted Colabus monkeys and some stunning birds on these days. Gradually as we got higher, the surroundings changed dramatically and any sign of life and vegetation disappeared - the volcanic and baron environment of the mountain began to show itself and instead of camping below the canopy of green ferns and indigenous trees, we instead perched on rocky patches of ground where the wind whistled! The lacking vegetation and exposed locations had their advantages however - each morning we woke to cloudless clear skies, and after day three awoke to views perched from above the cloud line- quite simply indescribable.

Friday brought with it the 'final push' - we had a half day walking so that we were well rested, and went to bed for a few hours after lunch to get some sleep. We then awoke at 4 to get our kit ready and prepared, and after more food at 6 went to bed again to try and sleep before the mid night departure. The stars were like nothing I had seen before - the most amazing display I had previously experienced was in the middle of the desert in Morocco, but this was on a different scale (and the ONLY benefit of having to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the loo: leaving the tent in -10 degrees with howling winds was not always tempting!).

We left at 12.08am with our two guides, and 3 of the porters who we had got to know over the week who were keen to come with us. As we walked into the night the only gage of direction and steepness of the path was the tiny line of white lights from the head torches ahead of us, it was a concentrated and intense atmosphere as we trekked on rare moments of silence. The hours surprisingly flew by, helped enormously by the fact that our merry band of men sang almost non stop for the entire summit climb!
At 6am we reached Stella Point as the sun was rising over Africa - a huge boost to morale as energy levels were fading fast and we had no idea how long we had been trekking for, another clever technique adopted by the guides. It was the most impressive sunrise I had ever experienced- the blanket of clouds beneath us turned from a pale gold through to an intense pink and orange as the sun appeared and rose above them - we then knew that nothing was going to stop us from making the Uhuru peak. Another hours walk, due to both the incredibly slow pace and rapidly depleting energy levels, but a very exciting last effort.

Paola and I reached Uhuru at 7am, and were blown away by the panoramic views surrounding us. On one side of the peak lies a strangely lunar landscape which seems to belong in a scifi film, grey dust and craters- the colours of which enhanced by the vivid azul skies and gleaming white snow.
On the other we looked across to a huge glacier, sitting above the clouds which formed a blanket beneath us, and the snowy rock faces disappearing into the distance below us.

The immense feeling of satisfaction is not one which I will forget in a hurry and reaching the summit was certainly the proudest moment of my 26 years so far.
Paola and I did not stop laughing all week and had an unforgettable trip despite the fact that it was just two of us and our group of cheery guides and porters.
If Kili is anything to go by, then I can only imagine the fun and unforgettable experiences which we will all share together on our 18 day trip next April... bring on Base Camp.

Training gets serious- Kilimanjaro attempt

It is all steam ahead for our preparations for Kilimanjaro, Paola and I leave for Tanzania tomorrow evening, beginning our climb on Monday morning.
Rather than organising the usual pub sessions and demanding money from friends in support, we hoped to plan another challenge in itself to demonstrate our dedication to The Everest Test 2009, and at the same time further our fitness training, in the hope that it might encourage donations.

We leave on 25 October 2008, waving goodbye to hot showers, duvets and our daily Starbucks, instead donning walking boots, sub zero temperature thermals, and braving the outdoor long drop loos, as we attempt to climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Kilimanjaro rises 19,340 feet above sea level, is the highest free standing mountain in the world, and the tallest on the continent of Africa. Due to the mountain being situated in Africa, it is often thought that the climate is hot and dry, the structure however supports 5 major eco zones- rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glacier. Temperatures will range from 35 degrees during the day, to -20 degrees at night.... meaning that much planning is necessary to ensure the right equipment is taken with us.
15,000 people attempt to climb this mountain every year, but less than 60% summit the peak, often due to being ill-prepared and attempting the summit too quickly due to a lack of understanding of the altitude, and its often leathal effects on the human body. At this altitude the body absorbs only 66% of the amount of oxygen it does at sea level - consequently the resting heart beat is at least 30% faster, hard work to say the least. That said, altitude sickness claims its victims at random, and fitness does not determine your ability to avoid it. There is no cure for altitude sickness other than rapid decent, we very much hope that we will reach the top, but have to be careful to remember that the effects of the condition can be extremely dangerous, and also fatal.

The preparation for this trip has at least got me ahead of the game with all of the plans for The Everest Test, and I have been shopping for merino wool thermals, walking trousers, waterproof/windproof trousers, socks, walking boots, fleeces, decent sunglasses, water bottles, hats, gloves- the list goes on!
Excitement is now setting in as I start to pack, and have finally finished all of my tasks to make sure we are ready - jabs, malaria tablets, acquiring Diamox (a drug which helps the body to deal with altitude), Tanzanian visas and endless others. I very much hope that my next blog post will be a summary of our successful summit attempt, with photos to follow...

'Unless you do something beyond which you have already mastered, you will never grow'.
Chinese proverb

Relevant quotes:

I am new to the blogging scene, so for want of something with which to begin my posts, will start with some of my favourite quotes, and ones which I have been noting down whilst reading various motivational/adventure/travel books (namely Bear Grylls' 'Facing Up' and 'Facing The Frozen Ocean' amongst others)....
I will add to these quotes regularly, they are each relevant to The Everest Test itself, or to the team involved:

‘Great things happen when men and mountains meet’.
Blake, 18th Century

'All men dream, but not equally- those that dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act upon their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible’.
T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

'There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve- the fear of failing'.
The Alchemist

'Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises'.
Demosthenes, Athenian Statesman