Final Post

Well, this is the final post in my Journey.

The whole idea to climb Mt Kilimanjaro came from a company initiative called EPIC, well for me, this certainly was an EPIC Journey. It started 11 months ago when i applied for sponsorship from RM to take me up the mighty mountain, i was lucky enough to recieve the backing from RM and it has at times been a whirlwind of a journey.

Having spent months training, planning and organising, on Thursday 23rd February at 04:30 UK time, i made it to the very top of Mt Kilimanjaro!

Having done a last minute dash to Cotswold Outdoor on Thursday 16th February, we made our way to Heathrow Airport T4 to meet the Action Challenge Walk Leader Ian Flemming and Doctor Roger Schoffield. Emma and i had a quick farewell to try and keep emotions to a minimum.

Within a short period of time, the group had assembled and we took a relatively trouble flight to Nairobi airport in Kenya. Landing in Nairobi, we found our contact and were put on the bus that would take us to the beginning of the Rongai route.

The bus was typical of Africa, run down, small, tinny and capable of driving anywhere at all, be it tarmac or more often than not, off road!

We arrived at Snow Capped Cottages on Day 2 at around 13:00 local time. After we located our rooms, it was a quick turn around to perform an equipment check and ensure that our bags were weighing correctly for the porters to carry up the mountain. By the time this was sorted, it was time for dinner and off to bed.

We set off on day 3 at around 09:00 for a short walk to our first camp. we arrived at around 13:00, had some lunch and chilled out for the afternoon.

Day 4 promised to be a tough day, with 9-10 hours of walking, it did not let us down. I started the day feeling pretty tired and low on energy, things did not improve until we stopped for Lunch which seemed to provide me with the necessary fuel to carry on. We made it into camp at around 16:30! Dinner, bed and on for Day 5.

Day 5 was a 5 - 6 hour hike up to Mawenzi Peak at around 4400m. As we walked the weather turned from sunshine to rain, which turned to Hale and snow! The altitude and weather took it's toll on some and by this time, many were suffering from mild altitude sickness symptoms such as headaches or sickness. Personally i quite enjoyed the tough weather as it seemed to even out the playing field for me as the rocks and stones were less of a problem for me.

We had a short 1 hr climatisation walk at around 17:00 to help us sleep.

Day 6 was a climatisation day, we did a short 4 hour walk up and down to help our bodies climatise. I got a blood nose in the afternoon and really started to feel the effects of altitude, i decided to take myself to bed with a nurofen and missed the afternoon walk.

Day 7 was the hike upto Kibo Camp where we would attempt the summit at midnight. Keebow Camp is at around 4800M, it took around 5-6 hours to get there and we arrived at around lunchtime. It was a quick lunch, retire to the tent for a rest and then dinner with a detailed briefing for the summit later that evening.

As it turned out, we had to wake up at 22:00 ready to leave at 23:00 that evening!

Day 7/8 was summit day. We left camp at 23:00 amd started the ascent from Keebow Camp up to Gillmans Point. It took 7 hours to get to Gillmans Point and i certainly felt it. There were a number of times during the ascent that i felt like turning around and i had to give myself a good talking too! I had settled in my head that i could not go any further than Gillman's point, this was essentially the crater rim at around 5790M, i really could not see myself going beyond this point given how i was feeling.

As we got to Gillmans point, emotions were running high for all, 18 out of the 19 group made it to Gillmans. Adrenalin soon took over and there was no way that i was going to stop here! I set off rather quickly and trudged the remaining 1.5 hours to make it to the very top of the mountain, i was the 1st of the group to make it to Uhuru Peak! I got there at around 07:30 on day 8 and could not help but cry with elation at having made it to the very top! all 18 out of the remaining team made it! We all did our photo shoot and within 30 mins, we started to make our way back down the mountain.

On the way down, one of the group took a turn for the worse and the Doctor treated them with some oxygen. Quickly the doctor and porters rushed the team member off the peak and down to Kido camp. I arrived back at Kibo at around 12:30 and we all had a bite of lunch before starting on the journey down to Marangu Camp were we would stay the night. Finally i was in a place where i could get a phone signal and called Emma my wife! The ill team memver was checked out and in the end was put on a wheeled stretcher and run down to the national park gates to be taken to Hospital. Unbelievably, the doctor that had just summited Mt Kilimanjaro had to run alongside the stretcher for some 25KM! What a guy!

Day 9 was the final descent day and i was clearly way behind the rest of the group. By lunch time i was around 45 mins behind, so as to not hold the gorup up, a cheep was arranged to meet me at the emergency gate so that i could meet the rest of the team on time! There was no way i was going to turn down that offer! We got back to the hotel and met up with the ill group member and doctor, it turned out that he had Neumonia.

We had a celebration, had a well deserved meal and drink and retired late to bed. The rooms were massive and had a great bed, well deserved having spent a wekk in a tent with a thin sleeping mat and sleeping bag!

Day 10 was a late rise, a small spot of shopping and the return journey to Nairobi Airport and then homeward bound. Unbelieveably, as the airplane was taxing, one of our party got a blood nose and due to an increased blood pressure was unable to fly! A sad end to our trip. We made it back to the UK at around 08:00 on Day 11.

So that's it, that was ny journey. I don't think i have done it justice, but the video diary and documentary that is being made about the journey will undoubtedly paint a more detailed picture! It was definately the challenge of a life time, it was hard work, emotional, rewarding and i am incredibly pleased that i have done it!

So, thank you to everyone that has supported me through the journey, in particularly my Wife Emma and parents. Their support has been essential. We have raised some £4070 for Helen and Douglas plus about £500 in gift aid, an incredible figure and really demonstrates the generosity of all my friends and family, incredible.

Thank you to all of you.

Take Care

Paul

The day is finally here.......

Well, the day is here. Tomorrow afternoon i will be on my way to Terminal 4 at Heathrow to catch my flight to Kilimanjaro!

I am a mix of feelings at the moment, excited and nervous. Friends and Family have been incredibly supportive, donations continue to come in for Helen and Douglas House which is incredible, we're at £3927!

Confident that i can do it, the only thing that has a chance of stopping me is Acute Mountain Sickness, but apart from that i will get to the top.

Wish me luck and I will definately post on my return.

All the very best.

Paul

1 week to go!

Well, only 1 week to go and i'll be on my way to Kilimanjaro, slightly nervous? Yes.

Last weekend, i went on a 13 mile training walk organised by Action Challenge, definately worth going and surprisingly at the end of it, my legs were tired, but not as many aches and pains as i had anticipated!

Some really good news is that my fundraising has been going really well and all of the generous people out there have donated around £3800 + Gift aid, so it's closer to £4200, which is a tremendous amount of money to have raised. Helen and Douglas are really happy as well as it will make a big difference to the children and young adults that use the facility.

I am now fully vacinated against just about every possible disease on the planet having had 3 visits to the nurse for various vacinations and boosters! I have all of the kit that i need and just need to get the odd little bit like cash and energy foods etc. So just need to try and cram all the stuff into a bag and that's that.

In terms of my training, i am now done and am just resting until we embark on the big climb, storing my energy and resting my muscles. Having talked to many other people that are doing the climb, i think i have a lot to thank John for, we have done all 3 peaks and the peak district and despite my bitching towards the end of each one, it has been great and really put me in a good position to get up Kili. I am in no doubt that this climb is going to be tough and Summit day is going to be the toughest day of my life with 18 hours walking which will inevitably result in some tough mental challenges, there will undoubtedly be times when i want to turn around and go back and it is going to take all my mental strength to get through the tough times.

I guess knowing what to expect and knowing how i will react is half the battle, so i am as prepared as i am ever going to be! I am confident that i can get to the top of Kili, i just know it's going to be tough, real tough.

I will probably post again just before i go.

Take care

Paul

3 week count down

Crumbs..... only 3 weeks to go until i fly! This weekend (21st Jan) i have been on my final training weekend with John Barneby and Karl the cameraman! We spent the weekend in the Peak District which was an ideal training ground, plenty of hill climbing, various terrains and a variety of weather.

We checked in at the Youth Hostel in Edale Valley and were all pleasently surprised at how well it was set out, we got a 3 bed room, which was ideal and surprising. We went for a 3-4 hour walk on the Saturday, got a good nights sleep and then set of at 09:30 for a 6 hour walk to summit Kinder Scout today.

Both days were a mix of sun, rain, hale and 70 MPH gusts of wind which at times nearly blew me off my feet!

The memorable moment from the weekend was a close match between John walking straight into a big, deep muddy bog that saw John get stuck up to his knees in mud, very funny for Karl and I! This was closely matched by Karl taking a leak only to be surprised by a man and a woman, Karl told us "The man looked away and the woman just laughed" not good when a woman laughs at your tackle, Karl later told us that the woman had also said "You're brave"! Very funny indeed.

So, 3 weeks until we fly and I think i am prepared as am ever going to be, all the kit is ready, a little cleaning to do and then pack. I am a little nervous, combined with lots of excitement!

I will probably do one final blog in the run up to departure and that will be it until i return!

Final note, the fundraising is going brilliantly as with gift aid, we have raised around £3900!

See you all soon,

Paul

It's been a while!

Well, sorry for being so quiet of late, there has been a lot going on in my life since climbing Ben Nevis, least of all, leaving full time employment to pursue my ambition to start my own business.

Main headline is that Action Challenge (The climb organisers) have had to move the climb dates to mid February, so i am now not travelling out until 16 Feb, the wife is happy as we now at least get to spend our Wedding Anniversary together! Whilst the date has moved, someone asked me how long it is until we go and it's only 7 weeks away! This sounds like a long time, but i just know the time is going to fly by, so best i start thinking about some of the practical bits and bobs like Yellow Fever vacinations, medication, cleaning etc.

Christmas I am hopeful will bring plenty of kit, i need it! Then i can hire the remainder of the kit i need to get up the mountain.

My fundraising is going really well, everyone has been so generous and i am now up to £3600 or there abouts, so a big thank you to those that have donated and a big reminder to those that have still to do so! :-)

Training is going steady although i am a little concerned about how the bits around my knees are going to hold up, so knee supports will be tested in the next few weeks. The last big training session will be in January when i havea weekend booked with the infamous John Barneby, we are off to the Peak District to go and get a couple more days in and then that will be it, as prepared as i am going to be!

Well, that's about it for now, my next update will likely follow the Peak District, so unless anything bizarre, funny or major happens in between times, that will be my next blog.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

Paul

Ben Nevis - Done....

Well, i am now thoroughly knackered having climbed to the highest point in the UK! Here's my journey....

John (My best man) and i set off from my house at around 08:30 am on Friday 21st Oct, we picked up Karl the cameraman on route at about 08:45. Without further delay we journeyed north. Karl and John and Karl shared the driving as we followed the motorways, we were all a little excited about what was to come although John was a little under the weather with a head cold.

We got to Glasgow and John took over the driving to negotiate the winding highland roads, the scenery was aparently stunning and was definately something to appreciate. We had a couple of stops as Karl mounted his Go-Pro camera onto the car so that he could get some footage, he was a little nervous at the prospect of losing the kit, but his fears were unfounded as even the manic driving of John couldn't dis-lodge the camera.

We arrived at the Ben Nevis Inn at around 18:30 and after a bight to eat, we hit the sack for an early night and an early start in the morning.

We rose at 06:00 amd got ourselves prepared with plenty of energy food and water, dressed in wet weather gear, we set off on the approach to Ben Nevis. It was dark and the wind was blowing strong.

As we made our way up the approach, the rocks and ground proved to be challenging, i was feeling tired early on and i was already doubting the decision!

We finished the approach and turned into a big valley to start on Ben Nevis, as we did so we were hit by the 70-80 mph winds and rain that had been forecast! We quickly got balaclavas on, hoods up, heads down and pushed on up the mountain. It was soon after this that i raised my concerns to John, it was so windy and at times we were been blown about and almost of our feet. We agreed to push on and make a call in an hour.

The wind and rain persisted, but we had made some good time and were coming on to the last ascent going directly up as opposed to dog legging.

There was no turning back now, we had plenty of time left in the day and despite early tiredness, i was feeling a lot better. As we climbed we did get to a little snow and then i heard the sound of many voices, this was the signal that has greeted ne at the top of every peak and it the sound of fellow mountain climbers talking excitedly as they to have just completed a truly tough challenge!

We got to the top, took the obligatory photos, had a bite to eat and within 10 minutes were off back down.

The descent in many ways is far more challenging than the ascent, it really takes it's toll on my body as i try and find foot holds without slipping and by the time we were half way down, i was very tired physically and mentally.

All that said, we made it down, somewhat dirty, soaking wet and aching.

The hot shower and pint at the bar were a well deserved treat and we were all very chuffed with the result!

John and I have now climbed all 3 peaks, it has been a pleasure and a challenge and i owe a hell of a lot to John for his, support and guidance! Ben Nevis was tough, i still have a lot of training to do, so plenty more walks to do and i hope that we can do another training weekend before we get to Kili in Feb.

As always, i will keep you posted.

Paul

Altitude Centre

So, on Friday, i visited the Altitude Centre in London. I wasn't sure to expect, but my expectations weren't massive, after all, how many people want to go somewhere where they simulate altitude! Well, we turned up at the Altitude Centre and were greeted by the consultant Matt. Matt showed me and Karl through to the office which cseemed to comprice one office with 3 desks, a sofa, chair and some equipment.

Matt was incredibly nice, as was the receptionist and i was reliably informed by Karl that the Marketing girl was top notch and also really nice!

Matt sat us down and explained what Altitude sickness was, the varying levels, the ifferences between mild, medium and accute were. They key piece of advise i took away here was the need to keep hydrated, this is not really my strong point, so i will need to get into the habit of drinking plenty of water over the coming months!

Matt then went on to do a blood pressure test and i apparently had low blood pressure and very low heart rate, bordering on dead i think, but Matt likened it to Lawrence Armstrong (Nice chap Mattt!).

We then moved on to the lung capacity test, this was a couple of tests, we had to blow into what seemed to me like one of the breathlizers that the cops use, deep breath, blow into the tube as hard as you can and as for long as you can, Karl won this test! We then went on to hold our breat, i felt like i was a little kid again, i hadn't held my breath for ages, Karl made it 43 seconds and i made it to 45!

The final bit of the consultation was to put a mask over your face which was attached to a machine, this essentially reduced the oxygen flowing into the mask and thus simulted altitude. We had a couple of goes, 1 at 3000m and one at 5000m, it wa odd, sat there doing nothing, I found myself needing to breat deeply, the trick was to breath in and out through your nose.

All in all, the overall results were positive and our bodies reaction to the reduced oxygen was spot on and was not alarming. There was no need for us to worry about future consultations and we were well placed to face the altitude on Kili!

Next, we were off to Action Challenge to pay the guys and gals there a visit. After being confronted by some bloke when we were leaving the altitude centre, we jumped in the car and were on our way. Sat Nav said 30 mins, London traffic saw us take 2 hours to travel 15 miles.... incredible!

Finally we arrived at Action Challenge and i can only describe the place as bloody marvellous. We were greeted by the owner Julian and he was a thoroughly nice chap with no airs and graces, genuine nice chap who clearly cared about people and also the adventures! A complete contract to the grumpy owner at the altitude centre who had no interest in hs and didn't even have the grace to say hello!

At the altitude, we talked, drank tea, had a laugh, did some interviews and filming and taled some more. There were about 15 people there, all really in to challenges nad adventure and the place had a great vibe about it. I left Action Challenge really pleased with my choice of organiser and with complete confidence in them and their ability to get me up Kili!

After that, 2 and 3/4 hours to get home, a journey that by alrights should have taken no more than 1.4 hours.

Saturday, ore me and Karl meeting 12 hours after we parted to go and pay Helen and Douglas House a visit. We spent a good 2 hours there, meeting a couple of the residents and talking to Jennifer Hudson and taking some footae of facilities in Douglas house, as always, i was blown away by the people and the work that they do at HDH, reminds me wha ti am raising money for!

Soo,all in all, a really great couple of days, next stop Ben Nevis in 2 weeks!

All the best

Paul