Reality Bites....

Well, time I updated everyone on what I have been doing since my last blog.

Joining a walking club - This has proven more difficult than I could ever imagined. I am still working with Oxon 20's - 30's walking club and am due out on a training walk towards the end of July. I am really hoping that after that walk that we will be able to move forward and I can become a member. So fingers crossed on that front as this is a key part of my training plan.

Holiday - I had a week in South West France, there was no rigorous training, but I did ensure that I got out for the odd walk and bike ride, possibly not enough to burn off the cheese and wine though!

Mid week walks - Last week I went out for a mid week walk with a colleague Chris Willson, we went for a walk along the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire, definitely worth doing, but caws lacking any real tough terrain, so this week we are going to find some hills!

Snowdonia - Well, reality does bite! I spent the weekend in Snowdonia and climbed Mt Snowden and my god it was hard, harder than I had ever imagined. The hardest thing was finding a place to put my feet as we climbed up the rocks and boulders, as I became more tired, the harder it got to find a stable foot hold! The rain chucked it down all the way up the mountain and I soon found out that the water proof coat I was wearing was not....

Anyhow, I made it up the mountain, and after doing some more hill walking on the Sunday, I was thoroughly knackered. I am really glad I have done it and I owe a big thanks to my best man John Barnaby. I now have some idea of what faces me on Mt Kilimanjaro and it is certainly not going to be a walk in the park.

Now what - So with a rocket up my backside, hill training is on the agenda, I have built a big step out of bricks in the garage and have already been putting myself through my paces, bricks in a rucksack and climbing the step to exhaustion will help me to build those essential muscles, retain balance and strengthen my ankles!

In the next week or 2 I will be submitting my story to the local press in a hope to drum up some awareness of my challenge, so I'll keep you posted on that front.

Plans are coming along within RM to get a fundraising day going, so hopefully this will see a little more cash come Helen & Douglas House's way!

SO, I'll keep training and mid August I'm off to the Lake District to climb another mountain!

Paul 

Getting Started!

Welcome back,

I am on catch up with this blog, but from now on in, i will endeavour to post at least monthly. So where have i got to?

i have paid my deposit to Action Challenge who are the company that are running the group up Kilimanjaro. They have sent a bunch of info through for me and there is plenty to do logistically just to get to Tanzania, so far, i have managed to arrange my travel insurance even with being blind, so no matter what, if i fall off the mountain, i am insured to do so!

In terms of my training, things haven't progressed as much as i would have liked. I have been getting some regular sessions on the ski machine in my garage, but i have not really been out on many distance walks. I have been trying to join a walking club as this i thought would be a good solution to my problem, but unfortunately, they have been reluctantt to help due to my blindness. I did however recieve confirmation this week that they would do another trial walk in late July, so this will have to suffice for now and fingers crossed it will all fall into place.

In the meantime, i am going to wonder around Snowdon with my mate John for a weekend at the end of June, John is a bit of a task master, so i fully expect to be put through my paces over that weekend and it will really hit me what it is like to do 2 distance walks on the bounce, which in turn will give me some small insight to the challenge that i face on Kilimanjaro.

On top of John, a couple of people at work have offered some walking assistance in the evenings, and again i have booked for the end of June, all being well, i will start to get some regular walks in as June comes to an end and July gets started.

That's it from me, i am on holiday for the next week or so, i'll update you again with how i am getting on in the next couple of weeks.

Do take time to donate to HDH through my Just Giving Page www.justgiving.com/paulsepicclimb
All the best,

Paul

How did i get here?

Well Hello and welcome to my blog. Here is what it's all about.

The company i work for RM Education setup a pilot scheme called "EPIC", the scheme was open to one division within the business and in a nutshell, if you fancied doing something EPIC, then submit a request.

Having initially not given it much thought, i began to consider the possibilities of what this scheme was offering, it was the chance to do something that is once in a life time. One evening, the Thursday before the closing deadline on Monday, i lay in bed and came up with i'll climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Some investigation was quickly done on the Friday and over the weekend and by Monday i had submitted an application.

I pitched to the Managing Director, HR Director, Services Director and a couple of other individuals, i was asking RM to sponsor me £2000, figuring that they would offer me part of my request. Aftera few nerve racking days waiting for a result, i recieved news that i had been succesfull in my pitch and i was indeed on my way to Mount Kilimanjaro!

See the attached video as i made my way into my pitch.

So, that's how i got here, for me this challenge really is about pushing myself to new boundaries, meeting new people and taking my independence to a whole new level. Just to clarify to those that read this, i am blind and this is what makes it a real challenge for me.

I will keep you posted on my progress, training fundraising and more over the coming months, for now, please do visit my just giving page and make yourself feel a little better by giving some money to my chosen charity Helen and Douglas House http://www.justgiving.com/paulsepicclimb

All the best
Paul