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
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
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
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
Monday, 24 October 2011
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
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
Sunday, 9 October 2011
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
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
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Every cloud....
Well, the thoughts rushed through my mind late this afternoon, i took a phone call from Action Challenge this afternoon, they advised me that they had not minimum number of participants on the open group that i was forming and as such, they were cancelling the trip that i am booked on! Well, i was speechless for a second or 2, quick recovery and discussion around the options. "You can cancel your place, get your deposit back and call it a day" said the Action Challenge rep, i entertained the idea, thinking how i might skip the country having taken peoples sponsorship...."No, that's not really an option" i had to admit!
As it turns out i can do the climb in February, a 4 week delay. Not the end of the world and looking on the bright side, i have more time to raise some cash and my wife is happy as i can now make our annual appointment i.e. Wedding Anniversary as opposed to being up a mountain!
Cam't believe that things have moved on so quickly, i have been doing plenty of training, be it walks in the country or time in the garage/gym.
Next Friday i will be going to the Altitude Centre for some altitude training, so that promises to be an experience, i will be sure to post some photos and comments!
I have dropped an email to a local school asking for their help with some fundraising, so fingers crossed, the head teacher will respond.
I finally got my backside into gear and have uploaded my radio interview to skydrive, you can listen to the interview here.
https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=e959f30338775382&resid=E959F30338775382!10
Take care and i will blog again in a couple of weeks.
Paul
As it turns out i can do the climb in February, a 4 week delay. Not the end of the world and looking on the bright side, i have more time to raise some cash and my wife is happy as i can now make our annual appointment i.e. Wedding Anniversary as opposed to being up a mountain!
Cam't believe that things have moved on so quickly, i have been doing plenty of training, be it walks in the country or time in the garage/gym.
Next Friday i will be going to the Altitude Centre for some altitude training, so that promises to be an experience, i will be sure to post some photos and comments!
I have dropped an email to a local school asking for their help with some fundraising, so fingers crossed, the head teacher will respond.
I finally got my backside into gear and have uploaded my radio interview to skydrive, you can listen to the interview here.
https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=e959f30338775382&resid=E959F30338775382!10
Take care and i will blog again in a couple of weeks.
Paul
Sunday, 11 September 2011
What have i been doing?
Hello Again,
Thought i better give you an update.
Last week i booked the accomodation for our Ben Nevis trip in Late October! I am very excited about the Ben Nevis challenge, although, given the time it took us to complete Scafell Pike, i am a little concerned about how much time it is going to take to do Ben Nevis. It is almost a 1/3rd higher than Scafell and with the days getting shorter, we are going to have to leave at first light and crossed fingers, we'll be back before it's dark, I am not llooking forward to the prospect of being stuck on Ben Nevis in the cold, wet and Dark!
Anyhow, my documentary friend Karl has been working the people at the local Cotswold outdoor store, so hoping to get a little help with kit, so that will be ideal.
Today, Karl and I joined an Oxon 20's and 30's walk. It was a pretty good walk all in all, Jo, a lovely lady offered to be my guide which meant that Karl could get on and film footage. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty bad, i was pretty happy that i had my waterproof gear with me, although, it has highlighted that the seams on my waterproof trousers are not up to the job, so will be investing in some new ones before Ben Nevis!
Karl had taken the decision to carry a little extra weight as part of his training, what with the Camera kit as well, this proved to be a little to much for Karl at this stage! I took a little of the weight half way round and by the end, we were both pretty tired, so a good workout for us both.
We will be doing some interview filming with friends and family in the next few weeks, so i will let you know how that goes.
Karl and i have agreed to get in a regular mid week walk which will mainly focus on short, intensive walks to help build leg muscles and stamina. We will be joining the Oxon 20's and 30's again next week for another 9 mile walk.
I'll keep you posted.
Paul
Thought i better give you an update.
Last week i booked the accomodation for our Ben Nevis trip in Late October! I am very excited about the Ben Nevis challenge, although, given the time it took us to complete Scafell Pike, i am a little concerned about how much time it is going to take to do Ben Nevis. It is almost a 1/3rd higher than Scafell and with the days getting shorter, we are going to have to leave at first light and crossed fingers, we'll be back before it's dark, I am not llooking forward to the prospect of being stuck on Ben Nevis in the cold, wet and Dark!
Anyhow, my documentary friend Karl has been working the people at the local Cotswold outdoor store, so hoping to get a little help with kit, so that will be ideal.
Today, Karl and I joined an Oxon 20's and 30's walk. It was a pretty good walk all in all, Jo, a lovely lady offered to be my guide which meant that Karl could get on and film footage. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty bad, i was pretty happy that i had my waterproof gear with me, although, it has highlighted that the seams on my waterproof trousers are not up to the job, so will be investing in some new ones before Ben Nevis!
Karl had taken the decision to carry a little extra weight as part of his training, what with the Camera kit as well, this proved to be a little to much for Karl at this stage! I took a little of the weight half way round and by the end, we were both pretty tired, so a good workout for us both.
We will be doing some interview filming with friends and family in the next few weeks, so i will let you know how that goes.
Karl and i have agreed to get in a regular mid week walk which will mainly focus on short, intensive walks to help build leg muscles and stamina. We will be joining the Oxon 20's and 30's again next week for another 9 mile walk.
I'll keep you posted.
Paul
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Scafell and what not...
Well, apologies, i thought i had updated following my visit to the Lake District, Unfortunately, my helper at RM for fundraising events and the idea of a fundraising day has fallen through, so i will need to do some other promotions off my own back. No problem, my donation pots have turned up, so i will get these out and about to collect some money.
I have booked in a trip to the Altitude Centre in October and we are planning to climb Ben Nevis late October, that will be our toughest challenge yet, with it taking an average of 8 hours, meaning that we need to plan to be on the mountain ourselves for 12 hours, this will mean that we are going to have to leave at first light to get back before the light disappears at the end of the day. Quite daungting, so plenty of training going on to ensure that we have the best chance of getting up and down again!
I will as always, keep you posted over the coming weeks, but no major plans, just training hard.
Speak soon
Paul
I have booked in a trip to the Altitude Centre in October and we are planning to climb Ben Nevis late October, that will be our toughest challenge yet, with it taking an average of 8 hours, meaning that we need to plan to be on the mountain ourselves for 12 hours, this will mean that we are going to have to leave at first light to get back before the light disappears at the end of the day. Quite daungting, so plenty of training going on to ensure that we have the best chance of getting up and down again!
I will as always, keep you posted over the coming weeks, but no major plans, just training hard.
Speak soon
Paul
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