A massive thank you for your donations

Well that's it - the fundraising is over.  Thank you very very much to everyone that supported my fundraising efforts - either with donations, time, materials, fitness classes, buying goods....whatever your contribution, it meant a lot and has helped me raise a total of.... (drum roll please).....

£6,486

This money will help African Parks continue the great work they have done to date in protecting Africa's wildlife and ensuring the future survival of these beautiful creatures.

In the year that I have been fundraising African Parks has:

• Increased the number of Parks under their management to 13.  They are still on track to manage 20 Parks by 2020;
• Returned Rhinos to Rwanda after a ten year absence;
• Moved 500 Elephants to a new home in Malawi;
• Returned Cheeta's to Malawi after a 20 year absence;
• Seen an expanded conservation area come under their management in Chad, following a new agreement with the government.  This includes the management of a world heritage site;
• Assumed Management of their first marine reserve, in Mozambique;
• Appointed Price Harry as President of African Parks;

And having just been named by Fast Company as one of the ten most innovative companies in Africa - their success can surely only continue.

From me, everyone at African Parks and from animals across the world - thank you very much!!

Ikirwa School

Whilst in Arusha, we had arranged to visit a local school.  Our company had made a donation of laptops - as well as school bags, stationery, footballs, books and games.  Those following my blog would have seen the bright colourful bags and t-shirts etc being packed up and shipped off before we flew out.

We were met at the hotel by Gasper, one of the founders of Ikirwa School and the School Principal. Gasper was a truly inspiring man.  Forced to leave school at just 14 he became the sole breadwinner to support his mother and two sisters.  He worked selling milk before working in Tanzanite mines. Eventually he earned enough money to put himself through English school and trained to be a guide. Gasper championed the idea of building a school in his native village of Midawe, donating his family's land to build the Ikirwa campus.

The school now provides an education to children not just from Gaspers home village but many surrounding villages too.  These children otherwise would not have an education at all.

We were given a tour of the site and Gasper talked through his great plans to build an accommodation block on-site for those children whose living conditions mean they don't even have electricity at home.  That means no light, which means no studying at home.  The plan is open an accommodation block to give these children from the poorest backgrounds a chance in life.  A chance to learn and make a difference.

There is so much more that can be done to help this school, and I will be keeping in touch with Gasper and doing what I can to help personally.  Having been to the school and seen it in action first hand, and spent the day getting to know Gasper and understanding what drives him personally I am happy to continue to support this school and the children of Midawe.

I have been very fortunate with the opportunities that I have had growing up.  These children just need the same - they need someone to believe that they have something to give, they have dreams too.  I love the ethos of the school, I love the story behind its inception and I have nothing but admiration for the determination and selfless drive of Gasper and the teaching staff.

I am now sponsoring a child at Ikirwa school.  I'm funding their education so they can a fair chance at finding work and making their mark in the world.  Sponsoring a child's education is not costly at all - in fact it costs as little as £21 a month.

If you wanted to find out more about sponsorship, or what else you can do to help please visit the school website here.

I can wait to start receiving letters from my sponsor child as they learn the English language alongside reading and writing skills.  I also can't wait to get back out there and meet them in person when I next visit.

Day Seven - Millenium Camp to Mweka Gate

This was it - the last day.  Back to civilisation.  But there was one more important Kilimanjaro tradition to experience before we set off.  The Kilimanjaro Song.

To celebrate a successful climb to the summit, the porters sing three songs to the trekkers.  I have done a previous post about the Kilimanjaro Song so go find it of you want to see the translation of the words, it was posted in April 2017.  A short section is shown below:

Jambo, jambo Bwana (Hello, hello Sir)
Habari gani (How are you?)
Mzuri sana (Very fine)
Wageni, mwakaribishwa (Foreigners, you're welcome)
Kilimanjaro, hakuna matata (Kilimanjaro, there is no problem)

Tembea pole pole, hakuna matata (Walk slowly, slowly, no problem)
Utafika salama, hakuna matata (You'll get there safe, no problem)
Kunywa maji mengi, hakuna matata (Drink plenty of water, no problem)

After breakfast we all gathered outside the mess tent.  The porters also gathered and led by Laurent they serenaded us.  After singing they all came round to congratulate each of us for successfully reaching the summit.

To watch a short clip of the the song please click here.

High fives all round - meet the porters here.

Once the festivities were over we were off again.  Leaving camp for the last time we set off, ready for a walk of a different kind.  Going down was hard on my knees and toes.  I stepped sideways every chance I had to give my toes a break from being pushed in to the front of my boots.  My faithful poles  were yet again a vital extension to my arms.  Going down was hard.

Susie and Bob on the way down

Posing for a photo with the summit in the background.

David tackling the steep, slippery walk down

Part way down we stopped at the camp that was the alternative for us the night before.  I'm so glad Deo decided to let us stop higher up the hill rather than have to walk the additional two hours to this camp, especially given the heavy hail storm!  Here we got to use the toilets and have a proper rest in what was the last of the official stops on the route down.

Final 'official' camp stop.

Deo could see that I was struggling to keep up with the others.  Previous problems with my knees meant that I just had to go slower.  But going too slow was actually difficult for everyone else.  So we split,  Jacob took the others ahead to walk down at a quicker pace.  I took a more leisurely pace with Deo.

My legs felt like jelly most of the way down, I was pleased that Deo had suggested splitting up.  It gave me the space to walk at my own pace.  I didn't feel I was holding anyone up and spoiling their experience of the mountain.  I could just stroll through the woods and think about the day before.

Making way for the porters

Sevens days together and friends for life - Susie & Bob head down

About 40 minutes from the end Deo had a little surprise for me.  There was a car picking us up for the last bit of the decent.  Now I know I should have chosen to walk, but given I wasn't with the rest of the team, and my knees were killing me I was more than happy to get in the car.  On the way down I had ended up walking at the same pace as another couple, she was called Lisa and was around my age so we hit it off straight away.  When we got to the resting point where the car was coming, she wished me well and went to keep walking - her guide stopped her and said that he too had booked the car to pick them up for the last bit.

The point of the climb was to reach the top, which I did, so I didn't feel bad at all about saving my legs!  The car came and, well, it wasn't a car - it was an old ambulance!  So we climbed in (with our guides) and spent the short drive down to the meeting point planning what ailments we were going to have when climbing out the back of the ambulance.  Anyway - it was all done in good humour, as it was just an old car that hadn't had its paintwork re-done.

It was great to see Susie, Bob and David again, as well as the "The End" signs!!  How nice to know I was going to sleep in a normal bed, but I was still a bit sad that the whole adventure was over.

The end!

We got back on the bus to be welcomed by the crew - we were off to Moshi for lunch.  Once we had eaten we were presented with our certificates by Deo.  It really did feel final then.  I wanted to do it all again - immediately (until I started to walk....).

Back on the bus and back to the hotel for showers.  That was it.  Kilimanjaro was over......this time round anyway! 😉🏔

Deo presenting me with my summit certificate

At last the boots could come off - and they haven't been worn since!

Day Six b - Uhuru Peak to Millenium Camp

What goes up must come down.

I didn't want to leave the summit.  I wanted to stay there forever.  I had forgotten all about the 7-8 hours beforehand.  It was a distant memory, a necessary evil to get to the top.  And something, now, that I would absolutely do again.

We were basically dragged away by Jacob, Joseph and Faustin.  Each one given a designated trekker to get down safely.  As Susie was struggling with the altitude, Faustin stuck with her.  Joseph accompanied David and Bob.  As they had both been fine all the way up and were experienced trekkers they were left to get down alone, but Joseph stuck with them for a chat.

Deo held back a bit - he had jobs to do.  Firstly he had to find a phone signal and get notification back to everyone following our progress that we had all summitted successfully.  Then he had to make a call, based on our condition, as to which camp we were going to stay at that evening.  Whether we were in a fit enough state to walk for a few hours longer to get further down the mountain before setting up camp.  He had decided that we would stay at the nearer camp and so he then needed to get in touch with the team of porters to let them know so they could get the kit to the correct camp and set up ready for our arrival.

Meanwhile, I was with Jacob.  We walked back along the top of the mountain for a while until we reached what looked like a path that other climbers had used to get up.  The path was half way between the peak and Gilman's Point, called Stella Point,

What followed then was basically a 4.5km run down a massive pile of sand.  Jacob took one of my poles and took hold of the top of my arm and off we went.  It was really great fun but petrifying at the same time.  The object was to get to Bafuru camp as soon as possible - back to safe oxygen levels.

Jacob on the way back down

This 'quick walk' was quite an eye opener.  There were many trekkers being dragged down from the summit.  Not in the same way I was, but like the girl we saw on the way up.  I was shocked at how many people were actually willing to risk their life just to get to the top.  The poor porters were running, carry loads of weight and having to carry the trekkers down - I was actually getting really annoyed at just how stupid and selfish they were being.  There were some that had been wired up to oxygen just so they could reach the top, taking the oxygen away from someone that may really need it.  It was shameful.

Bafaru Camp - Kilimanjaro Base Camp

Bafaru Camp check in.  The busiest camp we visited, thankfully not one we stayed at for more than half an hour!

Once we had rested enough, at Bafaru Camp, Deo had caught us up and we had all had the first toilet break in about 14 hours, we set off.  Walking again like the whole summit experience never happened.  Susie was gradually getting back to her normal self - the effects of the high altitude were going as quick as they came.

The walk down was boring.  The photo below shows the view.  Dreary weather, dreary landscape.  Bob and Dave had walked ahead, they were on a mission.  The porters met us half way down with refreshments.  Lets just think about that...they had taken a call from Deo saying "please walk to Millennium Camp with all the kit and set up".  They had walked to the camp, set up all the tents and then walked back to meet us with refreshments....and we were complaining about sore knees and asking for a rest!

I made reference to a storm on the first day of the climb.  A really heavy tropical storm.  Well that was nothing compared to what was about to meet us on the way down.

Lets just say it rained, a lot.  When we eventually got to camp, soaking wet, tired, sore and still wanting to be all excited about reaching the top - we actually just wanted to flop in the tent.  But the hail storm wasn't going any time soon.  We got in the tent to find that everything, literally everything, was dripping wet.  The mattresses, the sleeping bags, the bags....and of course the ground was just one massive puddle, so we couldn't even take our boots off!  Who knew what we were going to wear the next day to get back down to the bus.  The porters did their best to keep the hail away from the tents but everything was leaking.  Make-shift washing lines were put up to try, unsuccessfully, to dry some clothes, it was just awful.  I hated camping.

The wet tents, with hail still on the wet, muddy ground 

We all had another early night tonight.  Not because we were being woken early again - but because we had walked all through the night.  The climb to the top was really hard, and then the walk down.  We were wet, tired, grumpy and still little bit in shock!  Tomorrow was the last day.  The final push back to the bus, the showers, the toilets and the bar.  Now the main event had happened we just wanted to be off the mountain.

Day Six a - Schoot Hut to Uhuru Peak

As planned, we were woken up at 11pm for the summit attempt.  There was a different routine though.  No tea from the chirpy Laurent, no washing water either.  Wake up and get up.  We were already dressed and ready to go having slept in everything but hat, gloves and coat.  The bags were packed ready too, the water had already been prepared and put in to our bottles.  Head torches had been loaded with new batteries and bulbs, nothing had been left to chance.

We did have time for breakfast though - porridge at 11pm!

Two porters were also joining us on the climb this morning, something that put us a little on edge - not that we had an issue with it, it just became apparent how different the summit climb was going to be compared to other days - two extra guides, that meant a guide per trekker.  It was comforting to know that the company we were climbing with were doing everything in their power to ensure we had a successful summit climb....but it did make it feel a little scary that we needed a personal guide each!!  What on earth was ahead of us?!?!?!

The eight of us got in a circle, linked arms and Deo gave us all a team talk.  Again this was a ritual we hadn't seen on any other day.  The mood was very different - I wouldn't say excitement.  We were all clearly slightly petrified about what was coming.  Although we had already pledged to stick together and tackle the summit as a team, today also felt quite personal.  We stuck together, but didn't chat, didn't compare notes.  We all very much kept ourselves to ourselves.

Sun rise over Mawenzi - the second volcanic cone on Kilimanjaro and the backdrop for our climb

We got in to our usual formation to start the walk.  Deo leading, followed by me, Susie, Bob, David and Jacob.  Joseph and Faustin walked either side of the pack.  New to the group of six that had so far got into a rhythm and understanding, but welcome never the less - it wasn't long at all before they were making an impact and totally justifying their presence.

What followed was the hardest seven to eight hours of my life.  It was truly awful.  I had the age old mantra going over and over in my head "just put one foot in front of the other and keep going".  I kept going, somehow.  I was switching between counting my steps, chanting "left, right, left, right".  Singing songs...anything to keep my brain from focusing too much on the task at hand.  Occasionally I remember thinking "this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life", quickly managing to change my mindset before I thought too much about it.  After all what choice did I have.  What would I do if I wasn't doing this?  It was pitch black, I was somewhere in Africa....I needed to stick with the team so just had to keep going.

This part of the climb was as much about mental strength than physical strength.  It would be too easy just to give up.  That said, with the altitude getting ever higher we were starting to see first hand just how dangerous it could be.  It was pitch black, with nothing but our head torches guiding us.  This in itself was challenging as you couldn't see where you were going, or how far you had come.  So you had no idea how far you had left to climb.  No points of reference to see progress.

At one point we heard what sounded like an avalanche.  Deo just said "stop".  We all stopped and waited, expecting to see a pile of rocks come rolling past us, but instead two guides from another trekking company dashed past us.  They were literally dragging a girl in her twenties back down.  She was unconscious, they had attached her to oxygen but still she had clearly fallen victim to the altitude.  Her bag had just been abandoned as they dashed to get her to lower ground.  We all looked at each other, saying nothing.  Encouraging nods were passed around and we did what we had been doing for hours - we just kept going.

The altitude did get to Susie, who was split from the team and taken up by Jacob.  He rushed to get her to Gilman's Point where she could rest and recover.  She wasn't struggling as badly as the girl we had seen and was able to continue.  She was sick and felt like she was having an outer body experience...but the guides were with her every step of the way ensuring she was fine.  Her symptoms were mild and she wasn't showing signs of developing anything nasty so all good.  No oxygen needed.

The team (minus Susie & Jacob) nearing Gilmans Point

Before the climb, everything I had read talked of how awful the climb to Gilman's Point was.  How a quarter of all climbers throw up when they reach it.  How, if you are lucky enough to make it there, you would want to give up.  How you weren't allowed to lay down as you just won't get up again.  I now understood.  I experienced first hand just how awful this part of the climb was.  In an effort to "just keep going" I didn't even notice when we got there.  I just kept walking until I was told to stop.  I looked up and to my delight the Gilman's Point sign was looking back at me.  This had been my personal challenge.  I was going to be a happy girl if I made it to Gilman's Points.  It didn't matter if I didn't make it to the peak - if I made it to Gilman's Point I knew I had done what seemed so unachievable just one year ago.  I was feeling fine.  The excitement of making it to this point cancelled out the last seven hours of hell.  I totally forgot how horrible it was and was already looking forward to the walk to the peak - I could see that the rest of the walk was much flatter.  I had this.  I was going to do it.

Reaching Gilman's Point.  Seven hours walking up a very steep hill in the pitch black with no oxygen.

Snacks at Gilman's Point - Red Bull and Pringles

After a break and a few photos we were off again.  Deo was keen that we kept moving for Susie's sake.  We had now seen the most spectacular sunrise I've ever seen.  It was daylight.  We could see the peak in the distance, we could see each other....the head torches were replaced with sun glasses - the views were too good to miss for squinting!

In another break from tradition, Susie was promoted up the line to follow Deo.  He wanted to keep an eye on her and it meant I was directly behind her to catch her when she swayed too close to the edge!

A much more pleasant walk in the snow from Gilman's Point to Uhuru Peak

Still smiling to have made it this far

Views from the top of the mountain

Walking above the clouds

Blue sky, clouds, snow, ice and horrible gravel stuff that I was SO OVER by this point!

The final hour or so to the peak was just outstanding.  I had given my phone to Jacob to take a photo for me and then totally forgotten about it!  How pleased was I when he passed it back to me an hour later full of beautiful shots of the surroundings.  We were all focused on walking, taking in the views but with our hands full of walking poles and water bottles (our camel bladders had frozen!) we didn't have any free hands for our cameras. I have included some below so you can see what its like on the top of Kilimanjaro.

Once we made it to the peak we all walked around in a bit of a daze.  A combination of a VERY long night, a VERY steep climb, lack of oxygen, ore of the surroundings, shock and joy at reaching the top.

Planking for Parks at the Peak

Standing on the Summit

Me and Joseph

Me and Susie standing on the top of the world

Bob, Susie, me and David at Uhuru Peak
 I love this photo as not one of us is actually looking at the camera.  Too stunned by our surroundings.

And then we had to get down........

Day Five - Third Caves Camp to School Hut

Things were getting serious now - the day before the summit attempt.  Having walked the longest distance the day before, and had three days of climbing before that, today didn't really seem so daunting - even though it was!  David simply said "today, we just need to climb Snowdon twice".  Nothing much then.

It was now really dry, how I imagine the moon to be.  We had a short day time wise, arriving at camp in good time for lunch before having a restful afternoon and a very early night to prepare for the summit attempt.

We may have only covered a distance of 4.9km but the elevation gain was 751m.  A short, steep burst and we would be there.

Definitely no potential toilet stops today!

There isn't really much to say about todays climb.  I was steep.  It was dry.  It was hard.  It was good training for the summit attempt.

Again it was a really quiet route as it wasn't one of the popular routes - so the camps were quiet and there very few porters around.  Jacob started leading us up and it was Deo's turn to stay behind and set the porters off for their climb up to School Hut.  I preferred walking with Deo as his pace suited me much more.  

In our usual formation

Bob taking a break

Along the route we came across the remains of a buffalo.  He had apparently got lost and sat down to rest in the snow....and, well basically froze to death.  This happened about 6 years ago.  His body was perfectly preserved, close up you could still see his fur.  It was quite sad to see him in that position, clearly just sleeping at the time.  He has now become a bit of a landmark for those making their way from Third Caves to School Hut.

As we got higher we started to meet the clouds.  We all commented that the clouds were getting low - it took Jacob to point out that actually they weren't, it was us that were getting high.  It started to sink in then that in less than 24 hours we would be making our way to the top! 

Climbing in the clouds

Today was another quiet day, we didn't speak much on the climb - heads down.  Putting one foot in front of the other.  Deo caught us up in good time and again the porters came back to help with the bags.  We did split up again as Jacob took the others ahead.  I came in last as I was walking at a much slower pace.  

Jacob at School Hut

The camp itself was squashed in the rocks.  It was a very uneven surface and had a totally different feel from the others.  Maybe it was because it was the last stop.  Maybe it was actually us that was different, there really was no going back now.  We should have been celebrating another completed day, another milestone.  But I think we all just went in to quiet panic mode and wanted to just not talk or think about the night ahead.

Camping in the clouds

We got our usual briefing from Deo after dinner.  We had had a free afternoon on camp, and although there wasn't much to do (nothing!) it was nice to get a bit of down time.  We were asked to get as prepared as we could for the next morning.  We were being woken up at 11pm to start the summit climb so we needed to make sure everything was ready before we went to bed.  All our summit clothes out (and wearing them to sleep in!).  We had been told to keep a pair of socks aside for the summit climb, so we all duly put on a fresh pair of socks - just to give our feet a little treat.

Water bottles were left out so they could be filled up in the morning.  Deo would be leading the summit climb and we were taking two porters with us to carry bags and offer support as needed.  With that in mind all bags had to be weighed to check the porters were able to carry them, along with their own kits, first aid kit, oxygen tank, refreshments etc etc.

As we had emptied our "big bags" of all the warm clothing that we would be wearing, much of the stuff in our "little bags" had to be transferred to the big bags for the remaining porters to get to camp.  There was a lot in our small day pack bags that had to come out and be transferred. 

We all ended up going to bed at 4pm as we knew we had an 11pm wake up call.  I can now honestly say I have slept in the clouds.

Bob taking some time out 

All tucked up and ready for an early morning.