I Did It
Well what can I say other than I done it and what an experience it was! Many many thanks to everyone who help me and the charities involved and a BIG thank you to Hawk Express, their staff and drivers for all of their support.
The School
For the first two days we were helping out at a local school in Moshi where we were based. The group was split into two, some went to erect a fence while the remainder (which I was part of) helped with decorating one of the buildings and a classroom.
We started filling in holes and sanding down walls and woodwork so by the afternoon we were all rather dirty as you can see. Then the fun started, out came the paint and away we went just a fresh coat of paint can make a lot of difference! The other team finished off the fence they were building which was quite an achievement in the 40C temperature so well done them.
On the second day I helped dig a trench for planting some seeds. I can not remember what seeds they were but they grew into a bush which was going to cover the fence and act as a natural barrier.
Digging a trench in the hard dry ground was hard work and hard on my soft offer workers hands! The tools they use are really good at breaking up the ground but working in the full sun was hard work. After the trench was dug and the seeds planted we headed back to help finish off the painting and spend some time with the students. Seeing the children running around and looking so happy was fantastic, they were more than happy to spend time with us and enjoyed having us around so they made my trip, such great memories.
The Climb
The climb then started the next day. We were driven to Marangu gate and from then on we would have to walk the rest of the way. It took us around 6 hours of walking through a lovely green rainforest with all sorts of wildlife around us to reach our camp for the night.
Mandara Huts are at 2720m so the weather was still nice and we had plenty of oxygen. A good nights sleep was had by most of us but the monkey's did make quite a but of noise!
The next day we headed further up from the rainforest area into a moorland like landscape. As we got higher the weather changed and the clouds came in.
We all dug out our raincoats and waterproof trousers and carried onto Horombo Hut at 3720m . After a welcome hot meal and drink we headed off to get some sleep. Unfortunately the altitude must have been affecting me as I could not sleep and instead just lay in bed awake most of the night.
After some breakfast off we set again for the final camp before the summit attempt. This trek was a challenge for some of the group as the air was getting thinner and the weather was getting worse.
We left the moorland and headed into the alpine desert where we went through rain, snow, hail and blistering cold winds and most of the time we were in cloud! After about 8 hours of walking we all arrived at Kibo huts at 4700m. Feeling very tired we headed to bed for some shut-eye and only some of us were lucky enough to sleep. A couple of hours later we were woken for some food which everyone found hard to eat. Our lack of appetite was down to the altitude and by now some of the group were suffering quite baldly from the high altitude. After some food we all headed back to bed for a few more hours rest before we started the summit attempt.
One of the guides came in at 23:00 to make sure we were awake. Up we got after having no or little sleep (none in my case) and we headed off for some more hot food, which again we all tried to force down.
We all left for the summit around midnight feeling excited and ready for the challenge. I felt really good and up for the climb but after an hour my mood soon changed. From this point on it was a real struggle for the next 8 hours for me to reach to top of Kilimanjaro! I hated every step forward and after each minute I had to stop to catch my breath.
I couldn't stop for to long due to the cold temperatures (around -15C) so onward I went. I can remember looking back as the sun was rising behind me and seeing one of the most beautiful sights. The cloud had come in and covered where we had walked and it looked like a carpet of cotton wool that you could just fall into. After many more hours of walking I finally reached the top of the mountain. Unfortunately I was to exhausted to carry onto the summit which was a further 2 hours walk around the carters edge. I decided it was safest to head back down where the air was thicker and there was a nice warm sleeping bag waiting for me. After some sleep we then headed back down to the Horombo Huts to stay the night. By the time everyone got to camp we headed straight to bed, we were all so tired after the long day with no sleep. This was by far the best nights sleep I had all trip, I didn't wake up all night and felt very rested in the morning. The next day was another long walk back down to the gate and then a bus ride to the hotel for some drink and a welcome shower.
This was an experience I will never forget and in the process I met a fantastic group people. I have such a high appreciation for all the work the porters and guides do on a daily basis and that us westerners have it so easy. As a society we can learn a great deal from counties and cultures that we consider to be 3rd world and inferior to us. All in all it was great to be able help children both locally through the Town 102 Kids trust and in Tanzania with the school work we did.
Many thanks to you all for your support and sponsorship, if you haven't donated any money and would like to please do so www.justgiving.co.uk/hawkexpress or via one of the collection buckets in the Hawk Express Cabs main office.
More pictures can be found on our facebook page.
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