Lexie and Morag's third, and final, national peak

A lot of people have been increasing their training. Having successfully tackled Scafell Pike and Snowdon, Lexie and Morag recently travelled to Ben Nevis. Here is their story.

"We set off from Nottingham with high hopes of good weather. Stopped off at Tebay services for some award winning homemade farmhouse food! Then continued on to fort William to complete the 400 mile journey to the foot of Ben Nevis!

We arrived at our accommodation for the evening, but first tucked into some fab food - haggis, neeps and tatties with a whisky sauce was the order of the day... Morag felt right at home. Following dinner we checked into the bunkhouse at which point we learnt that the bunkhouse is a downgrade from a hostel - cubby holes with beds in them and no doors... We were in section two (not dissimilar to cell block H) and shared this section with some interesting characters, let's introduce them... fairly anonymously!

1. The snorer (and porridge eater and official light switcher off’er)
2. 'Been there done that' lady
3. Queen faffer
4. Mr ‘almost normal’
5. Mr pessimistic (as named by their own group)!

On reflection, they probably had names for us too… Miss 'doesn't belong in a hostel' and Miss 'if I make enough noise will she ever wake up'

After being rudely awoken by section one - the children, making bacon butties at 5:45am!!!! We were the last to leave the "hostel" at 8am. The weather was lovely (following a downpour the night before). We remembered our instructions from Edale and 'set out a little bit cold'.

We stopped for a homemade flap jack after about two hours, then for first lunch at 11.30am. This is when the steep climb really started. Walking across a waterfall, then zig-zagging around five fingers (imagine a child's drawing around a hand at this point except the hand is on a steep mountain).

This is when we started to encounter the people that lie on mountains, i.e. those that have made it to the top and on the way back down completely forget how long it is back to the top. So, with fingers in our ears, singing to ourselves 'La La La La I can't hear you' we ignored all suggested timescales and made it to the top at least twice as long as the time of peoples’ suggestions!

The top was freezing, wind chill made it feel like at least minus 7 degrees celsius!

After some photos and Facebooking, we started the steep climb down. Half way down it started to rain, making the tricky rocks, even trickier.

After our second lunch, followed a couple of hours later by a mini Peperami snack stop, we made it back to the bunkhouse. First back, meant first into the shower block which had just been cleaned, lovely!

Showered, changed and ready to party we hit the Ben Nevis Inn, very glad we booked a table as people were getting turned away!

After our celebratory fizz to mark our third and final National Peak we opted for the local haggis and black pudding burger, chicken and haggis rumbledethumps followed by cranachan (when in Scotland....) - devine!"

All in all, a great weekend.

Lexie & Morag

Team Kilimanjaro takes shape



Conversations about our excellent training weekend have continued this week. And some positive comments have been received by email.

 

For example:

 

• "I would like to thank all the team for a brilliant weekend of challenge reassurance and information! I made some great friends".

• "I just wanted to say thank you and also how much I enjoyed my weekend in the Peak District. Everyone made me feel so welcome and it was great to meet up with more of the group that I will be treking with. It had been organised so well and all my questions were answered, the place was great and I left not only feeling more prepared for the trek but inspired too. Thanks to all the people who organised the event and made it so much fun. I look forward to meeting up again soon. Thanks again".

Here are several of the best photos from the training weekend:


Team gathered outside Edale Youth Hostel

Climbing towards Kinder Scout

The Sunday walkers

 Neil Jones

 

Less than 100 days to go

9th October 2013 ... and Team Two's countdown clock has ticked past 100 days.

Only 99 days until the Nottingham group depart for Tanzania. And only 92 days for our first team.

It's getting very real now!

Neil Jones

Training weekend conquered. Next challenge... kit!

What a brilliant training weekend we had in the Peak District!

A great time had by all as we met 50 Boots colleagues and chatted about fundraising, training, and plans for the big event in January. We also met a few like-minded people who will be undertaking another Kilimanjaro challenge for Macmillan later in January/February. We wish them well.

Macmillan, Discover Adventure, and Edale Youth Hostel put on a fantastic weekend for all of us.

As well as hiking in glorious sunshine, one of the highlights was the briefing on Saturday evening. We learned more about the itinerary, and all the kit we will need.

Below are some ideas for various kit items from the team at Macmillan. These points supplement the comprehensive kit list everyone has been sent.

Hopefully our trekkers will continue to share their kit hints and tips via our Facebook group.

...don't forget the discount at Cotswold Outdoor that Macmillan have secured for all their trip participants.

• With your main kit bag, make sure it's a soft duffle type bag (water-proof fabric is even better) as its easier for the porters to carry too. Check out the Cotswolds Outdoor shop where they currently have some on sale http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/mountain-equipment-wet-dry-kit-bag-100l-65110085. Plus pack a smaller soft bag inside in which you can leave your gear at the hotel while we're on the mountain

• Pack all your items in different coloured dry bags - it helps with knowing where your stuff is especially if you use different coloured bags - and for a 'girlie' tip, pop a spray of perfume in each bag before you close it up. The bags help with keeping your kit organised (which is helpful the higher we go on the mountain) plus it will help keep it dry and relatively clean from the dust on the mountain. Make sure you pack an empty dry bag to pop your dirty clothes in as well. http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/equipment/rucksacks/drybags-raincovers?CFID=4174292&CFTOKEN=8a1b54a6d46be33f-B1E73D32-F0BF-04CF-CEF9E6A3344C7DFD&jsessionid=0201E2CF4B79DE2830F77F4038CAD3A6.cfusion. Make sure you pack your sleeping bag in a dry bag (even a couple of bin liners will do the trick)

• Wear your hiking boots on the plane and pack a change of clothes and toiletries plane just in case your bag is delayed arriving at Kilimanjaro airport. Plus have your camera handy for the flight into Kilimanjaro airport as sometimes you fly around the summit of Kili and you can get some fantastic photos

• Take a couple of buffs and spray some perfume in these as well. They are great for wearing around your neck, both for extra warmth and keeping the sun off the back of your neck, to wear as a hair-band and to pop over your nose when going to the loo (that's where spraying it with perfume comes in handy) http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/buff?CFID=4174292&CFTOKEN=8a1b54a6d46be33f-B1E73D32-F0BF-04CF-CEF9E6A3344C7DFD&jsessionid=0201E2CF4B79DE2830F77F4038CAD3A6.cfusion. I have a fleece buff for higher on the mountain too.

• Take a platypus and a drink bottle. Check out the different ones available here http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.search&searchvalue=camelback&source.x=0&source.y=0 With the platypus, it's a great idea to ensure that the top part (where you drink from) has a cover as it gets dusty and dirty on the mountain. http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/camelbak-antidote-thermal-control-kit-68210126?id_colour=180 You can get insulating covers for the tube, but on summit night it's still going to freeze regardless, so you can then take your drink bottle and pop it inside your jacket so it won't freeze. Also, I take Berocca (or similar) and pop one in the drink bottle each morning and drink 750ml of that before breakfast each morning (it's the last thing you feel like doing in the morning, but drinking more fluid definitely helps with altitude). I also take two panadol in the morning and then two ibuprofen at night - I'm by no means medically qualified but I take these as a bit of a preventative measure.

• Have a pair of polarised sunglasses especially for higher on the mountain when we're above the cloud cover.

• Have a good thermarest or similar - you will be camping on rocky uneven ground and it gets cold on the mountain. http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.search&searchvalue=thermarest&source.x=0&source.y=0 When you're sleeping, put your main kit bag at your feet so you don't slide down your bed during the night too much. I also put my down jacket or similar in the hood of the sleeping bag as a pillow, have my head torch, spare batteries and camera in the sleeping bag to keep warm, and clothes for the next day in the sleeping bag (usually down the end) so they are semi warm to put on in the morning. Plus with your down jacket and torch in your sleeping bag, it makes it much easier to pop these things on if you have to get up in the night for the loo. And altitude may disrupt your monthly cycle so please be prepared, just in case.

• Have a small torch that you can hang in your tent at night time. Pack some snap-lock bags as they are good for rubbish both in the tent and on the mountain. And take a pack of wet-wipes too.

• Take some snacks with you for while you are trekking, DA will give you some tracker bars but if you have any favourite snacks, then bring these along. Chocolate bars will melt on the first day while going through the rainforest but they will refreeze as you go higher up. You will walk very slowly up the mountain but that's a good thing as it will help you adjust to the altitude much better. It might seem a bit annoying at first but so well worth it.

• One night you will camp at the bottom of Barranco Wall after coming through what is what I call 'Dinosaur Valley' (it's awesome). Climbing Barranco is my favourite day. When you get to the top, the view is amazing - especially if it's clear - you can see forever and then you have the summit of Kili behind you! Brilliant spot for photos! As you get higher - you're above the cloud line, it's so surreal and magical!

• Take hand sanitiser and use it religiously. And make sure everyone else is doing the same as it will really help prevent any bugs being shared amongst the group.

• Have a good head torch as you'll need it a night and on summit night. I use one walking pole, only going up on summit night as it just gave me something to lean on when needed. If you are going to take walking poles, just make sure you practice with them before we head out. On the way down from summit its mainly scree then quite rocky just before reach Barraffu camp. And it's a long way down so just keep some reserves for the trek down. You can wear gaitors for this to stop the pebbles going in the back of your boots, but it's not essential.

• On summit night, just keep plodding and try not to stop for too long at any point. Have your water bottle inside your jacket and your platypus full (which you can have for the trek back down). Have some snacks in your pockets so they are easy to get too. Layer up as it will probably be much warmer on the trek back down from summit. And have your camera inside your jacket as well to keep it warm and also for easy access. And just hang in there for sunrise - it's probably one of the most amazing sunrises you will ever see and it will give you a little extra boost to keep going.

• Oh and when you reach Stella Point, don't rest too long as it's still a bit of a trek around to the summit (around 45min - 1 hour). But that part of the trek is fab - you have a glacier on one side and the crater on the other.

• Remember to pack a treat for yourself as well. Or if you like particular sauces, tea etc. etc. pack some of these too. For example, little satchels of HP or ketchup etc.

 

So that's the next few weeks and months accounted for. Acquiring kit!

 

Thank you to the team at Macmillan for sharing these points.

 

Neil Jones 

 

100 days to go, and next stop... the Peak District

Our countdown clock has hit another milestone - 100 days to go until the first group depart from Heathrow (9th January). And having received our flight details recently, anticipation is definitely building.

The biggest event of our preparation is also looming large.


Picturesque Peak District.
Looking towards Kinder Scout

Next weekend there will be around 50 of our trekkers meeting in the Peak District for our eagerly awaited training weekend. We will be exploring the picturesque Edale valley, including a long training walk on Saturday and an optional walk on Sunday. This will be a great opportunity to test kit and fitness, and to meet many fellow trekkers for the first time.

Neil Jones