Frances Anne Ridge: Kilimanjaro Climb, one week to go

photo frances anneOne Week To Go

Well it was back to The Cobbler on Saturday and it was our last walk together before we head off to Kilimanjaro.
 
I can’t believe we’ve spent the last 10 months on various long walks and have never run out of things to talk about the entire way – typical women I guess.

And Saturday was no different, we spent most of it blethering about what lies ahead….wondering how much food we should take to keep us going, how many packets of wet-wipes would be considered too many and how we’ll cope with moaning, snoring campmates (we’re both stocking up on ear-plugs)…..or what to do if we realise we’re the moaning campmates (might be an idea to share our ear-plugs round the camp)….but the one thing we kept talking about during Saturday’s walk was the overwhelming support from friends and family. It has been incredible and the closer it gets to the walk the more emotional we seem to be getting about it. With every donation and message of support we turn in to blubbering wrecks.

It’s clear Marie Curie Cancer Care  is close to many people’s hearts and that, sadly, too many people have watched a loved one battle cancer.

We’ve surpassed our target and with so many people willing you on it makes it impossible to be anything other than determined to succeed.
 
I’m just hoping that I manage to remain as focused when the altitude sickness has kicked in, when I’ve turned a curious shade of green and desperately want to call it a day and head back to ground-level to find the nearest hot shower, a comfortable bed and to enjoy that little thing we take for granted….oxygen!
 
Just this week I spoke to someone who reached Kilimanjaro’s summit last year and she told me that she returned from the trip saying no human should ever be allowed to go through what she experienced. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. She described feeling so weak that she just wanted to collapse, one of the porters encouraged her to keep going but by that point her mind was playing tricks on her, she was absolutely convinced that he was trying to kidnap her and that she was no longer even on Kilimanjaro! Listening to her I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
 
But with only a week to go, it’s too late to worry about how I’ll be affected. I’ve got all the kit, my visa is sorted, I’m drugged-up on everything from malaria to Yellow Fever medication, and I’ve spent so much time in outdoor shops in the past few months that I’m on first-name terms with the staff. Now I just want to get going and Sharon and I can’t wait to meet our fellow climbers at the airport next week…….we just need to pop to the shop one last time for those ear-plugs….
 
 

Kilimanjaro Climb -the day has finally arrived
Frances Anne Ridge: Preparing to climb Kilimanjaro

This section: Kilimanjaro Climb for Marie Curie

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Avatar of PatByrne Publisher of Pat's Guide to Glasgow West End; the community guide to the West End of Glasgow. Fiction and non-fiction writer.

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