Kilimanjaro 5’s big adventure!
On Sunday 17 February the ‘Kilimanjaro 5’ consisting of Paul, Tanya and Ray Quayle, and Jason Wesley and Pieter Booysen began a six-day climb up Africa’s highest peak, successfully reaching the summit at 6.30 am on Thursday the 21st. In the process the team raised an awful lot of money for Tools for Self Reliance and literally put our name on top of the tallest ‘free standing’ mountain in the world. Here is Paul’s account of their big adventure.
L to R: Paul, Jason, Pieter, Ray (Paul’s dad) and Tanya (Paul’s sister) at camp
We walked slowly and steadily (or pole pole as they say in Swahili) for 7 hours a day for the first 4 days before attempting the summit at midnight of the 4th day. Although the first few days had been challenging in places we had been treated brilliantly by our team of guides and porters (whom none of us could praise highly enough – they were just incredible) and were in high spirits going into the final ascent.
nothing prepared us for the difficulties that we faced on that last day
However, nothing prepared us for the difficulties that we faced on that last day. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep, the steepness of the climb or the challenging terrain, but more so the gale force winds blowing off the surrounding glaciers and temperatures reaching as low as -15°C that caused us the most problems and tested our resolve.
At the summit
Despite our water supplies freezing and the sight of people retching and crying in front of us we pushed on and after a brief pause for ginger tea and Red Bull at Stella Point (the lip of the volcanic crater and the first official ‘summit’) we finally reached Uhuru Peak (or Freedom Peak), our ultimate goal, just as the morning sun began to appear. The views of the glaciers and surrounding landscape were stunning, but after a few hastily taken photos it was time to return to camp for a well deserved brew – and the chance to defrost! – before moving on again to our penultimate campsite. Finally, just before midday on Friday the 22nd, we emerged from the rainforest near the base of the mountain and were whisked away for a celebratory meal in the nearby town of Moshi and a much needed shower.
All in all it was an amazing experience, the people of Tanzania were absolutely fantastic towards us and it was something that none of us will ever forget. Hopefully we helped to spread the word about Tools for Self Reliance too and our fundraising is still going strong. Those bright yellow T-shirts certainly brought us some attention!
So far Paul and the team have raised a magnificent £1,891. There is still time to sponsor them. Just go to www.justgiving.com/tfsr.
If you’re feeling inspired and want to raise money for us then why don’t you seize the moment! Setting up your own fundraising page online at justgiving.com couldn’t be easier!