Day 7 on kili

Following our summit decline we ended up at a place called norombo - a further 10k from the base at kibo know wonder come end of our summit day we were absolutely knackered.
A lovely touch at the end of summit day was our cook baking a congratulatory cake and all the porters delivering it and singing and acting out a short story about our climb
Woke up refreshed after a 10 hour sleep - typical the day after I really needed it
Today's trek took us all the way to marangu gate a beautiful walk through tundra and forest. Saw colobus and blue monkey and many nests of safari ant.
Arrived at the gate at 3pm for our fairwells to the crew and the handing over of the obligatory tips- a sad moment!!!
back along the road to arusha we stopped for our congratulatory meal - quite a quiet affair - lots of reflecting going on
On that note this blog ends - too many thoughts to pen but hope you all enjoyed keeping up with Hoppys and Mitchys kili adventure

Day 5 on kili

Left third cave at 8am to begin our trek to school huts - base camp over 4700m
did a short acclimatisation climb to over 5000m before an early tea. Got an early night in preparation for our midnight ascent of kili - needless to say didn't sleep a wink

Day 6 on kili

This is it - 6 hours from midnight to scale gilmans point from base camp. Can honestly say was the most sole destroying miserable 6 hours of our lives. Got really cold around 4pm needed help with haversack and gloves from Isha (one of the guides) got to say the guides were fantastic. At 6am we scaled gilmons point - but confess that for nick and I slightly worse for ware. Nicks legs kept collapsing beneath him and I kept falling over. More help from guides needed. Hot drink (yes they carried up Ginger tea) they had to sort out what I was wearing (embarrassing) - seems my brain had also stopped working. Anyway one down jacket later we set of for uhuro peak a 3 hour round trip - the most stunning scenery but all a bit of a blur due to us not being fully functioning. Got to uhuro peak around 8 - and yes we unravelled our banner and kissed the sign ((but really on autopilot) - seemed that most people were
We made our way back at a fairly brisk pace with our lead guide concluding that nick needed to leave the top slightly quicker than the rest of us - the great news is that the whole group made it to the top and back down in one piece.
Was it one of the most challenging and stimulating days of our lives - yes
Will we do it again - not in a million years
Mitchy and Hoppy

Day 4 on kili

Great day today - traversed the saddle before dropping down into third cave - climb high sleep low.
Kicked our heels before our final dedicated acclimatisation climb - nice and steep over 600 m.
Meal tonight was a bit mixed dodgy beef stew that we think came from the carcass of a dead eland we saw back on the saddle (just a little joke cook) - pud was great - always a surprise.
The crew looking after us have been fantastic - nothing too much trouble - god hope tonights sleep is better than the last couple - feeling like shit in the mornings.
Time to turn in (8:00) - up at 6:00 every day.
Hoppy and mitchy

Day 2 on kili

20 k walk today. Up at 6 to be met with stunning clear views of Kiki and mawenzi looking down on us.
8 o'clock kick of to climb to second cave for lunchtime.
Getting on really well with group - good people enjoying the adventure as we both are. Stephe not feeling to good today - quite poorly. Few bits of wildlife about but not much. Saw a chameleon and various birds - mostly too cold for things to survive any sense - except the odd stupid humans. For motivation during the day I kept thinking about the porters who walked where we walked in twice the speed carrying twice as much. Got into camp around 5 for some r & r and great food - how do they do it. We are being so well looked after - hoppy and mitchy.

Day 3 on kili

Left kikilewa cave at 7 for a pretty dramatic mornings climb up to mawenzi tarn hut our base for that day an elevation of over 600 meters. A very tough climb - weighed day sack 23 kgs. Felt like 50kg. Spot of lunch and some relaxation time in preparation for our acclimatisation climb later in afternoon. After Lunch felt a little queezy and drowsy. Luckily seemed more about the food than anything more sinister so after a quick visit to the dunney all seemed much better.
Our acclimatisation climb took us another 600 m very steep very quick. Sat for half an hour to breathe the thinning air before descending.
Good food this evening - very cold in camp perhaps minis 5
Hoppy and mitchy

Day 2

ay 2
Kick off day for our climb - picked up 8.00am by food and crew (all 20 of them) foe our party of five - hello to owen, steph and Chris
Started climb after lunch - in woodland before breaking out into shrubland. Climbed until 6 before reaching camp to be met by stunning views of mawenzi and kili.
Lots of climbers in first camp before each group heads off their own way. Chef cooked up steak tonight - great food all that's missing is beer- sure we'll survive without it for a few days.

Day one - the arrival

19th
Left bang on time - easy flight nice and smooth. Best food ever had on a plane. Hop skip and jump over to kili airport from Nairobi - had a kamakazi pilot who insisted on doing tail sins and god knows what else. Stunning views of kili when flying past - as high as the plane - hope the photos come out ok. Now here at the loaisis hotel (well when I say hotel......) rustic and will do the job but only just. Anyway off to our climb briefing now - kicking off tommoow at 7:30 so over and out for now - hoppies and matches blog

Airport

We are at beathrow
Hoppies in the chair for lunch - lovely
Only 7 hours to flight time - it will fly by
Bag drop in a couple of hours so at least we can go shopping

Only one sleep to go!!!
Just switched off my phone and laptop yipeeee!
Final packing and checking to do, must not forget the loo roll and trowel.

Last day of P & P - counting the hours

Where has that last week gone!
Off tomorrow - train in the morning, flight in the evening.
Catch you all on the other side - of the Mediterranean!!

Second Thoughts

After years talking and 10 months in the planning, just thought i mention that i am afraid of heights, not sure i am suited to sleeping under canvas, would rather drive than walk anywhere and just looked at my passport and noticed my date of Birth!!!!
Whos idea was this anyway?

Have they started climbing yet?

Can't see them!

9 days to go

And counting down fast

Tip Top Training LTD
07768 850002
andrew.tip-top-training@virgin.net
Sent from my iPhone

Our rongai route up kili

10 days and counting and thinking about the route we will take up and down kili.
On the map in the picture you'll see that the Rongai route starts in the North on the Kenyan side of Kili with our overnight stops identified on the map. The way back down is via the the Marangu route to the South of Kili.
All in all 6 nights on the mountain.

12 days and counting

We are now in our last week but one. No opportunity for a training trek this weekend, both too busy. Will continue running every day (Hoppy is spending half his life at the gym) trying to keep the fitness levels up. We should pretty much be ready to go. Spoke with a work colleague today whose mate climbed a few years ago. Keeps saying now what a fantastic experience the climb was.

Just lion around

Wonder if we will meet one of these on the climb? - hope Hoppy can run fast!

14 days and counting

final bit of the jigsaw sorted today - a bit of cash to spend on the trip.
All set now, just need to make sure I can close the zip on me holdall#

Tip Top Training LTD
07768 850002
andrew.tip-top-training@virgin.net
Sent from my iPhone

Still testing functionality - this sent via text

Tip Top Training LTD
07768 850002
andrew.tip-top-training@virgin.net
Sent from my iPhone

18 days and counting

Have done absolutely nothing today by way of preparations for our trip - But the excitement is building on a day by day basis.

Just thought I would test the functionality of posting remotely. Here goes

Getting Close now

Hoppy and I are just 19 days away from our truly great adventure - so keep checking in on a day by day countdown of our final preparations.