07/11/09: WE DID IT!!!!!!

Well as you may know by now I was one of ten people from my church who attempted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in October 2009. This effort was in aid of a childrens' hospice in Nyeri, Kenya, which was built by, and is run by, the church.

Well the great news is that 9 out of 10 of us made it to the crater edge at Gillman's Point and were therefore deemed to have successfully climbed Kili!!!! 5 of us, myself included, went on to the 'true' summit at Uhuru Peak, another 1½hr hike through blizzards and temperatures of -10°C, and a further ascent of 700ft. Despite some additional problems (headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, etc) due to the very high altitude (19340ft), we all made it. Here is a picture of us at the Uhuru Peak (that's me on the far right):

In addition to the climb, we also visited the childrens' hospice and helped to distribute aid from 2 x 40ft containers and 1 x 20ft container which we sent out. Click HERE for my KILI TRAVEL BLOG with pictures (PDF, 5MB).

So it only remains for me to say a really BIG thank you to all who have sponsored me, you can see my fundraising progress below. My justgiving page will remain open for a while yet, so you can still donate !!! :)

Here is a picture of me presenting the cheque to Pastor David Murray and Terri Fairfowl from the church on 03/08/09: