Roll On the Morning!

So here I am, just a few hours before departure. I've packed my bags for a third time tonight, stripping out items each time as I go. When I look at my day pack it seems very full, more so than at any other time during my training. There just enough space for a couple of packs of jelly babies at the airport tomorrow.

Its been a strange day in many ways. Full of anticipation and nervous excitement and yet also concern over the weather conditions here. One thing I have learnt though is not to worry about the things you have no control over. We do make a fuss over the weather in this country. Its amazing how a few cms of snow can create such a fuss. I walked into Milton Keynes this morning pausing occasionally to look out for any signs of traffic on completely deserted roads. It reminded me of Christmas Day in the sense that nobody was about, the roads were quiet, and only a few distant voices on the wind gave away the fact that people were out playing in the snow. You would never have guessed this was a normal working day (or atleast supposed to be).

Unfortunately the snow prevented me from seeing Ben and Harry today. I hadn't anticipated not seeing them before I go and to be honest I'm pretty upset about that. I get little enough time with them as it is, so to miss out on seeing them today of all days is quite hard. I know they are quite apprehensive about this trip and what it means to me, and I had hoped tonight to have been able to put their minds at rest. Still, they will be able to follow my progress at school next week and no doubt we will speak before the flight.

What are my tips for packing for Kilimanjaro?
Take your time.....very important, you need to think things through (e.g what if my main luggage went missing in transit, could I start the trek without it?)
Medium size Frozen Food Seal Bags from Tesco's make excellent, cheap, (very cheap), waterproof compression bags for your clothes.
Decant what liquids you need, (shower gel, shaving cream etc..) into small 100ml plastic bottles from Boots (50p each) Brilliant!
Compress your Sleeping Bag (containing its fleece inner) and use the bag it comes in to store all your clothes compressed in the Tesco's Frozen Food Bags!
Wrap your walking poles in your Base Mat to protect them in transit.
Make sure whatever you have to do to pack at home is repeatable in a tent on the mountainside!

Thats it, I'm ready, roll on the morning!