I decided back in September 2008 that Kilimanjaro was for me. It struck me as the type of physical challenge that was eminently achievable,..... even for an overweight 40 something year old recently separated....and so it proved!
How you go about preparing for a trip such as this is very much dependent on individual circumstances. In my case I saw three priorities:
First - the Charity Fundraising
My journey to Kilimanjaro was in aid of local Milton Keynes Charity, Climb Your Mountain. Raising the necessary £3,000 to get on the trip, was not going to be easy particularly given the need to have most of the money raised before Christmas!
Second - My Physical Fitness
I knew at 18st 4lbs I was clearly overweight, and unlikely to attain my goal of reaching the summit carrying this much bulk.
Third - Mental Preparation
From day one I visualised only 1 outcome, that of me standing next to the rickety sign on Uhuru Peak. The image of this in my minds eye was to help shape all my approaches to the training, and with hindsight, proved to be the glue that secured all my other preparations.
I formally signed up for the trip on 1st October 2008. At this point I had already taken measures to address my weight and fitness issues. Nothing drastic but simple things that fitted into my lifestyle and work schedule. Looking back the most important thing that affected my weight loss was to switch my main meal of the day to lunchtime as opposed to the evening. That aside I did nothing very extraordinary, cut down on alcohol up to Christmas and stopped altogether from New Years Eve up to departure on Feb 6th.
In terms of exercise I hate running and gyms so didn't really see these as a workable option. I did work out a manageable schedule however which saw me doing some exercise every day. For eight weeks I split my training between the bike and spinning classes, walking, running and swimming. It sounds a lot but wasn't really, no more than an hour and a half 5 days a week. After eight weeks my emphasis changed exclusively to walking. I used Dunstable Downs as a local training base which saw me walk a circuit of 4.6 miles involving 3 steep climbs of 200m each. Personally I believe this was the most important element of my whole physical training, particularly the week I was able to do five consecutive days. So much of the preparation is getting your body used to getting up and walking for 5 - 7 days consecutively!
Interspersed within the training were a trip to the Peak District and a memorable first ever climb of Snowdon in just about the worst conditions possible!
By the time I left for Kilimanjaro my weight had fallen to 15st 12lbs (a loss of 2st 6lbs), but most importantly I felt confident in my bodies physical ability to get me to the very top even if the altitude issue remained an unknown.
The biggest threat to my mental preparation came about three weeks after signing up for the trip. It was then that I realised I had committed myself to what amounted to a total lottery. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to be able to cope with the altitude and there was nothing I could do to affect this. I dismissed very early on the use of Diamox and took a bit of time to settle in my head the possibility of not making it. It helped at this stage having a significant focus on fundraising, and all the good things that would come from my efforts whether or not I reached the summit. Despite this, Kilimanjaro for me was all about getting to the top. If I could have controlled the altitude element without the use of artificial drug taking then my outlook may have been different. However I couldn't do this and therefore reasoned out a decision to reconcile myself with the risk of possible failure, by minimising any other risk factors in my preparation.
It helped massively to talk to people who had previously climbed Kilimanjaro and I am particularly grateful to Nicola for providing me with her own insight and some invaluable reading material. My experience on Snowdon also taught me never to underestimate the challenge of climbing any mountain. Not two weeks after climbing Snowdon myself, in really challenging circumstances, two brothers were killed on the same mountain caught out by the weather and prevailing conditions under foot. This told me everything I ever needed to know about preparation. If there were elements I thought I could wing on this trip, they were rapidly dismissed after that weekend.
A week before I was due to leave, I was packed and ready to go. 24 hours before leaving I had packed and repacked my rucksack three times! This was more about questioning the need for certain items and packing in a way that would minimise the need for repacking on route to starting the climb itself. Communication between our group was now almost hourly as we each tried to help each other with tips for packing. I will address the kit list contents under general Tips For Travellers at the end of my blog, but for now will finish off with my top three tips in the packing process:
1) Sealable Frozen Food Bags (Med or Lrg) make excellent waterproof compression bags for your clothes.
2) You don't need to fret as I did over the type of rucksack to take. A large Kit bag (min 65lt) is perfectly suitable. The porters will put whichever bag you take into its own green holdhall for carrying up the mountain, usually on their head! (I kid you not!)
3) If you are camping, take the best base matt possible/affordable. You will rarely find your tent pitched on a flat stone free site so anything you can do to improve your sleeping comfort will prove invaluable. You will have enough trouble sleeping as it is with the altitude!
There it is, my preparation in summary. I guess the biggest thing I would say about this stage of my challenge is that I probably wouldn't change a thing. I was certainly as well prepared as I thought I could be at the time and with hindsight that still remains my view!
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