In September 2011 we will attempt to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and stands at 19,340ft/5895m and is classed as a dormant volcano.
We will be covering all of our own expenses, every penny raised through this site or any donations made will go directly to Marie Curie Cancer Care. We have never attempted a challenge like this before so every experience, everything from blisters to altitude sickness, will be a new one!
Equatorial and arctic conditions are present on Kilimanjaro and therefore the weather changes between very hot and dry to wet and misty, to very, very cold depending on the time of day and altitude. It’s particularly cold at night. There is permanent ice at the summit and below freezing temperatures can be expected. The temperature can range between between 30°C and -27°C! For that reason our kit list contains everything from sunglasses, swimming costume and suntan lotion to ski gloves and thermal underwear!
Our challenge is for 9 nights in total. It will take us 4.5 days to trek up the mountain and 1.5 days down. We will be sleeping in tents and have next to no creature comforts.
The thing that we are most worried about is altitude sickness. Whilst there is a drug you can be prescribed to combat the effects of altitude sickness, that can also bring its own problems in terms of side effects and masking potential health issues.
The altitude problem is the shortage of oxygen: as you climb higher, the air gets thinner. At 6000m, atmospheric pressure is about 50% of that at sea level. There are a variety of symptoms including headaches, tiredness, irritability, nausea and depression. We are told its like being drunk and having a hangover at the same time! The effects of altitude can be felt from around 2500m upwards. Not everyone is affected by altitude sickness and fitness, size, age or sex is not an indication of who might suffer.
The organisers of this trek are very clear to point out that this is a trek and not a walk. You need to be fit to attempt this.
Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give people with terminal cancer and other illnesses the choice of dying at home, supported by their families. It runs nine Marie Curie Hospices across the UK offering free specialist care for patients and support for families. The charity conducts palliative care research to find better ways of caring for terminally ill people and also funds scientists who investigate the causes and treatments of cancer.
Our target is to raise £10,000 - exactly how much Marie Curie Cancer Care spend on nursing, hospices and research every hour.
