Strong Sisters...
In 2014, one of my friends decided that for her 40th, she would prefer to do the Three Peaks Challenge rather than have a big party. That’s where it all started… we trained hard for the Challenge and we’ve been walking regularly together ever since.
I love walking! I love the fresh air, the beautiful views, the slow-burn buzz from the exercise, not to mention the banter and therapy from friendships that have blossomed up on the Downs over the last three years.
Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest free-standing mountain, also referred to as the rooftop of Africa. It had cropped up in several conversations during our training walks - a challenge that most of the group had only
dreamed of because it seemed impossible, especially given that we have 22 children between us all. Luckily we all have extremely supportive husbands, who encouraged us to go for it!
Eight of us (all mothers) signed up for the Challenge and we agreed that we’d pay for the trip ourselves in order to maximize the amount of money raised for our chosen charity: Chestnut Tree House, a local children’s hospice. The charity cares for around 300 children in East and West Sussex and South East Hampshire, who have life-limiting conditions that mean they are unlikely to live to adulthood. They provide ongoing support and care for the whole family as well as emergency and end of life care when the time comes, both at the hospice near Arundel and in families’ own homes across the area. It costs £6,850 every day to provide all of Chestnut Tree’s care and this was what we set out to raise through sponsorship and fundraising.
We all completed the eight-day climb to Uhuru Peak, raising more than £10,600 for Chestnut Tree House. The guides were so impressed with our all-female team spirit that they nicknamed us “dada nguvu” which means “strong sisters” in Swahili.
We followed the alternative Lemosho route and covered 38 miles up to a height of 5,895m (19,341ft) with several extra challenges along the way: lost baggage, sleep deprivation and altitude sickness all played their part. I’m not a happy camper and early mornings are certainly not my forte, but teamwork and sisterhood gave me the strength I needed to get to the very top! The morning wake up calls and cups of tea followed by a cooked breakfast from Team Kilimanjaro certainly helped too…
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The scenery changed dramatically each day as we walked through four climatic zones during our trek: rainforest, low alpine, high alpine and glacial. It was hot and sunny during most of the days and freezing cold at night (we even had ice on the inside of our tents!). The geology was fascinating – a dormant volcano shaped by fire and ice with lumps of pumice, obsidian and lots of ash to climb on. It would be the perfect place for a geography field trip!
The most memorable day was summit day. We left the final basecamp at midnight, reaching the summit at 7.30am on the sixth day - welcomed by bright sunshine and blue skies with views into Tanzania and Kenya. The guides sang us all the way up the mountain on summit night, helping us to set a suitable pace, lifting our spirits to keep out the freezing cold and to keep us going on the relentless final climb on the frozen volcanic ash. The sunrise that morning was stunning and something that I will never forget – the views were crystal clear! We were so full of adrenaline that we danced on the rooftop of Africa (aided by a cheeky tipple from a well-travelled hip flask!)
Alongside our trekking and fundraising, we also took out seven cases crammed full of bras, sports gear, shoes, clothes, puzzles and toys to give to the Amani Children’s Home in Tanzania. We were invited to tour the home the day after we came off the mountain and we enjoyed meeting and playing with the children there.
This was one of the most amazing
experiences of my life to date and I would whole-heartedly encourage anyone to take up the challenge. Actions not words!
The JustGiving page is still open for donations for Team LUCKili (Ladies of Uckfield Climb Kilimanjaro):
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LUCKili Thank you for your support.
OC
Carine Roberts (née Baker) Class of 1995
The Old Cornelian SUMMER 2017
Klmnao ii a j r
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