Going for a walk... up Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing mountain
Jim Holder
My Story
So this time last year I joked about having been clothed by Mountain Warehouse, Regatta, Milletts and other high-end outdoor leisurewear outlets for my entire adult life, yet never having walked up a mountain.
Settling that score in one fell swoop, I headed out with a lovely team of walkers (/nutters) raising money for BEN - the motor industry charity - and walked up three in (almost) 24 hours. I walked down two of them too. The third, well, it was more of a limp than walk... And even that might be giving limps a bad write up.
Brilliantly, that raised nearly £3000, which has already gone towards helping those in most need. I cannot express my gratitude enough. That support has made a huge difference to the lives of people who would otherwise be struggling.
Job done, then? Not so much, because the 'successful' completion of that challenge has opened the door to another one: climbing Kilimanjaro.
Planned pre-pandemic, climbing Kili was always meant to be the objective. As you might imagine, as crisis followed crisis, it got rather pushed to the back of my mind.
Sure, the Three Peaks was a short, sharp reminder of what might unfold, but with the focus and dedication more normally associated with goldfish - a quality that I doubt has underpinned many successful mountain expeditions - I soon put the prospect of hitting the hills to the back of my mind again and got on with everyday life
Now there's no escape.
One year on, I'm dusting off the walking boots, squeezing back into the thermals and getting ready to head to the rainy season in Tanzania (I'm not responsible for the timing, but expect lots of sodden, sullen photography on social). Oh, and ignoring any talk of altitude sickness - because who wants to feel sick while walking 80ish kilometres? Ugh.
Once again, your support is gratefully received in whatever form you can share it - ideally money, because this adventure is all about supporting people who need financial help, but also encouragement and enthusiasm, because I understand it's a tough time for a lot of people, and that a lot of people support charities elsewhere.
Thank you,
Jim
-
Target
£6,000
-
Raised so far
£4,796
-
Number of donors
146
My Story
So this time last year I joked about having been clothed by Mountain Warehouse, Regatta, Milletts and other high-end outdoor leisurewear outlets for my entire adult life, yet never having walked up a mountain.
Settling that score in one fell swoop, I headed out with a lovely team of walkers (/nutters) raising money for BEN - the motor industry charity - and walked up three in (almost) 24 hours. I walked down two of them too. The third, well, it was more of a limp than walk... And even that might be giving limps a bad write up.
Brilliantly, that raised nearly £3000, which has already gone towards helping those in most need. I cannot express my gratitude enough. That support has made a huge difference to the lives of people who would otherwise be struggling.
Job done, then? Not so much, because the 'successful' completion of that challenge has opened the door to another one: climbing Kilimanjaro.
Planned pre-pandemic, climbing Kili was always meant to be the objective. As you might imagine, as crisis followed crisis, it got rather pushed to the back of my mind.
Sure, the Three Peaks was a short, sharp reminder of what might unfold, but with the focus and dedication more normally associated with goldfish - a quality that I doubt has underpinned many successful mountain expeditions - I soon put the prospect of hitting the hills to the back of my mind again and got on with everyday life
Now there's no escape.
One year on, I'm dusting off the walking boots, squeezing back into the thermals and getting ready to head to the rainy season in Tanzania (I'm not responsible for the timing, but expect lots of sodden, sullen photography on social). Oh, and ignoring any talk of altitude sickness - because who wants to feel sick while walking 80ish kilometres? Ugh.
Once again, your support is gratefully received in whatever form you can share it - ideally money, because this adventure is all about supporting people who need financial help, but also encouragement and enthusiasm, because I understand it's a tough time for a lot of people, and that a lot of people support charities elsewhere.
Thank you,
Jim
