Mount Kilimanjaro Challenge just a hop skip and a jump away!

Jambo everyone !!!

I hope you are well this fine Monday! Well I am feeling totally overwhelmed right now....The climb is finally here! I fly out on Friday on the start of my epic adventure - it feels surreal to be finally here after all this time. 4 years - 4 years to actually see it come to life. Avery long, tough and very frustrating journey it has been, with so many knock backs and delays.....but that actually means nothing right now...all the disappointment has drifted away like a morning mist!

So here we go I'll give you the rundown of  Mount.Kilimanjaro 2015. The if anyone wants to check off where we'll be at any one time you can do so!

We looked at many different companies and settled with Wild Secret Safaris. I have to give them so far a massive recommendation. They have been so helpful, well above and beyond what was their responsibility. I've been in constant communication with Mussa and they have booked our hotels for us, which is not part of their job. But have done so. They have been nothing but helpful and have made the planning of this epic adventure easy and very smooth running. We all three of us want to say a massive thank you to them for making what could have been a quite stressful time planning from so far away enjoyable. 

So this is how our trip is planned out:-

We fly out of Manchester Friday Jan 30th lunchtime and which a 7.5 hour stopover at Qatar we land at JRO ( Kilimanjaro ) on Saturday Jan 31st mid afternoon where we will be met by Wild Secret Safaris and taken to our hotel in Moshi for the evening. Early the following morning we will set of to climb Mount.Kilimanjaro! As I said all along we are doing the Lemosho Route ( my best chance of ascending to the summit )

Here's out 8 day climb broken down for you: The team consist of Bec's, Ali and myself.

 Day 1 : Drive to Kilimanjaro National Park Londorossi Gate, Hike to Mti Mkubwa Camp

Visiting: Moshi to Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8-Days

After breakfast and briefing, drive to Londorossi Park Gate (2-3 hour dirve). From here a forest track requiring a 4WD vehicle leads to Lemosho Glades. Walk along forest trails to Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite.

• Elevation: 1830m/6000ft to 2650m/8700ft
• Distance: 6km/4mi
• Hiking Time: 2-3 hours
• Habitat: Montane Forest

Day 2 : Hike Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira 1 Camp

Visiting: Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8-Days

After breakfast, we continue as the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. After several streams are crossed we continue over the Shira Ridge then gently downwards to Shira 1 camp located by a stream on the Shira Plateau.

• Elevation: 2650m/8700ft to 3500m/11,500ft
• Distance: 8km/5mi
• Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
• Habitat: Moorland

Day 3 : Hike Shira 1 Camp to Shira 2 Camp

Visiting: Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8-Days

After breakfast, a gentle hike across the plateau leads to Shira 2 camp on moorland meadows by a stream. A variety of hikes are available on the Plateau, making this an excellent acclimatization day.

• Elevation: 3500m/11,500ft to 3850m/12,600ft
• Distance: 8km/5mi
• Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
• Habitat: Moorland

• Day 4 : Hike Shira 2 Camp to Barranco Camp

  Visiting: Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8-Days
  From the Shira Plateau we continue to the east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo. As we continue, our direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s Tooth” (elev 4650m/15,250ft). Shortly after the tower we come to the second junction which goes to the Arrow Glacier. We now continue down to the Barranco Camp. Although you end the day around the same elevation as when you began, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.
• Elevation: 3850m/12,600ft to 4000m/13,000ft
• Distance: 8km/5mi
• Walking Time: 5-6 hours
• Habitat: Semi-desert
• 
  

Day 5 : Hike Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

Visiting: Kilimanjaro

After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley and the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail.

• Elevation: 4000m/13,000ft to 4050m/13,250ft
• Distance: 5km/3mi
• Hiking Time: 34 hours
• Habitat: Alpine Desert

Day 6 : Hike Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

Visiting: Kilimanjaro

We continue up to the Barafu Camp. You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day.

• Elevation: 4050m/13,250ft to 4700m/15,350ft
• Distance: 4km/2mi
• Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
• Habitat: Alpine Desert

Day 7 : Hike Barafu Camp to Summit, down to Mweka Camp

Visiting: Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8-Days

Very early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), we continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit.

From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all the way on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. Once at Uhuru Peak you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa!

From the summit we begin our descent by continuing straight down to the Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You may want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. We arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy our last evening on the mountain.

• Elevation: 4700m/15,350ft to 5895m/19,340ft
• Down to 3090m/10,150ft
• Distance: 5km/3mi up / 13km/8mi down
• Hiking Time: 5-7 hours up / 5-6 hours down
• Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

Lava Tower - planning to climb it!

And there ends our magnificent climb of Mount.Milimanjaro! 

We will now have a 2 hour drive to Arusha where we are going to be staying at the Outpost Lodge for the next two nights. We are having a couple of days to recover from our climb, to absorb what we've actually achieved and have a beer or two in celebration, swim in the pool, go check out Arusha itself!! The reason behind not going back to Moshi after the climb but Arusha is because when we start our safari after our two day chillout - we have a 2 hour drive to Tarangire, so it's a lot closer from Arusha than Moshi.

So here's our safari;

Day 1 (February 11-2015): Drive from Arusha with picnic lunch to Tarangire for game drive - overnight Eileen's Tree Lodge near Ngorongoro.

Day 2 (February 12-2015): After an early breakfast drive 30 minutes to Ngorongoro crater via Masai Boma, game drive inside crater until late evening drive out of crater - overnight at Eileen's tree lodge.

Day 3 (February 13-2015): Drive 40 minutes to beautiful Lake Manyara national park for game drive, late in the afternoon drive 2 hours to Arusha.  Overnight Outpost lodge – Arusha

We'll then move to our last hotel the Planet Lodge for our last couple of days in Tanzania where we will be strolling around the town, hopefully speaking a little Swahili and having lots of fun and laughter while we take in all our achievements. 

And knowing we have all helped raise money and awareness for our chosen charities is the most wonderful of feelings.

I don't think I've told you about us going to help out a little orphanage when we get out to Tanzania... It's called Osiligi Orphanage Children Center - The orphanage has 11 children aged 6-11 and they survive off donations only. The company we are climbing with gives a % of the money from bookings to help keep it afloat.

Their no 1 priority is food, followed by books, paper and pens and then toys. We have chatted between the three of us and will be going to the supermarket to buy food for them ( of course we'll make sure there's so sweeties for them too!! ). We are going to look at getting some paper, pens etc and even a few toys.

I'm hoping to get a football so I can have a little kick about with them. This epic adventure is going to touch me in so many different ways - I hope I give back some really happy positive thoughts to everyone we meet through my own words and actions.

So for my final thoughts this side of the climb. I am honoured to be raising money for Alopecia UK and I know many people won't understand that when I am surviving cancer myself that I'm not raising for cancer - especially my own War on Cancer. It took me months to decide what I was going to do....chooose cancer? choose Alopecia? do it for both?

But quite rightly it was pointed out to me, if I said I was doing for both, Alopecia wouldn't get anything because everyone would go for the cancer charity. So this and my little best buddy Molly made up my mind for me.

So Molly and all Alopecia sufferers I'm dedicating my climb to you and hope this will help raise awareness and much needed funds to help aid the research into finding a cure for which currently there isn't one.

So friends, you know where and what I'll be up to in Tanzania - so look up to the sky on February 8th and know I've given it my all to be on the Roof of Africa, and I'll be there! - I'll show you the photos when I get back!!

Until next time

Tracy