Trek Kilimanjaro 1st – 11th October 2010

Finally!! The time had come to pack everything we'd need into a duffel bag and backpack with a combined weight of about 15 kg’s. Readers will know we had received excellent advice on what we really needed, so it was with heavy hearts that the girls unpacked their hair straighteners and replaced them with our “baths”, the baby wipes.We arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport on Saturday 2^nd October full of excitement, as we had just seen the top of Kilimanjaro through the plane window. Most of the passengers on the tiny plane were trekking, and there was a collective sharp intake of breath as we all realised that we were flying at 17000 feet – and the summit is 19000 feet! (An aside: don’t be fooled by the word “International”; the airport is so small, they won’t let you in unless you have a flight ticket, because there’s no space. Fact!)

The entire group of 34 fundraisers from across Ireland and the UK had our pre-trek briefing that evening in our hotel. Superwoman Sarah Perry from Classic Tours was the trek manager; she had taken a group up Kili the week before we arrived, waited for us, was ready to go again (for the fourth time in total), and almost as soon as she got back to the UK would be on her way to lead a three week cycle trek in China. We also met our fabulous doctor, Liz Vallins; this was her second time up Kilimanjaro and she has also travelled to Base Camp Everest in her professional capacity. Sarah introduced us to the man who we would all come to admire over the week – Elias Lyimo, who runs his own trekking business (African Wilderness Adventures) from Arusha. He organised everything – porters, guides, cooks, accommodation, supplies – and without him and his fantastic team, we wouldn't have made it past day one! Can't recommend him highly enough.

Day 1 – Park Gate 1970m to Mandara Huts 2700m

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park and the official start of the Marangu Route. Here, we signed in and watched in awe as our “staff” of about 70 porters, guides and cooks loaded themselves up with all the supplies, our duffel bags and their own luggage and happily set off. We had to remain between the front and the back guides, and we had several other guides walking alongside. The front guide set the pace, which was thankfully “pole pole” – slowly slowly! Even if you were the slowest person in the group, there was no pressure to catch up to the front – in fact, this was actively discouraged! Even though we were still fairly low down, we could already feel the effects of exercising at altitude and the rainforest heat was stifling. The vegetation was amazing – huge trees, lush greenery and vivid flowers everywhere.

We stopped after about 2 hours for a picnic lunch where we had our first encounter with the “public toilets” – holes in the ground! But these were actually alright compared to the very last camp…let’s just say we quickly got adept at being at one with nature along the way! (And of course...don't forget the fabulous SheWee :-))

Along this section we met several groups descending from the summit. One of them was a girl wearing a wedding veil – she had got married on the summit the day before! It was great to see such happy faces, although several of them warned us that we were not in for an easy time…

We arrived at our first camp, Mandara Huts, at around 4pm. We sorted out our 4 sleeper huts, dumped our backpacks (bliss!) and set off on a short acclimatisation walk to Maundi Crater, from where, on a clear day, the Kenyan border is visible. The daily acclimatisation walk was very important to allow our bodies to adjust slowly to the altitude – the motto was, “walk high, sleep low” (and pole pole, don’t forget!).

When we returned to camp, the best snack ever was waiting for us – hot popcorn!

That evening we gathered around the table for what was our first of several delicious dinners, all prepared as if by magic by the cooks. We always had soup to start – an easy way to warm up and hydrate. Hydration was the number one priority throughout the trip, especially to combat the symptoms of altitude sickness, and we all carried and drank at least 3 – 4 litres of water a day. However, we were all taking Diamox; this drug increases the rate of oxygen absorption into the body and makes it easier to acclimatise to high altitude, which is great – but it also has the unfortunate side effect of being a diuretic! Getting up in the pitch darkness to find the loos while hoping that the Colobus monkeys you can hear all around you stay where they are is interesting!

Day 2 – Mandara Huts 2700m – Horombo Huts 3720m

After waking up at 6am to a cacophony of birdcalls, and a great breakfast of porridge, eggs, sausages and toast, we set off bright and early. As we walked, the vegetation changed from rainforest to moorland and we were able to spot our target in the far (far) distance. Today’s walk was very long – around 8 hours – and several of the group were starting to experience headaches and nausea. The pace was even slower than the previous day, which helped a lot. We really started to see why the guides are worth their weight in gold – they began forcibly removing backpacks from trekkers who were struggling and carrying them (the backpacks, not the trekkers, although I wouldn’t have been surprised!), they constantly reminded us to keep the pace slow and drink water, and generally distracted us and chivvied us up to our lunch stop. As we got there, the clouds rolled in, so we ate our blessedly hot lunch, soup and all, on the road inside the clouds! The weather was changeable every day, but thankfully we never had rain, and it always cleared up in the mornings and evenings.

On we plodded, feeling much better with some food in our bellies. The ground was extremely dusty due to the dry weather and we were getting dirtier and dirtier!

Finally at around 4pm we reached our second camp, Horombo. We all really liked this camp – the dorms Elias organised were either 4 or 6 sleepers and we still had running water, therefore flushable toilets! There were also two large dining huts which had 20-sleeper dorms above the dining area, as well as some space for tents in the grounds.

Again, we dropped our packs and set off for our acclimatisation walk. We were all very tired from the long day but, having no choice in the matter, we dragged ourselves onwards and upwards for another hour. When we returned, the weather had cleared and we could see that we were now above the “normal” clouds (not the ones generated by the mountain itself) – surreal!

Popcorn was most welcome again, and dinner which was only getting better!

Unfortunately most of us were having trouble sleeping by this stage, which isn’t great for stamina. As a bonus for the insomniacs, we had no moon all week which made the night sky absolutely breathtaking – the Milky Way, Jupiter and more stars than many of us had ever seen were clearly visible. If it hadn't been so cold at night many of us would have stayed out there.

Day 3 – Acclimatisation Day – Horombo Huts 3720m – Zebra Rock 4020m

A relaxed day - we were able to lie in until 7am! After enjoying our hearty breakfast, we set off around 9am towards Zebra Rock. As the name implies, this large section of the rock face is striped black and white from carbon and sodium oxide deposits. Here, we had our group photos taken in our charity t-shirts.

After a quick snack break, we set off over the ridge. As we reached the top, many of the group were gazing into the distance in silence…we looked over and there, stretching infinitely ahead, was the long, dusty road to Kibo…it looked endless, and the summit was still as far as it had ever been!

Trying to put it to the backs of our minds, we walked back down to Horombo. Walking downhill was an absolute pleasure – we could immediately feel the difference although we still couldn’t walk at our normal pace. Many people’s symptoms improved a lot going even a few hundred metres downhill, although for some they didn’t improve at all. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and nausea tablets were being handed around like sweets.

Today’s lunch was fit for a king! The chefs pulled out all the stops and we feasted on pasta, mince, salad, pancakes and fruit. We almost didn’t have space for dinner that night. Almost.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and repacking our bags. One of the girls bit the bullet and washed her hair in the icy water – the rest of us weren’t so brave and embraced the filth! Our baby wipe bath routine had by this stage become very efficient for the crucial bits – the rest would just have to wait.

While in the camp, a lot of us forgot we were at altitude and tried to walk around at a normal pace. We all discovered the error of our ways after just a few steps – we became so breathless we had to stop and rest before carrying on as we were meant to, pole pole! It was very odd having to saunter to the loo and to dinner instead of just getting places quickly, as we usually do. A lesson in taking it easy and enjoying the scenery along the way!

Day 4 – Horombo Huts 3720m – Kibo Huts 4750m

Many of us rose early to catch the sunrise over Horombo – it was beautiful, and the sun lit up the glacier on the summit, bathing it in a peachy red glow.

Today was another extremely long and sometimes difficult day; at least much of it was fairly flattish. We still went up but over a much longer period of time. It took us a good 8 hours along what felt like the surface of the moon towards the end – dry, dusty, not a plant or even an insect to be found, only the ravens which we were sure had followed us all the way from the gates – very Edgar Allan Poe. On the plus side, the views were increasingly spectacular. Mawenzi, the third highest peak in Africa, loomed jagged and menacing to our right as we trudged along towards Kili in the distance.

This was also when we truly left our inhibitions to one side as decent cover was increasingly rare – much of the time we relied on the politeness of our trek-mates not to look if nature called!

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a rocky section where some life was to be found – more ravens (“nevermore…”), tiny finch-like birds and four-striped mice, who feasted on our leftovers. Litter is unfortunately a big problem along the route – there is much evidence of people before you, which is a shame, however the food does provide for the only living creatures hardy enough to survive those lunar conditions.

Towards the end of the trail, the clouds generated by the mountain itself rolled in again and it truly felt as if we were on a different planet!

Finally, we reached our destination. Kibo was the most basic of our accommodation – we had passed the no water mark several kilometres back and the dormitories were 12 sleepers, which meant that they were more crowded, but also more difficult to keep warm. We were very glad not to be in the tents dotted around the camp as the temperature during the night dropped well below zero degrees. On a positive note, this did have the rather fortunate effect of freezing the waste in the chemical toilets which made them less unpleasant to use in the morning!

We were now within sight of our goal. Having dropped our bags we set off up the slope for our acclimatisation walk. This was the slope up which we would be climbing the following night, and as we walked we began to get nervous, as the terrain was definitely not easy – the slope all loose, slippery scree: you place one foot down, and immediately you slide backwards a little; and on and on!

Back at camp, we eagerly tucked into our hot dinner and headed straight for our sleeping bags. Unfortunately, sleep was elusive once more for many!

Day 5 - 6 – Acclimatisation Day and Summit Night / Day 6 Kibo – Horombo

Day five dawned, and we had a “lie in” until 7am. This morning we would be going on our last acclimatisation walk, a third of the way up the scree slope. Symptoms of altitude sickness were well and truly manifesting and many of the group were taking painkillers and anti-nausea medication.

We struggled our way up the slope until we were almost level with Mawenzi peak, and down again to Kibo.

After lunch, Sarah gave us our pre-summit briefing. For the rest of the afternoon, we were to rest and prepare for an 11pm start up the scree slope. We had an early dinner at 5pm, then back to our sleeping bags. There wasn’t much rest to be had though, not only due to the altitude, but also because we were very nervous. We knew it would be difficult, but how difficult? Would we make it to the top? What if we couldn’t go on?

10pm and the wake up call came. We scrambled out of our lovely warm sleeping bags and pulled on our layers: 1 pair of thin socks, 1 pair of heavy woollen socks, boots; thermal leggings, trekking trousers and waterproof trousers; 2 base layer tops, 2 fleeces, one down jacket and one windproof jacket; one beanie; one balaclava; one thin pair of gloves and one pair of ski gloves. The temperature was well under 0C and it was getting colder. Luckily, there was no wind. We also filled up our water bottles with 4 ½ litres each of hot water – it had to be hot, or it would freeze before we had even reached the halfway mark.

After a very quick cup of tea and a biscuit for those who could eat, we were off. 

The mood was quiet and apprehensive as we began the long and very, very slow ascent of the scree slope, in single file, watching the feet of the person in front of us. Ahead, all that could be seen was a line of head torches bobbing through the night in a zigzag pattern: the slope is too steep and slippery to climb in a straight line. The scree is loose and each step sinks and slides backwards. You can’t see where you are going, so you have no idea how far the summit is. All we could see was the never ending line of lights ahead, the line of lights behind, and the feet in front. Hours felt like minutes, minutes like decades, and eventually we stopped thinking altogether. The guides really were really worth their weight in gold this night, helping us, taking backpacks from those who were exhausted, and reminding us to drink water and eat our (frozen!) snacks on our brief breaks.

Unfortunately, it was this slope that got the better of four in our group, two of whom had to be sent down by the doctor due to worsening altitude sickness. The only treatment for this is descent, and if symptoms do not improve after descending a few hundred metres, the affected person must continue to descend or risk serious complications such as pulmonary or cerebral oedema. We had already seen four people being stretchered down the mountain in four days, so we were aware that this was a possibility, but of course the disappointment was no less distressing for the people who had to go back.

The rest of us trudged on for what felt like aeons, but turned out to be around 5 – 6 hours. Finally, painfully, we reached the end of the scree slope…to find that we had to clamber over some rocks for another half an hour or so. Devastating!

Eventually we staggered over the last few rocks to Gilman’s Point. We had arrived at what once was the official peak of Kilimanjaro, at 5685m / 18651ft. The sun had risen and the view was breathtaking and dizzying, the curve of the earth and the line between our atmosphere and space clearly visible – if we had been able to appreciate it at the time I’m sure it would have been even better! Thankfully after a little rest we felt better and were more able to take in our surroundings.

Gilman's is where I stopped. The exhaustion was just too much for me - I'd never experienced that level of physical exertion and my body and mind were just finished. But I got my certificate :-)

My husband pressed on. From here, it was yet another 4 hour round trip to Uhuru, the highest point at 5895m / 19340ft. Remember this is 2000 feet higher than the maximum altitude at which the plane from Nairobi was flying! Although the temperature was around -15C, it's so much closer to the sun that he still needed to apply Factor 50 sunscreen or risk severe sunburn. The glaciers were spectacular and, although much smaller than in the past, still imposing and impressive. It felt like the whole of Africa was spread out before him.

Due to the altitude and the cold, he couldn’t stay for long, so after a very inadequate rest (and photos!) it was back to Gilman’s, then down the scree slope to Kibo…for the brave and still energetic, there is a shortcut – you can run down the slope placing all the weight on your heel and sliding down, similar to skiing. This saves a lot of time, but be careful to avoid the big rocks that you hurtle towards at speed! Also, this is not recommended to those with any sort of knee trouble!

We were all like zombies when we arrived back at Kibo. We could barely speak and had the glassy stare of people who had just experienced major trauma. It was now around 11am and we had last eaten at 5pm the evening before; many of us hadn’t slept properly in days; we had spent the entire night hiking and we hadn’t been able to drink all our water, so it was no wonder we felt so bad.

We had only an hour’s rest before we had to drag ourselves out of bed again for a quick light lunch, and then back on the dusty road down to Horombo.

Some of us didn’t even make it to dinner that night – that was the first time in six days not one person complained of insomnia. The entire camp was dead to the world for 10 hours!

Day 7 – Horombo – Park Gate

The next day, feeling much more human and excited about the previous day’s achievement, we continued down the mountain. Finally we were able to walk at a normal pace – the lower we got, the better we felt!

We stopped at Mandara for lunch and discovered the best surprise – delicious cans of coke had been brought up for us by one porter in only half an hour from the main gate, a trip that would have taken us at least 3 hours!

After lunch, we rapidly descended back through the rainforest, and there was the main gate and the end of our epic journey. Another surprise was waiting for us – bottles of sparkling wine!

That evening at our hotel, we relished our first shower in a week and our Kilimanjaro beers were the most delectable drinks we had ever tasted.

The following day, we were back at the airport and flying home, wondering, “Did that really happen?”

And of course, planning our next trip.

Fourth & Fifth Hikes - the weekend that almost broke us!

We had to get some training which involved consecutive days' hiking so at the end of July, we tagged along with a big group in Lugnaquilla on the last Saturday and then went back for more to Glendalough on the Sunday.

Lugnaquilla (or, The Mountain That Got the Better of Me!)

First of all let me clarify that I was on Diamox (altitude sickness tablets) at the time as we had been advised to take them for a few days to ensure that we didn't have a reaction to them (rather find out now than at 5895 metres!). So I thought, why not take them around a hiking weekend, it'll be realistic!! I started taking them a few days beforehand, and was fine besides pins and needles in my feet which is quite common. No problem.

Saturday morning we were up at the crack of dawn as we would be hiking by 8:30. We were with a large enough group and three guides. Because we need to get used to walking with it, we had on all our kit - boots, full backpacks, jackets, hydration packs, the lot - so were pretty weighed down. Unfortunately, the rest of the group was not - some weren't even carrying water, never mind extra clothes, snacks etc etc - and could therefore go at a much faster pace to which we are accustomed. I began battling very early on and could not catch my breath, which was very worrying (for both me and one of the guides). I kept having to stop and when I did, I would be fine after 30 seconds or so, but while moving I was panting very heavily. At first I was really freaked out - if I couldn't handle this, what would become of me on Kili? Was my year's training futile, had I not become even a little fitter than I was? I couldn't understand how I had handled the other hikes but not this one. But then I noticed that my husband, the fittest person I know, was suffering a little - he had also started taking Diamox the day before.

Diamox (acetazolamide) basically accelerates acclimatisation by acting as a respiratory stimulant, making the body take up more oxygen - hence the panting.

Coupled with drug-induced breathing problems, we also took what has to be the hardest route up the mountain - alongside the waterfall. Picturesque though it may be - it's damn steep!! At one point we were scrambling up using our hands, especially us since we were toppling backwards with the weight of the packs.

I started falling more and more behind until I was at the very back of the group. Finally, painfully, I made it to the top of the falls. Ahead of us was a wide, flat plain and at the end of that...a sheer mountain face. The weather was getting worse and worse and I could barely see the rest of the group, who had already made it across the plain and was taking a breather before starting the real ascent. The guide who had stayed with me recommended I go back. Much as I was miserable and still couldn't breathe, I really didn't want to give up. I asked him how difficult was the next bit, in comparison to what we had just done. The answer - "Oh, much worse." That did it for me...myself and another girl who had had enough went down together, much more slowly!

My husband went on. Hours later, he finally came home and told me that it had indeed got much worse - at one point, they were actually rock climbing to get up the sheer cliff face. Once at the top, visibility was reduced to less than 10 metres and the temperature had plummeted. The rain was lashing and they still had to descend!! Some of the girls in the group had taken the forecast that morning of a lovely sunny day literally and were dressed in nothing but shorts and t-shirts - lucky for them, a few people had extra clothes in their backpacks to lend them. Note - never, ever trust the Irish weather, especially not at the top of a mountain! His clothes were soaked through and he was so miserable, I was happy I'd made the right decision at the time.
It's a shame it wasn't a better day all round, as on a good day apparently you can sometimes see all the way to Wales!! And it would have been the highest mountain I'd climbed so far. Ah well...next time...

Glendalough via Carmaderry

Husband and I both had a rubbish night's sleep and had dodgy tummies post a feeling-sorry-for-ourselves curry, so it was with much moaning that we dragged ourselves out of bed the following day to return to Glendalough with Kieran of the Great Outdoors, who was taking us for a hike and basic map reading day. We figured this may be what we would feel like on the real thing - exhausted, queasy, and wishing we could stay in bed, so good training!

We told him what had happened with the Diamox and he felt it was the pace the day before, which was too fast to maintain over a long period while carrying weight (especially for me - I am not a cardio athlete!). The first thing he did with us was show us quite how slow the pace up Kili would be and I was delighted to find that it is very, very slow, and quite manageable. So we had a much better day!

We ascended the trail as if we were going towards the Spinc, like our very first hike, but turned left at the fork in the road. This way, we ascended up towards Camaderry. Of course, the weather turned, and we were freezing and soaked at the top.

We learned a lot about map reading using the contour lines on the maps - apparently, using forests and trails marked on the maps are not great as these change all the time, so if you rely on a patch of forest on the map to orientate yourself, you may well find yourself in a completely different county. This is definitely something we'd like to improve - especially me, who consistently pointed to random bits of the map when asked where we were!

We walked for around 6 - 7 hours had a great time, and felt much more confident overall.

Woolly undies required

We were lucky to attend a Kilimanjaro information night at our new favourite store, the Great Outdoors in Chatham Street. Whatever notions we had of being somewhat prepared were quickly dispelled as we listened with growing fascination at the details of what was to come. (By "fascination", I mean "horror", and by "details", I mean "catalogue of unimaginable tortures".)

We learnt that not only did we need a sleeping bag that would allow us to sleep comfortably at -15C while wearing thermal underwear and huddled against each other in a shivering pile (I'm exaggerating...slightly), but also that we could contract cholera and the plague while in Tanzania. We learnt that we should only take anti-diarrhoea medicine if the diarrhoea was "inconvenient" (er?), and that some of the symptoms of altitude sickness are confusion, irritability, and of course, death.

Ah ha ha ha..how we laughed.

The presentation was fantastic and we were informed as to why we need the A4 page, tiny font, single spaced essay of items on our equipment list. Every item is necessary (unfortunately!), although I do wonder how ye olde climbers did these things without the 2 litre "hydration systems", sweat-wicking tops, lightweight yet supportive boots, and AirZone breathable adjustable backpacks with zillions of pockets, a raincover, clips and bells and whistles (seriously), like this one. (It's really cool.) Also, we hear tales of the more experienced porters down there who breezily trot up and down the mountain in flip flops while carrying the Mzungu's luggage.

(An aside - mzungu is used to denote a person of European descent but literally translates to "someone who roams around aimlessly" - LOL!)

One of the things we learnt was that under no circumstances should we wear any cotton. It should all be synthetic or wool. Including our underwear. This is because cotton retains moisture close to your skin so imagine trekking for hours and hours with material sticking to sweaty skin. Chafeage!! Synthetics and woollens however absorb it right away from the skin, keeping you cool and dry - of course this means stinky clothing but hey, we'll all be in the same boat.

We were imagining the worst re woolly undies but were extremely pleasantly surprised to see that things have come pretty far since the Pioneer days, and the material made from Merino wool is indistinguishable from nylon. So comfortable and it really does the trick. You can even trace your own particular sheep with the Icebreaker range - hilarious!

Re the stinky clothing - and stinky bodies: we may be lucky and get a bucket of water with which to wash ourselves and our clothes, so that's ok. I found nifty little shampoo and detergent "leaves" - like that chewing gum breath freshener thing you let melt on your tongue - so they are extremely compact to carry and of course leak proof as they are solid until in contact with water. After we have done the bare necessities hygiene-wise we can wash our socks etc that we have been wearing and wear a fresh pair the next day. We can clip our wet stuff onto our backpacks and let it dry on our day's walk. I cannot wait to get a picture of a line of underwear and socks walking up Kilimanjaro.

The most expensive item we have to buy is our sleeping bag (€200!). As mentioned it has to have a comfort rating of -15C, which means that we are able to comfortably sleep at that temperature. The extreme rating of this bag goes right down to -30C, which is the temperature at which you will not die if you are wearing ALL your clothes while inside it - good to know!! Luckily, the most we will get to is about -10C (I think) as we do not sleep at the summit, for obvious reasons, but at a camp lower down.

It was recommended that we trial Diamox (the anti-altitude sickness medication) for a few days before we go, to see if we can tolerate it. Well - we couldn't! But only when we tried to climb Lugnaquilla in conditions that made our Djouce experience seem positively balmy. I'll expand further on this in a later post...thankfully, no harm done.

The main thing we need to get sorted now is our vaccinations. Another long list - not compulsory (apart from Yellow Fever, which is mandatory to enter Tanzania), but I think I'll take the recommended ones!!

So far, we have about 70% of our gear. I see the sale at the Great Outdoors starts on Thursday - I'll be there!!

Third hike - Tonelagee, Wicklow

We awoke to a glorious sunny day on this occasion, which was a welcome relief after the crappiness of the previous hike's weather!

We had decided, with guidance from Kieran at the Great Outdoors (our Guru re all things Kilimanjaro) to hike Tonelagee, leaving one car at Laragh and starting from further up the R756, so rather than going straight up and down like we had been we could experience different terrain and views all the way. We parked the second car at Wicklow Gap and (after my husband revived himself with a chocolate bar - can't go more than a few hours without sustenance) began our climb!

The first challenge was to find a path. We could see a few people up ahead of us but no path...we ploughed on regardless through the scrub, certain we would come across it sometime before the top...and kept going, kept going, kept going...no path! It was pretty cool feeling like you were the first ones there! HOWEVER...a word to the weary - if you do it in this way, the route up is practically vertical!!! We were exhausted just getting up to the summit which was only a few hours, if that. We were never so happy to get to the actual summit (those false summits are going to KILL me) and take in the stunning views over the Reservoir and Lough Ouler.



We have invested in an Ordinance Survey map of the area and this proved invaluable when trying to plot our descent (still no path!). The contour lines were our saviours because had we chosen the wrong path, things could have gone quite pear-shaped (like me! HA!) as it was extremely steep in places, with lots of rocks waiting to send you to your doom and hidden holes in which to twist your ankle. (Although a helicopter rescue did seem like a good idea at the time.)


Once we had navigated the still interesting descent, we could take it a bit easier. The return journey was mostly descent and flat and went through fantastic grasslands and wooded areas. We passed a herd of deer and could see evidence of lots of wildlife. The best thing about this climb was that we passed exactly three people - it was absolutely the quietest area we've been in so far. Added bonus - no small children or the elderly out to make us feel completely inadequate!
This hike was also my opportunity to use my new toy (guys look away now) - a SheWee! This amazing invention is a silicone funnel ladies ("ladies") can use to pee while standing up. I know most men won't immediately understand the significance of this so try this out (maybe not so your neighbours can see): with your hiking gear on, including backpack because you can't put it down in case it gets wet, and hunched over so a straggly bush at least attempts to cover your shame, pull your trousers down just enough to expose your bottom but not so far that other people can see what's what. Do the same with your underwear. Squat precariously on the uneven ground (if it's sheltered, it's uneven; if it's even, it's in the open - law of nature), while keeping backpack, trousers and underwear clear of the mucky ground and also away from the business end of things. While balancing thus like a circus perfomer, attempt to relieve yourself downhill but away from your feet, making sure you do not topple backwards, sideways, or forwards, with all the muscles in your thighs clenched. Once this has been achieved - and don't worry, it will never feel like actual relief because you can't get it all out in this abominable way - use a scrap of toilet paper to dry out, again keeping all clothes etc away from the ground. Find somewhere to put toilet paper. Pull up underwear and trousers while in this position because if you stand up everyone can see you. Try not to fall over while doing this. Wobble back to your group where the men will have jovially watered the countryside and ask "What takes you girls sooooo long???"

Hence - the SheWee. You just need to unzip, push the underwear aside, position the funnel and presto, peeing standing up. Best. Invention. EVER. Seriously, any ladies who hike often - check it out. Do it now!

Right, I've finished proselytising now.

We finally reached a dirt road (civilisation!) which would lead us back to Laragh, following the Glenmacnass River.

After another few hours the stile that marked the end of our hike appeared There was a sign on it facing the other way, which we assumed was a welcome or perhaps directions. Full of the joys of spring we skipped over it and turned around. It said, "Warning! Hunting season. Stick to the marked trail."

Remember the deer we saw...?

Summary: max altitude 817 metres, total time around 6 hours.

Money makes the world go round

As I mentioned in my first post we're doing this (crazy) thing for charity - the Marie Keating Foundation. When we first got going back in February we thought raising the required €5000 each would be no bother - but it turns out asking people to hand over their hard earned cash during a recession is possibly harder than that final night's climb to the summit (I'll let you know when we get back). Those who have donated have been really generous and we are really appreciative of this considering the times we live in. Also, the practical help and support we've been getting from our friends has been touching; we won't forget it!

Of that €5k, some of it covers our flights, accommodation and meals while on Kili (which we are obviously putting in ourselves) but ALL the rest raised goes to the charity. (This post isn't even going to talk about the other personal expenses with which we are faced - equipment, vaccinations, visas...watch this blog for more on those).

Other than just straight begging for cash, we held a Pub Quiz recently which was lots of fun! (Even though the fact checker - me - got a few things wrong when setting the q's - D'OH!) At this event, we had a raffle for some fantastic prizes which were all donated to us by some extremely lovely people at the Great Outdoors (90% of our kit comes from them! they know EVERYTHING), Halo Hairdressing, Dominos Pizza, Buttercups Beauty and BootCamp Ireland (D, have you used this voucher yet!!! :-)) The amazing first prize was a gorgeous wildlife photograph which we ALL wanted and no doubt contributed to raising most of the money we made that night! Thank you Des!

We also did a shopping centre collection but that wasn't great - I can appreciate though that people would rather donate to someone actually doing something like packing bags rather than standing there looking fabulous (as we always do). Unfortunately getting into the local supermarkets to pack bags is akin to gaining an audience with the Pope - you have to have booked at least a year in advance (and have some sort of diplomatic passport or something)!

In total, the 5 of us doing it for the Foundation are short around €16 000!!! EEEK!

We've bought a block of tickets for a comedy night so that will hopefully bring in some euros, and we are trying to organise a singles' night for later on this month. My good friend C is something of an events coordinating queen so she's looking forward to helping with that - thanks babe!!

Well, watch this space - hopefully we will have raised all that by the end of August!!!

Second hike - Djouce

5/04/2010

Full of renewed enthusiasm following our success at Glendalough, we googled the next victim - Djouce (again in Wicklow). With a height of just over 700 metres it was around what we had already done so we thought we would be just fine.

How wrong we were.

The day started ominously with sheets of rain and lashing wind, but we decided that we had better get used to climbing in inclement weather just in case things take a turn for the worse in Kili, so off we set, flasks of tea ready in the backpacks. The ascent was not bad at all - very gradual, but because of the weather parts were very slushy and made for tiring going. We went through some very attractive forest and in the distance could see the lovely Powerscourt Waterfall. Also some not so lovely evidence of people before us - please, people, clean up your beer cans and crisp packets before you leave this lovely area!!

On we trudged with the weather getting a little less pleasant with every step. Ahead of us loomed the summit. It's a pretty pointy peak from the foot and looks much higher than it is, so we took our lunch break just at the gate of the path to the top. It really sucked - it's hard to enjoy your sandwich when it's being turned into a frozen soggy mess by the elements. We didn't hang around but at least the food and drink gave us some energy to carry on!

And this is where things began to get really interesting.

The wind picked up with every foot we climbed. By the time we were near the top, we were literally being pushed back two steps for every one we took forward. This is where we broke one of our friends, and she has vowed never to set foot on a hillwalk again! To her credit she kept going right to the end, but hated every minute! We were able to lean right into the wind and have it keep us upright and had to scream into each others' faces to be heard. Hmmm!! Added to this delight, there was also still snow around so the temperature was decidedly lower.

Finally, finally, we managed to drag ourselves to the top, where there is a handy rocky outcrop to fall against/use as an anchor to avoid being blown down the hill like a leaf in that wind. Of course, on the other side of said rock was a small boy in trainers and a fleece with his mum and grandmother, out for a leisurely stroll in the fresh air.

What's IN that Wicklow air???

After fifteen minutes of some of us being limpets on the side of the rock others seeing how far we could lean into the wind, we started our descent. If we had had the inclination we could have kept going in the direction we came, but without a map (and with the broken friend threatening murder) we went back the same way as we came up. If we thought walking uphill in a gale was fun, walking downhill on scree with the same gale coming at you from behind and the side was a freaking laugh a minute.

We were so happy to get to terra firma, as it were, that we almost skipped the rest of the way around the little forest to the carpark. Two of our group even victory sprinted the last 50 metres, which they regretted almost immediately.

Summary: approx 6 hours, altitude 820 metres.

First hike - Glendalough - An Spinc

21/03/2010

The first climb we decided on was a relatively easy one. Easy because we knew how to get to it, where to park, where to start, and the trail was marked.

Feeling totally professional, we pulled on hiking boots that before this were like those big 4x4's you see school-run ladies in - you know the ones with no mud on them - dragged out some appropriate trousers (word to the wise: any long walks in wet jeans are NOT a good idea, unless you enjoy serious chafeage), packed a picnic lunch and set off to Glendalough in Co Wicklow.

This is a very well known tourist spot because it's an ancient monastic settlement dating back from the 6th century. It's beautiful and it also forms part of the Wicklow Way . We decided on the An Spinc (the Pointed Hill) route.

We started our hike at the Visitor's Centre at a good early 9:30am. After initially starting strong most of us began to feel the strain...that first bit was steeper than expected! As we were taking a snack break (it had been at least half an hour) we heard a noise...something was coming...what was it? A mountain goat? A rare eagle? Surely not...a man running up the same ascent up which we had just struggled, cheerily greeting us. Hmmm.

On we trudged up the hillside. The steps, paths and boardwalks that have been built along the trail are very welcome as the ground is so boggy in this area, especially if it's been wet...oh wait, that's ALL THE TIME.

After several really demoralising false summits, we finally reached the top. The views were more than worth it. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the sea! We were looking out over the lush valley with the beautiful lake shining below us. Taking it all in, it was hard not to feel proud of what we had achieved...until a lady of about 70 skipped past us singing, "Good morning!"

Seriously.

On we went. The descent was easier for me as I had come to hate all those helpful steps on the ascent (600, I found out afterwards!), but a little treacherous due to the recent rain making the boardwalk slippery. Note to self - bog is really squelchy and black, and thank goodness for paying a tiny bit extra for waterproof boots. Two of our group were struggling with their knees so if you do suffer from weakened joints you might consider investing in a knee guard for outings like this.

By now used to this lark, we stepped aside several times for hardy fellows who jogged past us in shorts and a t-shirt, having obviously run up the same route as we had just struggled up. The Wicklow air evidently has something to offer anyway.

As we descended the weather improved until it was gloriously sunny. We stopped for our picnic lunch and thank goodness for flasks with hot tea, is all I can say!

From this point on we walked through the disused mines (silver, lead and zinc were mined there from the late 1700's to 1957) and followed the Glendalough River down to the upper lake. Here we started bumping into more and more regular walkers so we did feel pretty good about our "proper" gear and sweaty faces.

This trail led us to the second car park where - alleluia! - there are public toilets. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about here. From there, a short hop to our car and we were done. Tired, sore and happy!

Summary: approx 4 hours, 10 km's, altitiude around 700 metres. (Only 5200 short of Kili! :-))

The Beginning

It's 2010. I am 30 years old this year. So far, I have not published a Nobel prize winning tome, nor have I achieved CEO status, or figured out how the CERN collider thingy works (besides the possibility that it could suck us all into a black hole...or something). So really, it's time I get a move on.


A few months ago, I heard that a friend had decided to climb the highest peak in Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro. At 5895 metres (19000 feet approximately), it's the highest free standing mountain in the world.


Yes! There's my challenge right there, I thought. And even better, it's for charity - the Marie Keating Foundation. One way to get over being over the hill is going over another one - isn't that how the saying goes?


My husband has been roped in, without any protest as he's a Bear Grylls wannabe (I just wanna be with Bear Grylls), so the two of us plus our friend and her sister are planing the trip of a lifetime in October.


I thought I'd start this blog in case anyone out there is interested to hear how four complete hiking beginners (and, in my case, a severe exercise-phobic) are training, what equipment we need and from where...we've been really lucky finding loads of useful info and are loving the outdoorsy pursuits here in Ireland.