Final team meal

We're are enjoying a bit of luxury at Kia Lodge, adjacent to Kilimanjaro international Airport prior to our departure tonight for Amsterdam and then variously to Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and Heathrow. This will be our last meal together as a team and we're all feeling a bit emotional: two weeks of bonding in the face of adversity and exhilaration that has been climbing Kilimanjaro. We're all looking forward, however, to seeing our family and friends again and to begin the recount of our memories. Look out we're coming home!

This will be the last team blog but we will be publishing some photos shortly. Thank you for following our blog closely and making your comments online. They have been a great boost to the team.

Many many thanks from TeamShootingStar that is: Dalton, Mike, Phil, Joycey, Darren & Nick.

Reflections from Mike and Phil

Mike writes 'Reflecting 48 hours after the ascent, there is no doubt in my mind that this was the most difficult physical and mental challenge I have faced. The reward though of reaching one of the summit points at 5:30am on Mount Kilimanjaro and watching a magnificent red African sunrise shed its light on Kilimanjaro's huge crater was a fulfilled objective for me. The amount of energy though that had to be expended in reaching that stage should not be underestimated as scree slope became increasingly steep during the night climb and gave way to a boulder scramble before eventually reaching Gilman's Point at approximately 18,740 feet. At that height, breathing is difficult and recovery time longer than at lower levels but staying in one position on the climb was not an option because of the intense cold. The final stage of the climb for me was over what appears to be giant ice cubes but in reality these were ice covered boulders! Our guide did not want us to stay very long at the top and knowing how tired I was and that I had to get back down, a further 2 hour up and down trek to the other side of the crater to Uhuru was neither a serious or sensible option for me. I was also aware that we were expected to walk the 8.3km back across the Alpine desert from Kibo huts to Horombo when the descent was completed! All that with very little food as well did give rise to questions of personal sanity! Team Shooting Star should be proud of all of its members and the team spirit that has been shown throughout is something that I shall never forget. It was unsurprising that several recovery beers were required when we got back to our hotel!

Phil writes' the trek undoubtedly lived up to the promise of being the most difficult thing we would ever attempt. I have an intense feeling of pride and satisfaction-not so much in the height gained but in the effort I was able to put in and maintain for so many gruelling hours. The camaraderie, friendship and strong support of my fellow climbers will remain with me forever.

All arrived safely back at the Mountain Inn, Moshi

We completed our 2000m descent from Horombo huts via lunch at Mandara huts. Trekking through four geographical regions: Alpine moorland to Alpine forest to rain forest to Savanah. Now we're back at the hotel and having had the first hot shower in a week we are chilling out by the bar. Some are contemplating a sortie into town to watch Chelsea -v- Liverpool on a satellite TV in a local bar but this seems even more hairy than climbing Kilimanjaro. The rest of us will fade slowly at the bar recounting stories. . Apologies to Darren who nipped out when we took the photo....but he is here too.

Trek day 5: Kibo huts to summit and return to Horombo

This is the big day. At least a year in planning, training, kit preparation and sponsorship chasing has all been targeted at getting to the summit of Kilimanjaro. We awoke at 10pm and after a brief meal we set off for the summit at 11pm in the light of a full moon so no need for the headtorches, initially. We walked in single file behind the head guide, taking very small steps. The first 800m ascent was a zig zag route up scree. At 5,360m Nick was showing symptoms of altitude sickness and it became clear that it would be dangerous to proceed higher. Wayne linked arms with Nick and helped him back to Kibo huts. Nick writes 'while this was the end of my summit campaign my first priority is to my family. As we said yesterday there would be no heroes'. The rest of the party made it up to Gilman's Point: 5,681m before sunrise. The ascent to this point including clambering over boulders which after the 800m scree ascent was finally exhausting for Mike,Phil and Dalton. They agreed that pushing further to Uhuru Peak at 5895m was not an option and called it a day there. Dalton writes ' about an hour from Gilman's Point I was feeling the effects of altitude but thinking about the team, the families supported by Shooting star, my own family and the memories of my father and my Uncle Johnnie, spurred me on to continue'. Mike and Phil are currently getting some rare and well earned sleep so will comment tomorrow. So it was left to Darren and Joycey to take the Team Shooting Star banner to the summit. Their experience and photographic record will make fantastic reading and viewing. We will put photos on the blog shortly. Joycey writes 'it was the most breathtaking scenery that I had ever seen which would have been great to have shared with the whole team. Reaching the summit was a great achievement for the team but also a personal success which could not have been achieved without the support of my family. This is the first leg of my dual challenge which completes with the London Marathon in less than two weeks and has been the best possible training for it. Darren writes 'having spent the whole day travelling to Kibo huts I was exhausted and excited at the same time and unable to sleep in the four hours allotted. The trek to the summit was a gruelling journey. My motivation had always been to reach the summit for Team Shooting Star and this was further endorsed when others weren't able to continue. The fact that only two of us out of the five made the top only highlights the difficulty of the challenge. Each step from Gilman's Point to Uhuru Peak was painful but somehow made insignificant due to the magical views. Reaching the top was an emotional experience and I did cry (a little). I shall always remember this experience not least the six hours to get back to Horombo huts.'
We all reunited at Horombo huts, full of emotion and stories, rejoicing in shared success and happy that we were all safely off the mountain. It's fair to say that the text books are correct when they say that this challenge is the hardest thing you'll ever do.

Trek day 4: Horombo to Kibo, 3,720m to 4,703m

Well we all made it to Kibo huts across windswept desert. After a light meal and change into night ascent gear we are going to bed. We wake at 10:00pm for a 11:00pm set off for the summit. We expect to get to Gilman Point at sunrise and Uhuru Peak shortly afterwards. We know that we are going with all your good wishes and God's protection. None of us will be heroes and we look forward to recounting the experience with some amazing photos. Signing off now for a short sleep at 6pm. Oh, and the answer to yesterday's question: Stan Ogden was a window cleaner in Coronation Street. 

Trek day 3: acclimatisation day at Horombo huts, 3,720m

The basis of today was to spend some time acclimatising before the push tomorrow. But we could not spend all day in camp where the only entertainment is counting the White neck Ravens and discussing each others medical problems. So we headed up to Zebra rocks, an extraordinary rock feature formed from a combination of volcanic and glacial action. But there was an ulterior motive. Firstly, we had to cross the 4,000m level that Wayne marked with a line across the path, assisted by Phil's GPS and George's magic watch. This proved to us that we could reach such heights.  A further 120m ascent revealed the saddle between Kibo and Mwenzi and the track up to Kibo huts, our destination for tomorrow at 4,703m. Psychologically this was a cunning plan as it motivated us for the ascent over the next two days. Wayne, our trek leader from UK Outdoor Pursuits, gave us impromptu geology briefings which brought the landscape to life. He also gave us instruction on how to walk properly to conserve energy (heels always below shoulders)and how to walk with hiking poles. For most of us this immediately improved our performance. Back at camp for lunch and a surprise for me, a birthday cake with candles. These were specifically brought up by porters from Marangu gate thanks to Wayne's organisation after a tip off presumably from one of the team. Thanks guys. It was a fantastic gesture. Wayne also treated us to a quiz. Brian of Britain it was not: the first question was what was the occupation of Stan Ogden of Coronation Street? (See tomorrow's blog for the answer).  The evening meal had only one focus: the events of tomorrow and was relieved by Mike's Tommy Cooper jokes which rendered the whole table a jibbering wreck: just the antidote to bowel stories. Thanks Mike. After the meal Wayne took us outside to witness a rare sighting, the Milky Way, which is only clearly visible above 4,000m. Some of you may have been following our videos, accessible from the www.teamshootingstar.co.uk website but due to power problems we are having difficulty uploading these at the moment. We would just like to say hello to a couple of families from Shooting Star: young Sade and her mum Mary. Also for Chloë and her sister, Holly; we are still hoping to capture on video the kili  dance!

Trek day 2: Mandara Hut to Horombo at 3,270m: 11km & 1014m height gain

Today was a simple task: climb 1000m in 6 hours. But if you have been keeping up with our blogs you'd not be surprised to learn that nothing is that straight forward. We were seen out of Mandara huts by two White necked Ravens only for others to join us when we stopped for lunch. We rapidly left the rain forest and entered the bleaker open moorland which was to be the landscape for the remaining walk. Some of us even had the good fortune of listening to a Good Friday service emanating from a small transistor radio that one of the porters was carrying. Clouds occasionally enveloped us but when clear we had a fantastic view of Mawenzi, Kilimanjaro's second highest peak but far less accessible for the non-technical mountaineers, us. Ascents were often punishing and it became clear to all of us that it is going to take more than stamina and minimal altitude sickness to conquer Kibo, the ultimate goal of the expedition. Not withstanding the above It is going to be the mental challenge that has to be conquered. We always knew that we would face personal challenges on the mountain and these are starting to manifest themselves. Mild altitude sickness, Kilimanjaro belly and fatigue are surfacing: we look forward to our acclimatisation day tomorrow. We are bonding as a very close team as a result and this will help us through. My hut is like a girls schools dorm as the effects of the Diamox (altitude pills) is rendering some a giggling wreck. In the evening we had a spectacular view back down to Moshi, the African Plains and a top view of some of the lower volcanoes. And then the full moon rose in the clear African sky, the shooting stars gave a display and the southern hemisphere (just) night sky revealed itself and all in the world was fine.

Trek day 1: Marangu Gate to Mandara Huts: 2,720m, 9000ft

The day has finally arrived when we start the trek. For the  next seven days we will relinquish the relative comfort of the Mountain Inn in Moshi for the ultimate adventure that is climbing Kilimanjaro.  We left the mountain Inn at 9:30 in a bus having finally packed our day sacks and porters sacks and left any remaining non-trek gear in bags at the hotel. The atmosphere in the bus was electric as we drove the 40km to Marangu Gate. We past many villages with their road side industry from goat tending through bed building to coffin making and had great views of the African plains as we climbed. But for some  it also gave the first view of Kilimanjaro  and that was electric. It's snow capped peak beckoned but it soon disappeared and it will be several days before we see it again but the brief glimpse was enough to inspire and motivate us all. Check in at the National Park gate took an  hour at 11:35 local time we were off. Todays climb was billed as a 'walk in the park' with a height gain of 1000m, mostly through jungle or rain forest that we are now supposed to call it. But with steep ascents and 100% humidity it was a hard slog. Rain forest fauna was strangely absent but anything that might be easily visible can also be eaten  so we should not be too surprised. A spectacular close  encounter with monkeys was to wait for later. We finally arrived at our overnight stop, Mandara huts, at 3pm. After a brief kit change, a cup of tea and popcorn and dispensing with our day sacks we were sufficiently liberated to visit the nearby Maundi Crater, not bad for Maundi Thursday. On return we were entertained by a family of seven Collorbus monkeys, some carrying young, playing 5m away in the trees by the huts. Needless to say the unofficial paparazzi turned out to capture the thrill. After an evening meal and joke telling (it's best you weren't there) we  headed off to prepare for the next day: another 1000m climb over 5 hours but that can wait for tomorrow.  

Day 1 in Moshi; last day prep for the climb.

Today is the last day of our preparations and there has been much talk about how much people should carry from individuals personal entourage. Frankly rather too much detail about how often guys should change their clothes and what short cuts they are prepared to take to shed weight! So cases and ruck sacks have been re packed to ensure we stay below the porters quota of 10kg each. Moving on to less parochial matters three of us walked the 3.6km into the local town, Moshi, a no frills typical mid African town where Western faces, indeed tourists are fair game for hassle. The walk, for those of us that have not experienced third world life were both biblical and enticing in equal measure. Like a David Lean film where someone queues the boy pushing the wheelbarrow full of bananas in front of us, a little boy is seen rolling a cycle tyre with a stick and a noisy, seriously overcrowded bus screeches past us. In the afternoon the clouds finally lifted from the top of Kilimanjaro and it revealed its majesty and the task ahead of us suddenly became urgent and really exciting.

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Arrival in Moshi, Tanzania

We arrived at the Mountain Inn in Moshi at 9pm local time after a two leg flight from Heathrow to Kilimanjaro International airport via Amsterdam and a 30km rickety minibus ride. We caught a glimpse of the silhouette of Kilimanjaro against an electric storm sky but its full majesty will only be revealed in daylight and when the clouds clear from the summit. After a short trek briefing in the bar we were able to meet the six other members of our expedition for a well deserved drink (aren't they always well deserved) even though we we've not done any work yet!  We also took the opportunity to record a bit of video but it meant loitering outside the toilets (that was were the light was). Clearly, Wayne, our trek leader has our (and our nearest and dearest's) best interests at heart and will ultimately decide what we are capable of achieving if we can't figure it out for ourselves. We have been warned of all the creepy crawlies but they live here and we are the tourists so a big shake of all boots and clothing in the morning is advisable. And so to bed, happy to be here, to dream of mountains...zzz.

Fundraising progress, climb schedule and nicknames

SPONSORSHIP
This is an update of our current fund raising position:
The Shooting Star Children's Hospice: £29,913.  www.shootingstar.co.uk
Malaika-kids: building an orphanage in Tanzania: ~£ 1,500.  www.malaika-kids.co.uk
 Omwabini: "rescue steps" in Swahili, helping Kenyan orphans:: ~$21,000. www.omwabini-rescuesteps.org
Between six of us this is a tremendous effort and our extreme grateful thanks to all of you that have sponsored us to date and for your many imaginative campaigns to raise funds for the very worthy causes.

CLIMB SCHEDULE
In order to keep track of our whereabouts on the mountain we publish the schedule below:

Tuesday 7th April: flight to Africa via Amsterdam
Wednesday 8th, at leisure in Moshi
Thursday 9th, Trek day 1, Marangu to Mandara
Good Friday 10th, trek day 2, Mandara to Horombo
Saturday 11th - frAction man's birthday- trek day 3, acclimatisation day at Horombo
Easter Sunday, 12th, trek day 4, Horombo to Kibo
Easter Monday, 13th, Trek day 5, Kibo to Gilman Point  (for sunrise) and on to Uhuru Peak then back down to Horombo
Tuesday 14th, trek day 6, Horombo to Marangu
Wednesday & Thursday, 15th & 16th,  at leisure including safari on Wednesday and a well earned dip in the hotel pool
Friday 17th, at leisure in Moshi with flight home in evening
Saturday 18th, 13:50: arrive Heathrow T4

NICK NAMES
Each of us as 'earned' a nickname through reputation so we thought we should share them with you.
*Dalton = Major Major Major = after the character in the book 'Catch 22' who keeps increasing targets ("one last flying mission....") - refers to his constant increasing of the fundraising target for the team!
*Darren = Hair Flick = after the character Herr Flick from 'Allo 'Allo but, after a training weekend in the Lake District where it was very windy, changed the name slightly.
*Joycey = Sicknote = always getting injured as he's also training hard to run the London Marathon in aid of The Shooting Star Children's Hospice, just eight days after returning from Africa.
*Mike = Blakey = caught in a photo recently being the identical image of Inspector Blakey from 'On The Buses'.
*Phil = The Surgeon = his son bought him a swiss-style army knife which includes an instrument which would probably enable him to do neurosurgery.
*Nick (Paul nick)  = frAction man = into his detail! Has a spreadsheet which records in percentages how far he is with packing his kit, e.g. 95% means that he has the item but has not yet packed it!

Now you can follow the team over the next couple of weeks and see if they live up to their nicknames.
 

We're ready

Sicknote and Major Major Major embarked on their final training walk today on Box Hill - 3 and a half hours and 10 miles later, having taken in steep hills and rugged paths, they knew they were ready for the real thing in a few days time. The main difference was the lack of any wind and temperatures well above zero......... oh and plenty of oxygen! Otherwise, it was a realistic session for what they will face...

The banner, which will accompany the team as they ascend Kilimanjaro, enjoyed its first outing too.