Review of Kilimanjaro expedition
17th October 2010
Dear World Challenge,
Thank you so much for my World Challenge Expedition to Tanzania. By May 2010 I had raised my personal fund of approximately £3760 after starting my fundraising in February 2009. I raised this money by working the hardest I have ever done in my life by participating in sponsor events such as abseiling off Ipswich hospital and working at Cotswold Outdoor part time and being sponsored by Celotex Hadleigh, PPG Stowmarket and Cotswold Outdoor. I also did old jobs around the neighbourhoods of Hadleigh and Creeting St Peter. This money went towards our World Challenge fund which covered all our food, accommodation and transport for the month. The team consisted of eleven student’s age between sixteen to eighteen and our school leader Neil and World Challenge leader Amanda Richmond. The trip was all run by the students, we had to organise everything as a team of young adults in a developing country. Everyone was the leader for the day at least two days of the trip I enjoyed it so much I was the leader a third time. The team also had a group fund which we raised as a team. Over £5000 pounds was going to our project at a local primary school.
The trip was split into four phases; acclimatisation trek, project, Kilimanjaro and then finally rest and relaxation.
Week 1 - Acclimatisation trek
We decided as a team to have our Acclimatisation trek in the Para Mountains. We camped in the grounds of Lomwe high school at 1300 metres. We had three days of acclimatising to up to 2100 metres which had amazing views. The school were very kind as the teachers were our guides. We had our meals in the teacher’s staff room and they made us packed lunches when we were trekking. It was just amazing how well behaved the students were.
Week 2 - Project
The project was in the outskirts of the town of Moshi at Ushusha primary school. The headmaster was so happy that we decided to develop and finish the school kitchen which was built in 2005 but the school could not afford to develop it. From our group fund we paid for or the equipment and all the bags of cement and the labour men who plastered the walls professionally. We mixed the cement by hand for three days and dug all the earth out of the inside of the building. We also collected massive rocks for the floor of the kitchen which will be then covered in plaster. We stayed at a local beautiful catholic church next door to the school.
Week 3 - Kilimanjaro
This week was in fact my favourite week what we have been training for the last 18 months. Between phases we stayed at a town called Moshi which is at the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro. There are five or six different routes up Kilimanjaro. Our route was the Marangu route where you start at the Marangu gate at 1800 metres where you meet your two guides and ours were called Nelson and Abraham. We also had a number of porters which took our main rucksacks; they each had two main rucksacks 65+10 litres and their own rucksacks it was amazing how fast they were going. We had our on the first day we went through the forest to Madarah hut which is at 2700 metres. At each stage there are a number of huts where you stay in.
There are three to four big huts where you have your food at the bottom floor and there are 30 bunk beds on the top floor. As well as big huts there are small huts for around four to five people. The second day we went through the moorland which was over the clouds which was an amazing view. We arrived at Horombo hut mid day at 3700 metres which had taken us five hours. The third day instead of going to the next hut we had an acclimatisation day where we went to 4000 metres to get used to this altitude. There was a point called Zebra Rock which had the stripes of a zebra. We then headed back down to Horombo hut at 3700 metres. On the fourth day we went through the alpine desert from Horombo hut 3700 metres to Kibo hut 4700 metres. We reached Kibo hut at midday and had our food. Then we acclimatised up to 4800 and went back to the hut and went to bed at 8m.
We were supposed to have four hours sleep but I could not b because I was so excited. We woke up at 11pm and had some porridge which was hard to eat because you don’t feel like eating at high altitude, It was an amazing view you could see the milky way and the stars were so bright. We left at 12pm for the summit push and we were on the go in darkness with head torches on going very slowly for five and a half hours. You can’t stop for very long because you will get cold very quickly. Gilman’s point is the very top of Kibo Peak at 5685 metres. From Gilman’s point to the summit instead of going up on an incline you’re going over rocks for 1 and a half hours. Stella’s Point is just before Uhuru Peak, it is where all the routes meet up for one big route to the summit. Getting to the summit was so emotional it was unbelievable at 5895 metres. Everybody started hugging each other with joy. It was the best day of my life I can’t explain how brilliant it was in words we got there at 6.55 in the morning. Twelve out of thirteen got to the summit, Jo got to 5000 metres which was very good. Anthony was carried 100 metres the way up there because he was so tired. We then went back to Horombo hut which is back at 4700 metres we were all very, very tired. The next day we came down from 4700 metres to 1800 metres. When we got back to Asante Tours headquarters we said our goodbyes to ours amazing porters and guides. This climb has changed my life and has made me ambitious for lots more.
Week 4 - Rest and Relaxation
The rest and relaxation phase was split into two half’s, the Safari and Pangarni beach. We went to the river Tangeri for day one of the safari where we saw giraffe, elephant, zebra and wilder beast it was unbelievable. We camped at a local Massai camp which was great how happy they were to see us. The second day was at the Ngorogoro crater where we saw animals like lions, cheaters and herds of wilder beast it was magnificent.
The second half of the week we went to Pangarni which was eight hours from Moshi in a bus to Tanga and two hours from Tanga to Pangarni in a minibus. Pangarni was brilliant; we stayed at the Tinga Tinga lodge which was a minute from the beach. We got up at 6am to see the sun rise in the morning. The highlight was going to an island an hour away from the mainland where we snorkelled.
Finally thank you so much for sponsoring me you have helped me change my life enormously. I now have an ambition to travel the world doing summer camps. And outdoor activities and hopefully an expedition leader is my main aim. First of all I am off to College in November to study activity Instructor level 1. But at the moment I am working at Cotswold Outdoor in Bury St Edmunds full time. I love it there talking to customers about products and my own experiences. I have a passion for the outdoors and I think I always will.
Thanks again
Sam Cobbold
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