Flights Booked! Kilimanjaro here we come!
We have finally got the flights to Kilimanjaro booked!
Thanks to the tireless efforts of team member Stephen Fletcher, trying (and managing) to please everybody, and Lorna Henry, Travel Counsellor, from Ballymoney,we are now booked to fly out on the 1st November 2008, at 6:15am!
We fly from Belfast to Amsterdam, for a connecting flight with KLM direct to Kilimanjaro airport, arriving there at 20:55hrs.
This is some of the terrain that will greet us!
Kilimanjaro 2008 Team Update!
The Kilimanjaro Challenge 2008 team now has 5 confirmed members, the latest being Kenny Moore. (nice to know we will have a paramedic on the team!)
Kenny has plenty of experience of long distance walking under his belt, and I have enjoyed his company on quite a few walks around the Antrim Hills, and along the coast here. I am looking forward to covering a few miles together with Kenny and the rest of the team this year.
You can read more about the team at the Trekkers section on the Kilimanjaro 2008 site.
All five of us are together in this photo…do you know who’s who?
This photo was taken on a walk some time ago, on Knocklayde, and that is the destination for our next walk, on Saturday.
Knocklayde is not exactly a huge mountain, but with the long grass, and soft ground, it makes for quite a good workout…and very convenient to get to. On a good day, you can have great views of Rathlin Island, Scotland, and Donegal. I particularly like Knocklayde because, on a clear day, I can see it from my work, maybe 25 miles away. I have a fond memory of a trip up it with some friends, which I may share sometime.
However, this time, when Irwin suggested Knocklayde, I thought I detected a strange look in his eye…and, when pushed, he admitted he was considering a more unusual approach than normal. He didn’t give much away, but implied something about a figure-of-eight? Does this mean climbing it twice, I wonder?
I will keep you all informed!
Trek Company Chosen!
My companions on the trek, Irwin Holmes, Stephen Fletcher, and James McConaghie, and myself, have decided on a company to guide us on Kilimanjaro (and help us with advice in the months preceding it).
We spent some time researching various companies offering guided treks on Kilimanjaro, and we liked what Adventure Alternative had to offer. After a meeting with the company Director, Gavin Bate, and his Expedition Coordinator, Chris Little, we were totally united in choosing them.
We have booked the date to commence, and God willing, the 1st November 2008 will be the day we will fly to Kilimanjaro Airport (pending getting flights, as they are not on sale yet!). The following day, the Sunday, will be a rest day, with the trek beginning on Monday morning!
From left we have… myself, Stephen, James, and Irwin.
P.S. There could be more names added to this list!
So…Why Kilimanjaro?
How did I arrive at the point where I am now, planning to go on a fundraising challenge, to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, for the Children’s Hospice?
That…is a long story. (I will try to be brief!)
I had been wanting to do something for the Hospice for some months, when a couple of friends, that I had already been on hill-walks with, approached me with an idea. They were planning a fundraising trek, to Kilimanjaro, for a Christian school in Kenya. Very worthy cause…I knew, but right from the beginning, I was thinking “that would be a great thing to do for the hospice!”, but I didn’t tell them for quite a while, that I was seriously thinking about it.
I prayed about it, for quite some time, and I believe that it is God’s will, firstly, that I do the challenge, and secondly, that I do it for the Hospice. As soon as I knew in my heart I was going, I told my friends Irwin, Stephen and James, that they had another candidate for the trek. Oddly enough, they were delighted!
My Companions
You can read more about them, at their site, Kilimanjaro2008, and when you see the school, you might understand why I agonized so much over my decision. They very kindly all agreed, wholeheartedly, to support me, in my fundraising ventures, and I will support them in theirs.
The Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice deserves so much to be supported, and to have their work recognized, that I can put my all into this challenge. The way they looked after wee Keren, and the rest of us, while we were there, and ever since, is second to none. They really “go the second mile”.
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