Fear. Comfort Zones. Just Doing It.

In 9 days time I will be starting a trek up the highest single standing mountain in the world, Kilimanjaro.

I have avoiding blogging about this because my brain had sort of thought it may not happen.

At this point (airport chaos not withstanding) it seems it will.

This is a big deal for me. Huge.

I am not a world traveller. The highest I have every been in my life is the top of Mount Snowdon.

I have experienced ‘normal holidays’ , European beaches and Florida. A couple of city breaks. But THIS will be AN EXPERIENCE.

If COVID has taught me anything its that life is short. None of us every know whats around the corner.

Experiences postponed may never happen.

So I will stepping so far out of my comfort zone next week it will look like a tiny dot on the horizon.

Those of you who know me are aware that I like a challenge. Last year I ran 50Km for charity. I ‘do things’ that others find strange and difficult.

This challenge involves trekking for 7 days up the highest mountain in Africa. Carrying at least 4 litres of water per day and taking a cocktail of pills to avoid altitude sickness as well as malaria. There is no plumbing on Kilimanjaro so we will be drinking water from volcanic springs. But there are also no actual toilets, so holes in the ground or behind a rock………….Sleeping in tents in hard stone at minus 10 degrees.

Getting up at 11pm to trek up to the very top of Africa to see the sun rise over the plains below will be unbelievable.

I am absolutely beyond excited about the challenge that lays ahead. There will be no phone signal to keep you updated as I go along.

I am delighted to be sharing the experience with colleagues who will become the closest of friends during our week on the mountain together.

A little local charity that helps older people stay independent will be benefitting from my efforts, you can find my JustGiving page here www.justgiving.com/karenkilimanjaro22

I will be back to share more about the packing and the preparation.

And also what happened on the trek itself when I return.