Tuesday 25 June 2013

The Night Before We Leave



So there you have it, it's all done - 23 north London Jewish girls who set out to conquer one of the worlds highest mountains. 

It is without a doubt the hardest physical challenge that we have ever been through. Do not compare it with child birth please! We have been told that the side of the mountain we climbed Is the hardest route to the summit. 

You cannot imagine how difficult it is to climb vertically up volcanic ash.  For every step you take you slide back one! It is pitch black, we asked why we have to climb in the dark and one of the answers was' you wouldn't do it in the light as you would see how difficult it is!'

As well as the ash and steepness you have to deal with the altitude! It is harder to breath on every step you take.  Eventually your water freezes along with anything else in your back pack including the wet wipes which you really need when the upset tummy kicks in,  not to mention the throwing up as you are desperately trying to put one foot in front of the other ! 

There are 3 main points to reach. The first is Gilmans then Stella and if you can stomach it Ahuru! All , if which you reach you cannot remain at for longer than 7-10 minutes. 

Sometimes You feel like its impossible to go any further and for some of us it was! 

We are so proud of each and everyone of us who made it or attempted to make it. 

Unbelievably at this point of sheer hell one our girls was chatted up by a lovely Canadian gentleman, who shared his ginger tea with her and managed a conversation at over 5000 Mtrs above sea level. Emails were exchanged! 

The descent down can only  be described as ski like, you have your walking poles and if you position your boots in the right way you can ski down. 

There are massive boulders that you have to negotiate as well. Some ran down as you feel so ill that you just need to get to back to kibo camp. Your water is finished or frozen solid,  you are dehydrated, shattered, exhausted, delirious and desperate to feel safe. 

It's important to note that you do not feel elated or happy, it's is physically and mentally shattering and very frightening. 

When you get back to kibo camp it is pure relief.  From starting at 11 pm on Saturday night the summit journey finished 12 hours later. 

Two of us were stretchered to the next camp and one of us had to leave the mountain. The night was spent at the high camp and in the morning we set off to the gates of Marangu, the final descent to leave Mount Kilimanjaro. 

The views and surroundings along this journey have been more than stunning and summit night was no exception if you reached the top. We all feel incredibly lucky to have seen such amazing scenery . 

The  photos that we took will appear on our face book pages, laptops, phones for a while until we swap back to our children but those magnificent  images will remain in our minds forever. 

After reaching the gate to the park, the local beer is definitely in order and a few were drank.  Our porters and guides come to the gate with all our luggage that they have been dragging from camp to camp for last week.  They too have a beer with us. After the tipping and hugging and out pouring of gratitude to these people who have loved being with us as much as we have loved being with them, it is time to say goodbye. It's sad as they are just fantastic people who have one remit, and that is to protect us and make our journey safe. 

The bags are loaded onto the buses/cars and we bid fair well to the mountain.  The hotel is only 20 minutes away this time. We have exited the park by the Marengi route. 

The need for a shower or bath is indescribable.  The dirt, dust is embedded and one shower or bath is not enough. We met in the bar of the hotel, the one we left a week ago, but this time we were all going to have a drink.  

We had dinner and then there was our award ceremony. A certificate from Charity challenge, the point you reached and also a  medal, all of which were  given out by Gwyn out guide, and with lots of cheering and clapping and far too many pictures, we have completed this part of the journey. 

There is no doubt that everyone's head will hit the pillow and at least 8 hours of sleep  will be had. No one will be telling us what time to go to bed or get up and to pack our sleeping bags, we are slowly back to reality and welcome it. 

This morning - Tuesday, a week from when we started our climb, we are all struggling to walk, our legs and bodies have been through a battering. 

We are now ready for our long but safe journey home to London where will share our adventures with you all. 

We are looking forward to chicken soup and protein based meals. We will update you when we arrive to London. Knowing us there will be a story to tell.

















With Love,


The Team Chai Girls 
Xxx

To sponsor the 23 girls and support Chai Cancer Care please click here.



2 comments:

  1. Very proud of you all. Can't wait to see Mrs Mummy tomorrow. Have a safe journey xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete