On behalf of the group I then thanked the porters/guides and we gave them $570 as a gesture of our thanks. We then walked for 7 hours back to the Marangu Gate to meet some of our Porters and collect our bags.  Small things can create great excitement as we had our passports stamped to prove that we actually reached the summit.

The final step in our journey was a 3 hour bus journey back to the hotel. I was fortunate to sit next to the ‘water guy’, George, who on the trek had ensured we always had clean waterand – it was great chat with him about his lovely country.

Excitement was obvious within the group as we knew showers, beds and beer were all very close.

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

It’s fair to say we were both very tired but exhilarated.  A great nights sleep beckons.

From the time of leaving Mawenzi Tarn on the Tuesday and arriving at Horombo Camp on the Wednesday evening we’d walked a total distance of 29KM taking 21 hours of walking (out of a total of 34 hours).

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

We started our ascent at midnight and it was cold but fortunately we all had the right gear for keeping warm. Throughout the trek we’d been trained how to walk slowly (Pole Pole in Swahili which means slow slow) which meant that it was no surprise when we set off in single file walking very slowly with our Guide, Gardi, leading us. In addition to Gardi we also had 3 other Guides and our Trek Doctor who during the trek would prove to all be invaluable to our success.  The walk follows a very steep shale path that zigzags up the mountain.

It’s fair to say the walk of 6.5 hours in the dark and cold was absolute torture – I can compare nothing to it.  We walked for 1 hour periods and had a 5 minute rest at the end of each hour.  My water had frozen and my snacks had gone rock hard.  At one point during a 5 minute rest period I lay on the path not sure if I could continue let alone get up (see picture below).

However, from day one I always had the belief that Hilary and I would both succeed but I didn’t know how.  Looking back I believe it to be a combination of 4 things:

1.  The people we walked with (Nicole, Sarah, Tracey, Fiona, Jenn, Rupinder & Kirsty) were simply sensational. The teamwork between all of us was in abundance and everyone helped everyone.  A group of friends that will always have a place in my heart.

2.  The mind is stronger than we think.  If you have a strong mental approach to challenges you can achieve anything you want.  In the end it was the mental approach that helped get Hilary and I to the final summit.  A strong mind can overcome deficiencies in physical strength.  Have faith in what you can achieve.

3.  A strong relationship between Hilary and I.  We’ve been married for 26 years so you could say we know each other!  It was this knowledge of each other that helped pull us along.

4.  Finally, I firmly believe that God wanted us to succeed.  I know that I got strength from his presence.

At 7.45 a.m. we saw the sun rise whilst we were above clouds and it was stunning, a memory I’ll never forget.  After we’d stopped to take photos of the sunrise it was time for the final push to Gilmans Point which we summited at 8.15 a.m.  In many respects Gilmans Point was an anti-climax!  It’s a very small area that somehow didn’t have the grandeur of what I’d pictured a summit to look like!  Some of the heroic team who had got to Gilmans had been suffering from various degrees of Altitude Sickness but their determination and help from Kirsty had got them to the top – an amazing achievement.

After we’d had our picture taken our wonderful Doctor, Kirsty, asked us all individually “Do you want to go on to Uhuru Peak”.  Kili has 2 recognised summits with Uhuru being the highest of the two. I have to be honest I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do but Hilary said yes before I did and Kirsty (our Doctor) had previously said to us that if we have just once ounce of energy remaining that we should give it a go.  So the answer was, YES.  Only 6 of the starting 8 went on to Uhuru Peak, but that doesn’t mean the 2 who didn’t go on failed – they most certainly didn’t and achieved an amazing feat.

Hilary and I then walked (almost crawled) on to Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the mountain. The walk between the two peaks is about 1.5KM and follows the edge of the crater.  This short distance took us over an hour of very slow walking and lots of rests.  At this time our two Guides had taken our rucksacks from us so that we’d have less weight to carry…..thank you guys.  During the final stages of the walk to Uhuru my iPhone started to ‘ding’ with text messages which meant I had a signal so could call the Children back home – this was a joyous moment interrupted me blubbing down the phone in between gasping for breath!

It was a lovely feeling to see Nicole, Kirsty, Tracey, Fiona and Rupinder (who had all gone ahead) cheering us to the Peak.  It was a moment to cry with joy and yes there were lots of tears.  Neither of us suffered from Altitude Sickness (I’ll tell you how in another blog!) which was a massive bonus.  Reaching the top of Uhuru Peak was a moment I’ll never ever forget – I was now standing at the highest part of the Worlds Highest Free Standing Mountain.

At the Peak the oxygen is 50% less than the body needs so we could only stay at the top for 20 minutes.  After the all important photos had been taken we started to make a faster but still slow descent to Gilmans Point.

We’d done it!

Best of all though was that we’d done it for Sparks.

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

On arrival at the camp our wonderful Porters had set our tents up and were ready with hot drinks and popcorn.  By the time we’d had our (late) lunch and prepared our equipment for the evening ascent we only managed to get 1 hours sleep before we had to wake for our evening meal.  Even though our 2 meals were close together it was important to eat as much as possible for the next stage.

The tension is now building as we are only hours away for the final ascent.  Fortunately we’ve been blessed by being with an outstanding group of fellow trekkers.  Each one of them brings strength to the whole group which in turn keeps everyone focused and positive. The bond between all of us is growing by the day.

Tea out of the way it’s now time to head of for a final sleep of 3 hours before we’re woken at 10.30pm which gives us 1 hour to prepare for the ascent.

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

Really hard day today. A constant climb with no flat bits. Oxygen is getting thin so breathing is difficult – but don’t worry because we’re all taking Diamox to help.  Everyone is having this problem but it’s normal.

We’re both doing well and so far have no worries about reaching the top. Currently at 4290 metres sleeping by a lake.  Had chicken and chips for tea tonight – I’m not joking!

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

We’re doing well, the pace is very slow but the oxygen is getting a lot thinner so breathing is harder. We’ve walked for 4 hours so far and in the distance we can see snow on top of our challenge, Mount Kilimanjaro.  So far we’ve reached 3,000 metres. Our Porters are amazing who how they look after us; they’ve just cooked usa 3 course lunch!!  Heading off after lunch for another 4 hours walk to our next camp.

Arrived 5 pm at camp after another 4 hours walking. Total time waking today was 8 hours. It was tough and we we’re all having to breath a lot harder. Our camp is at 12,000 feet which is awesome.  It took me 40 mins to take today’s clothes off and put new ones on, just because breathing is so difficult.

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

We were met by our smiling driver Peter who was going to transfer us to Arusha in Tanzania. The journey was planned to take 7 hours but this was largely due to the very poor condition of the roads and that the minibuses often break down. Fortunately the road building program in Kenya and Tanzania were well advanced so our journey time was cut to approx 5 hours.

The scenery on the journey was at times breath taking and at others it was a really sad sight. In general we in the UK take our surroundings and luxuries for granted – we expect water, heat, food and a decent home. It’s very hard to describe the picture around us but people are living in tin huts, 3 year old children playing on the side of roads, groups of people cooking on the roadside and the dust from the roadworks was incredible. Don’t get me wrong I’m not criticising the Kenyan’s or Tanzanian’s because all those we’ve met have been friendly and helpful, it’s more the fact that we in the so called ‘civilised’ world in general ignore the help that should be given to these people. Over the next 6 days we trekkers are going to be privileged to live with these wonderful African people. So come on World do the right things.

We arrived at our hotel at approx 1 p.m. and after a quick discussion headed of to get some sleep before our evening meal and what a sleep it was. Time spent preparing our kit before we set off has paid off. We have to split our kit in to 3 bags with one staying behind at the hotel with our party gear for when we get back to the hotel after the trek, our rucksac with what we’re going to need tomorrow on the trek and the main bag for the porters.

Our Doctor and Guide for the trip is Kirsty who has a lovely approach. Her goal is to get everyone of us to the top. She’s a GP, works in A&E, a specialist in altitude sickness, works for the Lake District Mountain Rescue, a climber and is also a Guide!

Time to head off for our last decent night’s sleep for a while, that’s assuming the anticipation, nerves and excitement don’t keep me awake!!

You can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

15 months of planning, training and watching what we eat the time has finally arrived. I have to admit the butterflies hit me big style when the alarm went off.

Hilary and I met up with our fellow climbers at Meca Services. There was an excited tension around the group.

The ice was broken when we all sang Happy Birthday to Nicole who was not only going on the trek, but celebrating her birthday. I’d better not say what year or I may get into trouble ;-)

All of our children came to say goodbye and unfurled a Good Luck banner. Needless to say there were tears!! My children are a real inspiration in my life.

Our journey to the airport was uneventful but special thanks to Paul our driver. The only exciting event occurred when Sarah was taken away for a full body scan! Not sure how much she paid the security staff but she was smiling when she got back!

After what seemed like an eternity we had the call to board our flight to Kenya.

See you Kenya.

You can find more out about the trek by visiting http://www.davidthomas.uk.com and you can donate by selecting the Just Giving link, www.justgiving.com/david-thomas3

Thanks for reading.

Dave

That conversation seems so far away yet so recent.  We now have one day to go before 8 of us (6 being from Exeter) set off to climb Kilimanjaro.  Unbelievable!

I woke early this morning for no reason other than I’m so incredibly excited but I have to say a little nervous about what I’m about to do and the butterflies have already started.  I’m not particularly worried about the nerves as after playing sports for many years I know they’re a good thing but it’s still strange to think I’m about to climb the highest freestanding mountain in the World.

Our journey starts tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 11 a.m. and I’ll be blogging about the experience for the whole of the trek.  Providing the technology works (I know that’s a big ask!!) I’ll be sending back daily blogs to this site and I’ll be tweeting throughout (@bluegrass_IT).  Also, if it doesn’t take forever I’ll be posting iPhone pictures to my Flickr account

If you’d like to donate please visit my Just Giving page – it would be great to have raised over £10,000 sometime during the trek.  Your donation doesn’t have to be huge as every amout, small or large, can do so much for the Children who benefit from Sparks.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Dave

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WHEN Exeter’s David Thomas rushed his young son to hospital with suspected meningitis, he was experiencing every parent’s nightmare.

But the worst was yet to come.

Doctors asked him to hold five-year-old Christopher in the foetal position so they could perform a vital lumber puncture.

David said: “His screams were so terrible the awful memory has never left me.

“I felt so helpless, having to hold Chris firmly while they did what they had to do, and inflict such pain on him. The doctors said it would be less painful if a family member held him for the puncture. It was necessary, of course, but it was my bleakest moment.”

Fortunately, Christopher didn’t have meningitis and made a full recovery.

But Exeter businessman David and his wife Hilary were to endure the same ordeal all over again when their elder son Andrew was also rushed into the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital with suspected meningitis. He too was given the all clear.

Chris, now 21, and his brother Andrew, 24, have little or no recall of their ordeals. They and their sister Laura, 16, have all grown into healthy young adults.

Now, their ever-grateful parents have been inspired by Sparks, a leading children’s medical research charity, to take part in a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania next month. It’s their way of helping to save children in the future who contract the often fatal disease and lets them express their gratitude that their sons were spared.

Sparks funds research into cures and treatments for illnesses affecting babies, children and pregnant mothers. Meningitis is very much on their list, along with cerebral palsy.

The talk over the couple’s breakfast table these days is all about preparing for the challenge that will involve huge physical and mental fitness, as well as raising their £7,500 target.

As you’d expect from the man who runs Bluegrass Computer Services, David, 51, has built a website – www.davidthomas.uk.com – about their challenge. There will be regular updates on training, kit testing and fundraising as the months go by. The couple will also be providing live updates on the website and by satellite phone to the media during the climb.

David and Hilary, 54, Bluegrass’s financial director, have already received £2,500 business sponsorship from Taurus Clearer Communication, Rokk Media and other local businesses.

The couple will be part of a group of eight, mostly from the Exeter business community, making the trip. The ascent takes around four days and although it’s described as trekkable, climbers have to endure extremes of temperature as well as shortness of breath, as they acclimatise to the altitude and lower oxygen levels. The final stage will begin at midnight on day four, so the team can enjoy the sunrise from the 19,340 feet summit. Coming down is much quicker. The descent takes about a day and a half.

It’s a first time visit to Africa for David and Hilary. But they know that this is definitely not going to be a holiday. Although around 30,000 people per year climb the mountain, deaths from heart attacks and altitude sickness are not uncommon.

David said: “We know we have to be really fit. We’re both keen on walking anyway but the specialist training starts now.”

In fact, the training could be continuing for some years to come. Once they’ve conquered Kilimanjaro, there’s more Team Thomas talk of climbing the highest trekkable peaks in all the continents.

The group they are climbing with includes Nicole Rolfe, south west fund raiser for Sparks, Jennifer Riach, from Meca Services, and Sarah Knight, from Sarah West Recruitment.

Ages range from 27 to 54 and they’ve been rigorously training at weekends, including on Snowdon in Wales, and experiencing sleep deprivation in readiness for the trip.

Source: Express & Echo