To Meru or not to Meru………….

Before I book my flights there’s one more decision I need to make, whether or not to tackle the nearby Mt Meru (4,652m) as a warm up to Kilimanjaro? 

 As the type of person who likes to squeeze every last drop out of anything, the opportunity to climb two mountains for the price of one (!?!) is hard to resist but there is another valid reason for taking on Mt Meru first, ACLIMATISATION.

Because I’m a borderline control freak I try and remove the element of chance wherever possible and to this end me (and my kit) will be in the best possible shape that I can realistically achieve

BUT

that might not matter because there’s no real way to predict how prone to AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness/Altitude Sickness) you might be and if it strikes the only option you have is to get yourself down the mountain, FAST!

The generally accepted method for minimising the likelihood of AMS is to spend time at altitude, allowing the body to adapt to the lower oxygen levels, this is why climbers tackle Everest over months repeatedly climbing and descending the mountain preparing for their summit attempt. 

So as well as offering a fabulous experience in its own right trekking Mt Meru seems to offer the opportunity to get a head start on the acclimatisation process and therefore improve my chances of reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro!

So why the Kids Company?

I’m not proud to admit this but if I’m honest it would probably be fair to say that generally speaking I don’t have a very high opinion of the “youth of today” (I know I’ve barely crept into middle aged but stick with me for a moment) and instinctively I leap to almost every negative trait that fits the stereotype (lazy, disinterested, hostile etc).

However, there are two additional factors that I have to take into consideration:

1. This opinion is based on virtually no factual evidence and completely fails to take into account the circumstances of any particular individual.  
2.  I AM WRONG and this reflex opinion probably says a lot more about my own insecurities!

So regardless of what my initial instincts may tell me I am absolutely convinced that if provided with the opportunity and a little emotional support, the so called “youth of today” would surprise me with their creativity, passion and confidence.

And this is what the KIDS COMPANY does.

Simply put they aim to provide practical, emotional support currently reaching 14,000 vulnerable inner-city children across London.

They look to build sustained, caring relationships which will allow them to satisfy both the practical and emotional needs of the children they are working with, in their words:

“We are relentless in our love, doing whatever it takes to protect children struggling to survive their childhood”

Kids Company children may find themselves facing problems like homelessness or sustained trauma, others may have fallen victim to substance abuse and most will be experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties.  

The Kids Company support empowers children and young people and independent research has revealed tangible results of reduced substance abuse, reintegration into education and improved anger management.

Over the next few months I’ll be adding more posts about the Kids Company and the work they do but in the meantime please visit the website and if, like me, you feel their work is worth supporting then please sponsor me (I am funding all the costs of this trip so every penny you donate will go towards the Kids Company).

So why Kilimanjaro?

“Because it’s there” was George Mallory’s disarmingly simple response to being asked why he wanted to climb Everest, since I lack Mallory’s talent as a climber (in fact I lack virtually all talent as a climber) I couldn’t possibly brush aside the challenge of Kilimanjaro with a similarly flippant response!

So back to the question in hand, why Kilimanjaro?

1. IT’S BIG – At 5,895 m (19,341 ft) Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and the highest freestanding mountain in the world, this means that as well as the substantial amount of effort required to reach the summit there is the additional factor of Altitude Sickness to contend with. 
2. IT’S ATTAINABLE – Despite its massive size Kilimanjaro doesn’t require a superhuman level of fitness and it doesn’t require a vast array of technical skills to reach the summit so therefore with sufficient motivation and preparation it should have a good chance of completing the trip. 
3. IT’S AFFORDABLE (?) – OK so I accept that there’s varying degrees of affordable but Kilimanjaro costs a little more than a good holiday (compared to the tens of thousands of dollars required to climb many of the Himalayan peaks) and requires comparatively little equipment. 
4. IT’S IMPRESSIVE - Despite the fact that thousands successfully summit Kilimanjaro every year it’s probably still a rare achievement amongst friends and family and certainly has the “wow factor” when brought up in conversation. 
5. IT’S KILIMANJARO!