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Published: September 7th 2011
One wet and windy weekend was spent in the Lake District with Suzanne and Emma the charity organisers and ten of the seventeen trekkers who we were to be sharing the adventure of climbing Kilimanjaro with.
It was great to be able to meet so many of our fellow trekkers before the the actual trek; we also had the opportunity to hear the reasons for each participants personal reasons for wanting to raise money and climb a rather large and challenging mountain. It was very emotional but broke the ice and helped with the bonding I'm sure we will require in trying times ahead.
We also had our guide Leon, ex-army, on the weekend. With kit, fitness and fundraising ideas discussed we all discussed our own fundraising experiences as well as our fears and anxieties of signing up to such a huge challenge.
Just as we finished the discussions, it started to pour outside. This didn't stop Leon from insisting that we completed an outside fitness session to get us in the swing of things. A few hours later, tired and wet through we headed back to the hostel for a warm shower, dinner and more time to
get to know each other.
Up early the next day we set off for an eight mile hilly trek. The weather was changeable but we all got into the swing of things. Within the group there are a mix of experiences, from the occasional walker to the serious out-door extreme sports enthusiastic, everyone seemed to get on brilliantly.
Luckily we already have outdoor clothing but Natalie discovered her boots weren't waterproof against boggy ground and decided then and there an up-grade was necessary.
We all completed the walk and headed off home in our separate directions saying a final goodbye....the next time we would meet would be at Heathrow!
You can check out the video of our weekend at;
