Part 2:

---

I have signed up to do a 10-day expedition to climb Africa's highest mountain (5,895 metres or 19,341 ft), which will consist of 5½ days climbing up, 1½ days coming down, 1 day recovery, and 2 days travelling to and from the UK.

We are taking the Rongai Route up Kilimanjaro, which, while not technically being considered the most easiest of routes, it is the one which our hiking company has the highest success rate with – which I suppose is the ultimate goal at the end of the day.

The bit from the brochure

Rongai Route: The Rongai Route approaches Kilimanjaro from the north and retains a sense of untouched wilderness which has been lost on the crowded Marangu and Machame trails. This route up has a relatively gentle gradient and short daily stages as it winds its way from the starting point just south of the Kenya-Tanzania border. It passes through farmland and forest, past Alpine moorland to the beautiful summit cone. There are magnificent views throughout, with possibilities for wildlife viewing, and an extra day to aid acclimatisation as the trails climbs beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi. The final ascent is arduous and made in darkness, but the reward is a spectacular dawn view of the glaciers and ice cliffs of the summit, and across the East African plains far below. Descending through lush forest, there is time to relax and recover before the flight home.

Unfortunately one of the worrying realities of attempting such a high altitude climbing expedition is that, even if you are Action Man, you're not actually guaranteed to make it all the way to the summit. The dreaded Altitude Sickness can strike at any time, and prevent you from continuing the climb, regardless of your fitness levels or what preparation you have done before hand.

With this in mind we have opted to take the route that has a one day longer ascent in a bid to acclimatise ourselves just a little more which hopefully will assist us on that dreaded final summit night.

---