Day 2 - Machame Huts - New Shira Camp (3850 m/12630 ft)

Waking at 5.30,  our next days trek was due to commence around 6.30. Sleeping had not been easy, mainly I think due to the close proximity of the other tents around us:

We were alreadt above the clouds, yet our target ahead still seemed far away.

A longer days trek, around 9 hours, making a steep ascent through the heather and moor land reaching the Shira Plateau, giving fantastic views over the land below. This time we didn’t increase our altitude so much, but still we will finish at a height of 3843 metres. At this altitude the montane forest gives way to the giant heathers of the moorland zone. The vegetation opens up and we have great views. We can see Kibo, Mt. Meru in the distance and also Machame way down below as we made our way up towards the Shira Plateau.

Although we had not covered much distance the increase in height did leave some people starting to feel the effects of altitude, headaches, sickness, slight dizziness.

Camp was however cold and the mist soon rolled in. Head torches were now a necessity, and staying close to camp to avoid getting lost became a priority.

After dinner, another dark night, so with a lack of sleep from the previous night it didn't take too long to settle down, and join the chorus of snoring from the other tents.

Day 1 - Machame Gate (1830 m/6000 ft) - Machame Huts (3030 m/9940 ft)

We start our challenge with a relatively short day of trekking, around 6 hours starting from the Machame gate. After a few photoshoots on the gate itself, we waited while our porters and guides arrived, weighted our kit, and we were signed into the park.

After taking on some water and picking up a pack lunch we were off.

Remember pole, pole, slowly slowly. The pace was slow, although it was up hill from the start.

We trekked through the rain forests with porters carrying the camping kit and our night bags.



The forest is beautiful, a real fairytale forest, lush and deep and green. Moss and lichen are dangling from the tall branches, tree ferns shelter underneath and impatiens and violas are flowering on the ground. The path was easy to follow and we spent the morning chatting among each other, and happy that the trip was now properly underway.

An hour or so in, we saw our first monkeys, long white tailed variety, jumping from branch to branch. So this was the reason for the rabies jab and if they were going to bite me they would need very long teeth at that height!
It was about two and a half hours to a lunch stop in a clearing near a stream. Here we opened up our pack lunches that had been provided earlier. It was clear that chocolate and other sugar products were a stable component.

After lunch the same format again through the same terrain, however the descent did get steeper and the path became dustier. We arrived at the first camp mid afternoon, where we signed into the camp and then went in search of our tent and overnight bags.

Camp was basic, two to a tent, just enough room for a sleeping bag each and our overnight bag between. In addition there were two mess tents for hot drinks and dinner which mainly consisted of soup followed by rice.

After setting up our kit for the night, it became apparent how dusty everything was, and how dirty everything became real quick. A small bowl of warm water allowed us to wash our hands and faces, but within two minutes my hands were covered in thick black dust again !

Night comes in quick, so armed with head torched we made our way to the mess tent for dinner, a quick briefing of the following day, and we were in our tents by 8.30.

Review of the Trip to summit Kilimanjaro

Mt Kilimanjaro is one of Africa's most magnificent sights, and at 5,895m it is her highest peak. Rising sheer from the savannah plains, this snowcapped mountain is an almost perfectly formed volcano that is not yet extinct.

On the 15th October I departed from the BIE Office in Manchester heading for a train that would take me to London, I met up with 3 friends from my local village, and then boarded an overnight flight to Nairobi.

By this stage the team was split into two smaller groups, which we would remain in for the rest of the trip.

Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport we taxied up to the front of the arrival building and walked in. No need for a transit bus here.

Immigration took a few minutes, and our bags were ready to load onto a waiting bus for the hour ride to the hotel we were staying at on the first night.

We arrived in Nairobi at 06:30 on Saturday the 16^th which was followed by a short flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. En route we got our first glimpse of the challenge ahead. At 19,340 ft or 5895 metres we were actually flying lower than the summit. Everyone on board the plane leaned over to the left to look at what we were destined to climb.

Thanks to all

So here you go, the proof that I was hoping for and without the help of PhotoShop. The summit of Kilimanjaro.

Yes on Friday morning I finally made it up there, and pretty much on time, reaching the crater rim as the sun rose over the horizon and then reaching the actual peak a short distance afterwards.

I will post some further details of the trip during the week but just wanted to say a few thanks to all of you who have followed the blog, supported the charity and made this happen. By the time we get all the money in I am hoping we will be in excess of 6,000 pounds, so if you haven't donated yet, please follow the link to the virgin giving site.

My thanks also to all those who have supported in other ways.

Ian.

p.s. after the travel back, taking nearly 24 hours in total, I am a touch shattered......

The Descent & Heading Home Soon

This is the day Ian’s probably been waiting for, getting back to civilisation and a lovely hotel and being able to remove those stinky boots, have a hot shower and sleep in a comfy bed – arrrrhhh bliss.

Here’s Ian’s itinerary for today:-



22nd October

The final trekking day, as we descend back through the rainforests and to the hotel for a hot shower and to finally remove the walking boots.



Friday night and Saturday morning are for relaxing, chilling out and having a well earned drink by the hotel pool. An overnight flight brings him back to London Heathrow arriving early on Sunday morning and then it’s train journeys all the way home again.

Hopefully we will hear from the great man himself either at the end of this weekend or beginning of next week when he can regale us with his most memorable moments.

I’m sure you don’t need me to say this, but sleep well Ian zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

Breaking News

Confirmation has just come through that the Broadbottom 4 have all made it to the top.  Well done you guys, that's brilliant.

Reaching the Summit

Today Ian should already have made it the summit WOOHOO. If you look at the itinerary below he was starting his day in the middle of the night at 12.00am (10.00pm our time on Wed night).


21st October

The day starts just after midnight with a long 6 hour slow trek to the Stella point which is on the rim of the crater. This is all done by torch light, before making the traverse to Uhuru peak, the highest point on the African continent at 5896 metres. We then make the long descent to camp at 3081m, after a long day of nearly 15 hours of trekking.

So while we were probably thinking about going to bed he was starting an arduous 6 hour trek in the dark with a final push to the summit. So very well done Ian, I'm sure all your friends, family and work colleagues all really hope you made it there ok and got to see that fantastic view from the top. We also hope your camera wasn’t relying on that rubbishy solar charger and you were able to take some piccies.

And finally, in the immortal words of Johnny Olson, the ‘Price is Right’ presenter:

“Ian Metcalfe - Come On Down”.

Day 4 of the climb

20th October

This is the first day of scrambling, as we climb over volcanic rock of the Barranco Wall, which is then followed by a steady but steep climb and arriving around 9 hours later at our camp.  Our camp is at 4630m, and we will try to sleep early, as the following day we will commence our attempt to the summit from midnight.

Days 1-3 of the climb

Hi - this isn't Ian, this is Steph his PA.  Kate got a call today from the intrepid explorer himself who managed to borrow someone else's phone.  Unfortunately Ian's solar charger for his blackberry hasn't worked so he has been unable to post any of his daily blogs.  He's doing OK but is apparently really shattered (his word was a bit more descriptive).  Anyhow I have found his itinerary for each day so you can get an idea of what he's done so far.  The itinerary below covers Sunday 17th, Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th October.  I shall put the other updates in as the week progresses.

17th October

This is the proper start of our challenge with a relatively short day of trekking , around 6 hours starting from the Machame gate. We will trek through the rain forests and by the end of the day we will have climbed to an altitude of 2980m.

Our first night under canvass.


18th October

A longer days trek, around 9 hours, making a steep ascent through the heather and moorland reaching the Shira Plateau, giving fantastic views over the land below. This time we don’t increase our altitude so much, but still we will finish at a height of 3843 metres.


19th October

Now the landscape should change to more of a barren moon look, as we trek towards the mighty Lava tower. On this day we ascend to 4526 metres, but to help with acclimatisation we then descend again to 3965m. This day will be around 9 hours of trekking before reaching camp.

Arrived Nairobi

On time arrival and connection time is quite short, so just moved to the new gate. Looks like a lot of sleepless people, overnight flight not that comfortable.

Anyway miracles of Pru sleeping tablet, I didn't do too bad.

We are going on Precision Air very strange name for an airline. I can't see it so probably loading chicken and goats on it first.

IMG00009-20101015-1613.jpg

Arrived heathrow

Broadbottom 4 ready to go

Day 1

Finally here.....

This is the first day, although this is really just getting to the airport, boarding the plane and hoping I haven't forgotten anything.


The day did not start well, as our lovely cat, pictured here looking serene and calm, decided to give me a going away present by striking out with her claws and leaving three lovely scratches on my hand.


So let us hope that they don't get infected.......
Last night I managed to get the main bag shut, although it seems to weigh a lot more than I imagined..... let's hope the scales were accurate and i have just gone weak.

I will leave Brother offices at around 12.00 and take Train to London Heathrow. I will be travelling with three friends from the same village where I live who are also taking this challenge.


We meet up with the other trekkers embarking on this challenge of various backgrounds.

Our flight leaves London Heathrow at 20.00, taking Kenyan Airway to Nairobi.

So more updates as the day progresses.

1 Day to Go

So despite not getting home until later than planned, I did do a final kit check and threw everything into my bags for a final weigh in.

So a mix of things in the bag, things in the rucksack total weight was under 20Kg, so I was quite happy with that, however my bag was rather full and as yet I haven't managed to zip it up!

There is plenty of room in my rucksack however. Challenge is identify the things I can't do without, therefore need to go into the rucksack, and those things that I won't be able to have in hand luggage......sun cream, mosi spray etc..... The days of taking anything on a plane, please bring them back.

So a full day of meetings thus no time to consider tomorrow........

amazing how I keep thinking of things maybe I should take though.......

2 2 GO

No I didn't mean one of these !!!!!!

I meant.....





Only 2 days to go.......

As I mentioned, no training for the rest of the week, although strangely I felt ready to get up and go to the gym this morning at 6 am, but by 7.00 I just wanted to stay in bed.

My preparation last night involved eating a very good Thai meal in Manchester with some of our colleagues from the Nordics. Great service, good food, a very enjoyable evening, so I can recommend Chaophraya Manchester for any Thai food junkies.

No sign of plastic bags yesterday, so I did buy a roll of heavy duty bin bags, I am sure they will do the trick.

So trial packing tonight, make sure I have everything, and it all weighs ok, both for the trek, where I need to get down to 15Kg, and the flight where I can expand to a massive 20kg.

It is very quiet on the facebook site, I am not sure if that means my fellow trekkers have deserted me and left early, or they are also in a final state of panic.

So fingers crossed let's hope tonight I don't find out I have forgotten something essential that I can't buy locally tomorrow........

Getting closer

So somewhat of a struggle to wake up this morning, I definitely could have stayed in bed. Now I guess this does not bode well for the week ahead. I only have 3 more nights in my nice comfortable bed, then it will be airplanes and tents!

Last nigh I sorted out my music, and loaded onto my memory card that will go into my phone. This means once less device to take with me, however I need to remember to pack my earphones or it will all be for nothing.

I am hoping that some reasealable plastic bags arrive in the next two days, otherwise I will need to resort to bin liners!

So tonight I have some business gets to look after, so will start final packing on Wednesday evening, then I have Thursday to panic over what I have forgotten to purchase.......

Final week and countdown.....

So the final week, and only a few days to go........


A busy weekend, Friday night I was back to cutting wood for the fire, Saturday morning I was on the roof re-pointing the coping stones, hoping that this will stop the two leaks in the roof we appear to have sprung. Then Saturday afternoon, aided by the Droyslden two I got into beer training at the Manchester Food Festival. This involved sampling several pints of Robinson's brewery different real ales......Ok not really the sort of training that is in the guide.

Sunday morning, I did finally get out and go for a 3 hour walk, the weather was quite good, but the wind was really blowing, the new Primaloft jacket managed to do it's stuff. Kept the wind out, me warm and comfortable. I carried 5 litres of water in my rucksack to simulate the weight....

Sunday afternoon was mowing the lawn, chopping up some pallets, my wood store is now full, finally fitting handle and lock to the new shed, then after a few more odd jobs and a shower collapsed on the sofa to watch the grand prix I had taped.

Finally managed to weigh my kit, thanks to Rob coming over with some scales. So currently it all weight about 16kg, ok I have one or two more things to go in, but I was pretty impressed with that.

This morning I stayed away from the weights, cross trained for an hour, with 15 minutes of walking on the treadmill at a very steep gradient.

So according to the final instructions I received , now I should be resting for the challenge ahead, so I will skip the gym for the rest of the week, and just do my final preparations.

This time next week

So down to 7 days to go, and if you read this blog in one weeks time I will be packed, ready to go.....

Currently my kit looks like this..

As you can see some tidying up to do, and I still haven't weighed it. I have 20Kg limit in the hold and 15Kg hand luggage I believe! So let's hope I am under that, as I am sure I will have forgotten things.

Final Rabies and Hep B last night - I think I am finally getting used to injections, I also have the prescription for the Malarone, anti malaria tablets, which I need to start taking on Wednesday, and for safety sake, since my ear is still playing up, a dose of antibiotics to take with me, just in case it flares up.

No gym this morning, I have had a lousy headache for the last day or so, hence stayed in bed this morning for an extra hour, which after some more pain killers seems to have done the trick.

Several people are now asking me how I fell, nervous, excited...... well it is a real mix of emotions right now. On the one hand I am feeling nervous about the preparation or lack I may have done......I am not looking forward to the long haul flight sat in economy - crikes not had to do that for many years, yet I am also excited to get it underway.

So final training this weekend, then just count down the days.........

p.s. more sponsorship is coming in - so thanks to all of you who are adding to the total, it is really appreciated, and if you haven't dipped in your pockets yet - don't delay .......


Ian.

Light the way

Yes now 8 to go.......

So having read a few articles about the final day summit, it became clear that a waterproof head torch, and one that has excellent power to light the way is essential..... Now the one I had acquired was only very cheap (£2.99), and on checking it was neither waterproof or for that matter very strong, so feeling somewhat nervous about staggering about on the last day in the dark, i ordered another which arrived in bright green....

Petzl are leading manufacturers of head torches, but surprisingly despite being waterproof, battery life of 190 hours and lights a distance over 20 metres, it was still only £12 off ebay......

ok more outlay, but hopefully now I won't be in the dark!

The last week I just be relaxing, building up my strength my eating plenty.... which is good as today I feel shattered... maybe my trip to Japan catching up with me.....

So final jabs tonight, rabies and Hep B, 3rd one of each, and I just get my malaria tablets prescription.... I was told that these are expensive circa £50, so need to find a pharmacy that does them at the lowest cost :-)

Update on how much my arm aches tomorrow....

days to go.........

So no walking last night, as my early evening ended up in me and the chainsaw cutting through a fair amount of wood that was waste from the current BIE reception work. Solid stuff, but the two of us managed to get through it.

Having checked my kit list I am now just short of a lighter....what do I need a lighter for I hear you ask....well that is so I can burn the loo roll I am taking with me .. after use. I do hope you weren't eating when you read that, or that you now have a rather ugly mental picture....actually I don't think the smell will be that good either.......

So since weight is an issue, no not mine, I am thinking that it may be advisable to travel in some of the clothes I would use for the trek, but then I am thinking is that advisable if I going ot be wearing it for the next 10 days....... So bit more thought his week in to travel clothing....also we do have half a day in Moshi at the end of the trek to go into the village, sightsee! and look around the local markets, again I am thinking - oh what should I wear as all my trekking gear will no doubt be filthy and smell rather unpleasant.

So walk will either have to be Thursday or Friday........

I also have a fair few jobs to do around the house before I go as well.....

Today in the gym I skipped the treadmill, and cross trained for 20 minutes then on the bike for 30 mins before doing weights and sit ups. So feeling ok after that.

My new contact lenses are working great, so yesterday I ordered some UV sunglasses. I am thinking I will use my lenses for so many day then switch to glasses on the final summit, as I doubt I will have the energy to take them out.......

anyway must go, as I now need to go find a lighter.....

10 Days to Go!

So now only 10 days to go..... and yes it is true that there is some concerns going around my head:

Have I trained enough, have I got all the right gear, will my bag weigh too much, will I get blisters, will I get altitude sickness.......

so with 10 days to go, there is not too much I can do about the training, definitely I need to go for one last decent hike on Sunday, I also have the last of my jabs on Thursday, and hopefully are given the anti Malaria tablets........

Gear wise I have checked, double checked, packed, unpacked... so I just now have a few minor things to buy and I am done.

I do now have a primaloft jacket which is magically warm and keeps me dry, but that is on the beach front in Southport, which is not quite the same as 6,000 metres up a mountain, but hey you can only test in the conditions given to you.

so training has been limited to gym sessions which isn't that useful, so I will try a walk one night this week, then as I say a long one at the weekend then I think that will be about it.......

So sorry for little blog activity, but I will keep them coming these final 10 days.......

nothing new

So i am in the lounge at Frankfurt airport waiting for my flight back to Manchester. Note any typo's are due to my lack of experience with a German keyboard....... and not my usual bad spelling......

So training wise nothing much to say - i used the gym at the hotel which was well equipped so managed a good work out, but no walking..... getting a bit nervous about the lack of walking.

Everyone keeps telling me it is easy just wallking, nothing to go on about........

why am i feeling a few nerves then......

so brief I apologise......back with more tomorrow.....

Continued support

Tuesday it is, sat in the lounge at Manchester en route to Frankfurt. Today I have meetings with one of our Web suppliers, and then tomorrow and Thursday meetings in our German office. I have packed my gym kit, so I must make time to get into the hotel gym at some stage over the next 3 days.

I received more donations yesterday, so thanks to Keith & Ann for keeping the total rolling, it is much appreciated, and if you still haven't dipped into your pocket yet, please do so, the panic may be starting to creep in.

Actually my fellow trekker from across the road to me has not been see for a while, I am thinking he may be disappearing only to resurface after the trip!

Reading the news about the gentlemen's game of cricket, and how England and Pakistan were fighting over cheating allegations I am thinking how will people's moods be affected by the altitude, will we get stressed easily, tempers fray..... best take something to keep us calm.

So 3 days in Germany home for 2 days then off to Japan, which is eating away at training opportunities, so I need to come up with a final training plan otherwise I may not walk again until I get to Tanzania !

One man and his dog

So if you are in the Manchester area, it is raining again - which actually sums up most of the weekend.

Last night I had a rather sleepless night as my mind was churning over all the things that I hadn't sorted out yet for this trip. I did originally think I was almost done, but obviously panic must be setting in. So I think another sit down with the kit bag is required this week, and assure myself I have what I need.

So no training this weekend, other than a gym session this morning, the weather, and several urgent jobs on the house dissuaded me from walking. So some tile repairs in the bathroom and new kitchen sink taps (after having to remove the whole sink first !) occupied my weekend. We did also go to the Hayfield Sheep Dog Trials, which was good fun.

If you have ever accidentally come across one man and his dog on the TV, I say accidentally as I can't believe people sit down with the intention to watch it, then it all looks very professional, man and dog in harmony.

So welcome to Hayfield, where I must say I only watched a few competitors, but here it was more man and dog struggling to get sheep to do what they want.

The first competitor fell foul of the random sheep selection, unfortunately it appeared that the ones he got had been on sprint training for the past few months. The dog could hardly keep pace with them, let alone direct them. Consequently then went from one end of the field to the other, avoiding all gates, before the dog had managed to get near them.


Competitor number two was somewhat more successful, this time his sheep selection brought out a more docile collection, however in this case man and dog were not so well in tune, and the dog had them down the field and back up successfully missing all the gates, he did however manage to get them into the pen with no trouble at all.

Anyway after a few more we departed to walk around the other show stalls and features. However there are two competitors we saw later that did bring about a smile. The first one, has a set of sheep who clearly held no fear for the dog or the man, a stand off at the pen led to the judges calling the proceedings to a close, before it turned dark. Sheep and dog and sheep and man face to face in a stand off, none of them moving an inch.

The second one, was even more funny, having successfully collected his sheep from the top of the field, drove them down and through the first gate, round the pen and back up the field to the second gate, perfect, maybe he was a potential for the TV, but then........

sheep rapidly followed by dog, jumped a fence at the top of the field, and disappeared from sight, I assume local rules then called for disqualification as the judges asked them to leave, but the dog was having not of it, successfully chasing 3 of the 4 back over the fence, one sheep doing a 360 degree summersault, then despite shouts and whistles from his owner, went back over to retrieve the last one. He obviously didn't care about the rules.

So no training trivia, but at least you can all go away thinking about what you missed in Hayfield, maybe I could try some tips with the other trekkers up Kili - Come by, come by, down down........

More injections

So last night was Rabies 2 injection, this went nicely into the bruised area of my arm from the previous week. So we have determined now only 2 more injections required, anotgher Rabies one, then another Hep B one and we are done. We can then discuss Malaria and Swine Flu!

So for those who are still sponsoring, thank you so much, the total is now over £5,000 with gift aid, which I am pleased with, and I hope it will go up more with a further push in these last few weeks.

Training wise things have been quiet this week, two trips to the gym only so far..........and not so much walking........

Since my lack of blogging I have obtained a book on walks in the peak district, so did try one in Castleton which included the hike up Mam Tor, but since have read this is not very challenging. Hopefully despite business travel I will have time to get a couple more walks in before we go.

There is only 4 weeks to go !!!!!!

Michael Portilo

Today I am in London for a conference on cloud computing "wow" the thing of the future, and many would have us believe it is fully here and now. Anyway I digress, at breakfast I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Portilo, who's claim to fame is that of a conservative heavy hitter, but also more recently did a tv series on railway journeys.

Today is also another injection day - OUCH - this will be my fourth visit for injections ! and I have at least another 2 to go after this. I find it hard to believe how many different live virus strains must be running around my body. They have included top up of polio, diphtheria, tetanus, then Hep A and Hep B (of which the latter is 3 separate injections), yellow fever and rabies. I am at a loss what tonight is, but I think it is the second of the 3 rabies ones plus two others.

Has this helped my health - err no, I still have aches and pains, still got a cold a few weeks ago, and currently have the dreaded ear infection back! So medicine isn't always the cure.

anyway dashing to get to my conference so more tomorrow......

Long time....

Let me start my once again apologising for the lack of updates. This has definitely been the longest absence I have had from blogging, and I will not go into the hundreds of excuses I could give. However I would like to say thank you to the followers in Droyslden who have stimulated me back into action!




30 days to go, yes that is correct I now only have 30 days before the great event, so I am sure you want to know if I am ready.



NO.



During my absence I have made a lot of progress in terms of kit, visa’s, vaccinations and training, which I will give you a run down of in the coming weeks, at the same time the donations are still dribbling in and I am expecting a torrent before I actually depart.



So for my final month of preparations – I am in London this week, Frankfurt next week, Japan the following week, which will give me just over a week to do any final preparation! Now I haven’t planned that well have I.



So enough of that and now for some updates.



Today I thought I would start with the Visa…. Yes believe it or not Tanzania is worried about immigration problems !, therefore all visitors must have a visa. Since I cherish my passport and I am never sure exactly when I need to use it, I didn’t’ want to risk sending it off in the post. I therefore took it in person, arranging to collect the following day. Now here is an interesting fact. Tanzania foreign office only accept cash – yes you have to pay in cash. When I dropped off my application and passport it seemed very quiet, but the following day at collection, there was a huge queue of people, tailing down the street all waiting to collect. Now when you consider we were given collection times, I came to the conclusion that Tanzania house is definitely a cash laden place at the end of each day.



What was also interesting is that despite making some errors on the form, he quickly corrected them with a biro, and the only thing he was interested in was if I had the cash.



Anyway the end result is a Visa where my picture looks more like a monkey than me. I would attach a scan but that could end up being copied and used by other visitors!



So advice if applying for a Visa , don’t worry about what to put on the form, don’t worry if you don’t have a photo you can use someone else’s just remember the cash.



I wonder what do they do with all that cash.

Thursday could be Vienna/Zurich or Manchester

This morning I am en route to Manchester from Vienna via Zurich. Currently sat in Star Bucks waiting for my flight. Again no real update on preparations with being away, however I have suddenly realised I still have quite a bit of kit to get, so need to get myself organised again.

At this stage I may be on holiday tomorrow, if so this could put a stop to my gym session, but would give me opportunity to go for a walk at some stage.

So plenty of list creating at the weekend so I can get myself organised.

Wednesday must be Vienna

So this morning I awoke in Vienna, after arriving late last night. Sun was shining, I am sure it looks very beautiful, unfortunately I am stuck in an office so I am not getting the benefit of this.

No gym facilities at the hotel, so I ended up with just a small number of press ups and sits up.....

Likewise no walking so not much to update there.

In terms of other progress, I have now filled out my Tanzania visa application, so must not pick some dates to get it processed.

What a weekend

So Saturday morning, despite the rain I set out to finish clearing the area for the shed/cabin - not sure what to call it. Fortunately most of the digging work was under the trees, so despite the heavy showers at times it was reasonably dry. So 6 hours later, with an short break for lunch, I was shattered....however it looked pretty good, perhaps a bit more levelling to do.

Sunday morning, and despite feeling somewhat drained from Saturday's workout, I got up and went for a walk - Wow really, yup boots on, rucksack on and off I went. I actually really enjoyed it, back to the free time to think, fresh air and beautiful views, all helped by the bright sunny day. So after a 3 hour hike, followed by a little lunch, I set to cutting down the branches that were going to be in the way of the shed. At times I think I looked more like a dirty monkey.....despite the ladders, clinging on to the tree trunks while sawing away at branches.

Some of these went on the skip, yes the one that is STILL on the drive, the majority I had to cut up and get rid of at the back of the garden.

Next was bringing the wood base into position, only to find that I can't measure properly, so needed another 3 feet of digging out. Great!

So after further efforts with the spade and shovel, a rake to level out the plot and we are ready for the paving slabs, which I need to get to the same level as the concrete base.

So by 5pm on Sunday night i could honestly say I had no energy left....and would be glad to be back in work!

I slept like a log last night, the alarm going off twice before I heard it, and then off to the gym. This definitely proved I had used my energy resources...struggled to do 20 minutes on the treadmill, doing my weights was showing me where all the stiff muscles were, and then I returned to 20 minutes on the cross trainer on hill mode, with a final 3 sets of sit ups.

I spent a lot longer in the shower easing my aching muscles......

This week I am going to be restricted to gym sessions, as I now have to go to Vienna, so unsure what chance I will get, probably in the end it will be Friday...

Will try to keep blogging however, especially as tonight I am going to see United's opening games against Newcastle, so hopefully I can brag about the great goals United score (meaning Man U, not Newcastle)

more tomorrow.....

Friday again

So another week over...... and still no walking !!!!

Did go back the to the gym this morning, treadmill, weights, cross trained, then 30 sit ups - ouch - that is the second set I have done this week and not finding them easy.

This low carb diet seems to be helping me loose weight (not that I was really trying to loose) but another couple of pounds off is less to carry up the big hill.

I am hoping the weather stays fine over the weekend so I can get on with the base for the shed/cabin, as hopefully they will have take the skip today.

I must also try and fit at least one walk in , even if a short one on Sunday.

Sorted train tickets out to London for the trip - need to get my visa sorted next.

Skip been and hopefully gone

When I arrived home last night, sat at the bottom of the drive was an empty skip, just waiting to be filled. Thus I abandoned the idea of a walk and after a quick change, proceeded to start filling it. At first view, I thought, well this skip is way to big for what I need, but after 1 hour 30 mins, I found it was full, although thankfully I didn't have anything else to put into it.

So all being well it will be collected today, I can then arrange for some paving slabs and sand to be delivered and a dry weekend should allow me to finish off the base.

Despite having quite a tight thigh muscle, I did go to the gym again this morning. At first I thought i may just go and swim, then try the massage pool and steam room, but routine kicked in and before I new it, I was on the treadmill running. However I took it easy and only did 2.5 miles, 20 minutes, then worked through on the rowing machine and cross trainer. I finished on with sit ups, which I really don't like, and find a struggle most of the time, but managed to get 30 in before I felt too many people may be watching me struggle to do simple sit ups!!!!

Tonight I am out, and tomorrow in Dublin so no opportunity for much in the way of training - my boots are in the utility room and an ever present reminder that they have not been out for a couple of weeks.......

So no doubt no update tomorrow, since I will be away without easy network access.

Weekend update

FORE!!!!!

Actually my weekend golf was better than I could have imagined, not a fantastic score, but only dropping 17 shots, especially when it was very wet at times, was pretty good. A few "duff" shots, and a few missed puts, but overall not bad. So not real training, but at least a decent walk.

Sunday I went for a short walk (yes Sue, not a long one!) from Hartley to Kirkby Stephen via the old railway, so a little stretch.

I did intend to go walking when I got home, however since the sun came out, I took the opportunity to get in some digging in the garden and made good progress on the base for the log cabin come shed. I am hoping the skip arrives today, so I can continue.

This morning I was back in the gym, a 3 mile run followed by weights and some cross training.

This week I will have to move gym sessions about a bit due to a trip to Dublin, but will also try and get a couple of walks in at night as well if I am not in the garden.

more tomorrow......

Crunchy it's Friday

Friday at last, and also I am taking half a day holiday today as well, so just working through to lunch.

So no gym this morning, feel a little guilty, but get a good walk in tomorrow, even if it is with a few golf sticks :-)

Next week I am only away the one day, so whilst I will have to reschedule my gym visits over all I should be able to get on with some walking as well.

So you all have a good weekend........

Thursday already

The remainder of my trip to Holland was uneventful, my flight was even early, so I was home by just after 6 pm, not managed that in a long time. An offer from Rob to go for a walk which I turned down, as dinner was going to be ready for 7.30. Rob how far did you get?

Today back to the gym did 3.5 miles in 30 mins on the treadmill, a few weights, rowed 1500m, then cross trained, so I feel well worked out. The vaccines effects seems to be disappearing other than glands under my arms that feel like I have stones under them.

Yesterday I got told I can get the Yellow Fever jab and certificate for £48, and I can go next week, so looks like more needles, however this appears to be the only fee I will pay, they were great at my local GP, a big up for Nurse Sue, who even has done my Rabies injection on prescription.

So I am now protected from monkey bites, and according to Sue the nurse, just in case I am stuck in the airport automatic doors with a dog!

As for Monday's injections I am now quite thankful for the tetanus booster, after the cat decided my hand looked like a mouse and tried to shred it with her claws...... lovely @*&***& cat.

So weekend away at my parents, which will involve a round of golf - that is walking isn't it............

 but probably not much more exercise...... so maybe a walk on Sunday evening when I get home......

Today must be Tuesday

So tonight I am in sunny Amsterdam.................

Fantastic I here you say......

Well it would be if I wasn't on my own, and I was somewhere near Amsterdam, where in fact I am in Amstelveen........

Yes my hotel is on the side of a busy road, a short walk to the Brother office, but rather a longer distance to the centre.  So tonight I am enjoying a steak with salad, the restaurant closed but they were very good and offered to make this for me, I am sat outside (in fact if you look closely at the photo you may see me), and I have to admit to enjoying a lager.

No training today, I wasn't up for 3 days in the gym on the run when I feel full of vaccine, which the nurse did advise would make me feel "off colour", in fact it did make something "off colour", but thankfully I could flush it away on several occasions........

So next training opportunity will be Thursday am.

I have had another possible sponsor lined up today, which is good, and I think I may have convinced a certain Yorkshire man to hold a collection at his party the same day we land in Tanzania. The more the better I say.

So my steak has arrived, I must go......


....my steak is still here, I am hopingit may get more tender than  my shoe by letting it rest.....


still resting.........

since when did a slice of pineapple suddenly become a side salad ?

ok I am having shoe leather and pineapple.....at least the lager is good!

Monday 2nd August

Weekend was not a great training one again. Did manage one gym session where I did a 5K run, and some cross training and cycling but no walking at all.

This morning however was a trip to the nurse.......So the odd vaccination/injection is recommended on a trip to Tanzania, actually by the time the nurse had finished telling me what she recommended I was feeling a bit feint!

Today she has booked me in for another 3 sessions over the coming weeks, but started gently with 5 today !!!!!!!! Wow do my arms ache now.

Note she strongly advised that I should have Rabies, as despite the low chance of a Monkey biting my rear (especially after 10 days up the mountain with no shower), I could end up like someone she knows who got stuck in the airport automatic doors with a dog, that proceeded to bite them........

So traveller be aware, dogs in airports are dangerous - more so than monkeys in trees - get your Rabies vaccination soon.

p.s. you still need to get to hospital within 24 hours or you die anyway!

more tomorrow.

Weeks review

So my weekend, and Monday were spent in the region of Chester, at the McDonald hotel, Portal, Tarporley.

This was a relaxing long weekend, however with walking in and out of Tarporley twice on Saturday we covered over 6 miles.

Sunday morning I hit the gym, which was very well equipped and I did the usual session of running and cross training.

Later on I spent a good afternoon in Chester sight seeing, down by the river.

Tuesday I was back at my own gym.


On Wednesday I was up very early to catch a flight to Brussels, then I have my first experience on the Eurostar later that evening, coming back into London.

This was a really pleasant experience, very smooth and quick, well while in Belgium & France it was quick, things slowed down once we got through the tunnel.

Then Thursday was London for meetings, but I did hit the gym again at the hotel, although there is very limited equipment, so just some running and cross training. However as is the case in London, plenty of opportunity to walk, even though it is mainly flat.

So the weekend is here again, and at this stage I need to get a walk in, or my legs will have forgotten what to do, let's hope for good weather.