Day 8: To The Summit of Kilimanjaro!

By Bethany Ansell

They did it!! They climbed all the way to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at 5895m and here they are flying the Dorset flag looking suitably chuffed.

Huge congratulations are in order to The Lucky 13 for all they have achieved on behalf of The Steve Charles Help a Friend Fund.

Unfortunately our lovely Donna had to stay at Barafu Camp because she was hit with altitude sickness. When this happens, for health and safety reasons, climbers are advised to stay at a lower altitude.

We are gutted for you Donna but you still reached 4600m - which is near as dammit! The rest of the climbers rejoined Donna at Barafu Camp this morning for a rest and they are all now on their way to Mweka camp at 3100m for their last night on the mountain.

They will have a traditional Tanzanian meal for dinner tonight and a chance to say what I imagine will be an emotional goodbye to their guides from Private Expeditions, before heading back to the hotel tomorrow.

So they reached the top - all but one, who with altitude sickness was overcome (you can have that one Alistair Chisholm if you're reading this).

Please join me in congratulating all 13 of our climbers for such a tremendously epic effort!

http://www.justgiving.com/schaff

Day 4: Machame Camp to Shira Camp

By Bethany Ansell

We have had official confirmation from the guides at Private Expeditions that our climbers, The Lucky 13, are on schedule and all doing well. After spending their first night on the mountain at Machame Camp last night apparently they woke up to an 'all you can eat' breakfast. I'm not sure if this is a joke or if they really did have a banquet!

Let's hope it's the latter as they will have needed the energy today to get from Machame Camp at 3000m to Shira Camp at 3850m. If all else fails, the 600 snack bars kindly donated by Dorset Cereals should see them through (read the original article).

Yesterday's forest gave way to giant heathers, giant senecio (please say I'm not the only one who had to Google that) and lobelias today and it's much steeper - our climbers will have been scrambling over rocky ridges in their shorts. The Private Expeditions blog describes this as Dr Seuss land!

We haven't heard from the climbers themselves since they left the hotel yesterday morning which is either due to technology issues or energy preservation, but we'll keep you updated.

Oh and let's not forget the most important part of today's story - beef biryana for dinner. Sounds like they are all being spoiled to me!

That was a joke of course. The Lucky 13 are putting themselves through a tough physical and emotional challenge to raise much needed funds for the charity. If you would like to make a donation to The Steve Charles Help A Friend Fund, please click here.

Day 3: Machame Gate To Machame Camp

By Bethany Ansell

And they're off! This morning the lucky 13 started their climb from Machame Gate to Machame Camp at 3000m, where they will spend the night. At the time they set off the temperature was around 33°C with clear blue sky. Their guide from Private Expeditions lead them through the rain forest chanting 'Pole! Pole!' which means 'Slowly! Slowly!' to the first camp.

Upon reaching Machame Camp they were greeted by snacks, hot washing water, lots of tea and their tents all ready for them. They then had a chance to relax before dinner with banana crisp and Nutella for pudding! After this they will sleep under the stars and prepare themselves for Day 4: Machame Camp to Shira Camp.

This Morning

Before leaving this morning some of the climbers had time to give us one last update using the hotel's wi-fi. Tommy posted the following update from his phone with the caption 'OMG!' (no doubt this countdown had been on his phone for almost a year so it's only right that I share it with you):

In contrast, Tim went for the undersell with his post: "Today I am going for a walk!!".  As the official charity representative, Jack's thoughts turned to the fund: "That's it, I am off up Mount Kilimanjaro. I may be some time . Thanks again to all who got me here, and for The Steve Charles Help a Friend Fund for the amazing work it does to help others which is why I am here today."

Meanwhile Donna was thankful for the support already received from everyone at home : "Right folks this is it, if you hear from me before next Sunday I have failed in reaching the summit. Once again thanks to everyone that has supported me, you've all been fantastic. Thanks for all of the messages of support, you don't know how much it boosts my morale. We have got a really good team and I know we are gonna make it, we have spoken to people that have reached summit and have told us how fantastic and emotional it is, so until Sunday goodbye and good luck to all of the team xx". 

Finally Carole posted this photo of the team getting ready to leave:

Last Night

Nerves were at an all-time high last night but the lucky 13 were mostly excited as they prepared themselves for the challenge ahead. Here's what they had to say...

Tom: "Last night of relative comfort before the start of an enormous challenge - to be honest it can't be a lot more taxing than the flights here. We've eaten dinner, done some hardcore hydration, talked a lot, and we're all very excited. Can't wait to actually be on the mountain now. On a personal note, I'm missing Rachel and the furry little fellas a lot. See you all the other end. I expect the first gig when I'm back will be riotous. Come on then mountain, let's have you."

Jaime: "Ok so we have had a quiet day relaxing at the hotel. Everyone has butterflies. Off to sleep now and ready for 7am breakfast and off we go! No more wifi when we leave! We have all packed our mountain bags and set to go! I have had some FaceTime with James and Olivia and they are fab so bring it on Mount Kilimanjaro... I am ready for whatever you throw at me!!! OMG I'm nervous though. Night all xxxxx"

Barney: "Excited for the morning and the huge challenge ahead. It's been a nice relaxing day chilling with the crew. We have an early start tomorrow but we all (whether we like to admit it or not) cannot wait to get started. If I can I will post again before the week is up but you can follow our progress on the blog or private expeditions page. Wish the lucky 13 luck and we'll see you on the other side."

Tommy: "Ok so this maybe my last post for a while as for some reason my 3G isn't working so if I cannot post then please follow our progress through the other climbers or the blogs. We have now had our last supper and are just keen to get on with it I've never seen so much water being drunk at one meal!! Should start the climb tomorrow around 10ish your time - here we gooooo xx"

Lee: "One more sleep, force fed food down for dinner that I didn't want knowing it will come in handy. To date I have conquered Kilimanjaro water, Kilimanjaro beer, stared the mountain in the eyes (from the plane and hotel) tomorrow it will feel my boots!"

Ben: "Tomorrow is the big day, it's been a lovely day acclimatising. Now having a nice pre bed cup of tea with my roomy Tim Emberley and our neighbour Jane Massey. Then it's off to bed ...... It's gonna be a long old day ahead - feeling pumped."

If you would like to make a donation to The Steve Charles Help A Friend Fund, please click here.

Day 2: Rest Day In Moshi

By Bethany Ansell

Our climbers arrived in Moshi yesterday and spent the night in Sal Salinero Hotel. Today they have been relaxing and preparing to start up the mountain tomorrow.

The photo above was taken by the guides at Private Expeditions, and you can follow their blog here. 

This morning, Lee Burton said: "Breakfast done, then climb brief kits check then hydration hydration hydration ready for tomorrow morning." Meanwhile Carole Landon said she was feeling 'momentarily relaxed.'

A Few Words From Al Murray:

After a nervous morning of last minute packing/panicking the time came to leave for Dorchester to meet with the team.

An anxious bus ride later and we all arrived at Heathrow. A swift check in then time came for some pre flight beers.

A long over night flight to Doha, with a very dodgy landing we had just enough time to connect to our next flight to Dar Es Salaam.

At which point we where flown on to Mount Kilimanjaro airport where we where met by a blast of heat and the exped team (Arsenal fans).

A short bumpy bus ride later we have arrived at the hotel! So basically, a very long flight got to catch a very long flight after which we caught a very short flight. After that a bus trip then dinner.

We had the climb brief this morning. Our bags are packed and we are ready to rock and roll! Looking forward to it.

To sponsor Al Murray, click here. In the meantime, here are a few more pictures from today...

Ben Wain doing a bit of mountain reading

The afternoon pre-climb coffee club (Ben Wain, Tim Emberley,
Al Murray, Jane Massey and Tommy Lillington)

The coffee club and Lambie 

Ben Wain and Tim Emberley in what they call 'the man pad'

If you would like to make a donation to The Steve Charles Help A Friend Fund, please click here.