I was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and after two years we moved to Nairobi, Kenya, and then to Johannesburg, South Africa, for 7 years. I was 9 years old when as a family we returned to the UK, which was the first time for me. My father was a TV & Radio Broadcaster and Journalist and the family moved from Glasgow to Tanganyika in 1961 to join family and report on the Tanganyika independence in the same year.

As a result, I’ve always had a bond with Tanzania and Africa and in 1992 we spent our honeymoon in Kenya and part of that on a ‘Tented Safari’ in ‘Tsavo East’ with Kilimanjaro in the background. I decided then that one day I would climb Kilimanjaro. 😊

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, standing at 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level and 4,900 metres above its plateau base in northeast Tanzania near the Kenyan border. It is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and part of the Kilimanjaro National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is a dormant volcano and has three cones: Kibo the youngest and highest (centre), Mawensi (east), and Shira (west). It is a popular climbing destination and known for its diverse ecological zones including rainforest, heather zone and alpine desert before reaching the summit. It can be climbed without the use of ropes, though hikers face challenges like altitude sickness.

Over the years I have tentatively looked at the prospect of climbing it and was considering this seriously when the opportunity arose through St. Andrew’s University and for a very good charity cause, I jumped at the opportunity!

Our climbing group consisted of 22 University Team members, a doctor and 72 support staff made up of guides, medics, porters and cooking staff. There are 6 different established routes to climb Kilimanjaro and we took the ‘Machame’ route over 6 days (4.5 days ascent and 1.5 days descent).

After flying into Kilimanjaro International Airport we were based and started from the town of Moshi, and after 2 days to adjust and partly acclimatise, we set of from the Machame Gate and climbed for approximately 5-8 hours each day for the first 4 days (climbing high and dropping back down to a lower level on days 3 and 4 to help acclimatise to the altitude).

We reached the base camp at 15,000 feet on Day 5 after 6-8 hours’ climb and set off at 11.30pm the same day to make the 7.5-hour ascent in the dark to reach the summit at dawn. This was by far the most challenging day due to exhaustion, adverse weather conditions including strong winds and freezing conditions (minus 7 degrees Celsius but wind factor took this down to -15 degrees C) and of course reducing oxygen levels. (At the summit there is 50% oxygen level, effectively like going from two to one lung capacity). After the elation of reaching the summit, and a short time to enjoy it (15-20 mins max), the descent is quick to reduce the risk of altitude sickness, and down a different, steeper route in places on shale and volcanic ash and sand.

After a few hours’ rest back at base camp, we moved on to a lower and final camp (approximately 16 hours climbing/walking in one day), before the last leg back to Moshi the next day.

I was incredibly pleased and relieved to have been successful in reaching the summit and especially given my age at 64 years relative to a young student team. Unfortunately, four members of our team didn’t make it to summit, but relatively it was a high success rate.

The team were absolutely brilliant, and we all worked together, had fun and encouraged each other, and the guides were phenomenal as was all the support crew! There was opportunity to thank the whole support team when we reached the gate, and a celebration night back at the hostel in Moshi on the same day… after a shower and clean change of clothes! This included a presentation of certificates and acknowledgement by Dig Deep charity support members of the fundraising that was achieved, and a list of what this translated into for the people of Bomet County in Kenya.