Final thoughts on training

Once again I have failed to keep up the blogging. Simply too little time with too much to do – I seem to spend all my time walking these days.

So this entry is to bring you up to speed with the training we have been doing. I’ve have been keeping the training page on the Church website up-to-date with the efforts and the associated photos.

My last blog entry on training noted that we were off to go cliff walking in West Wales. This all came about because our neighbours are from Aberporth (the area we went walking) and knew someone with a couple of self catering guest houses we could rent (no – we didn’t get a discount but it was out of season) and we had always fancied going to Aberporth to see what the fuss was all about.

So the plan was to get a party of about 10, go down on the Friday evening, walk on Saturday, eat drink and be merry on Saturday night and then walk again on Sunday. A party of 10 (not all walkers and including the neighbours) was duly recruited and the guest houses booked.

In the end I had to squeeze this weekend in-between trips to Malaysia and California. So my itinerary for the two weeks was Monday 17th May fly to Malaysia, arrive back in Heathrow on Friday morning at 6:00am, leave for Aberporth at 7:00pm on Friday evening, return home 6:00pm Sunday evening, leave for Heathrow and CA 6:00am Monday morning – life in the fast lane! As I sat on the Air New Zealand flight out of Heathrow to LAX on Monday the fact I’d been in Malaysia the week before seemed bizarre!

Cliff walking is hard. Lots of ups and downs - into and out of picturesque coves - and narrow paths. On the positive side, the views are spectacular and every now and then the cove has an ice cream shop! I’ve eaten more ice cream training than I have all year.

The weather was kind – it would have been a very different experience if it had been raining and windy. We were able to see Seals basking on the rocks and a wide variety of countryside. I’ve written up the basic facts of the walk for the website and you can read this on the aforementioned training page.

Following suitable refreshment at the end of the walk and then further refreshment in the evening, the ‘hard core’ Kili walkers set out for a Walk on Sunday. This time we simply went the other way down the coast again with Seals and, this time, Dolphins to amuse us.

All-in-all a wonderful weekend. The main objective was achieved with 25 miles walked. In addition, we were all very taken with Aberporth and its surrounds. There is a ground swell building that over the next couple of years a few of us will go back and do a longer cliff walk staying at various B&Bs en route.

But there is no rest for the wicked! Back from California (on Friday 28th May) I had another attempt to assault/cuddle (delete as applicable and see previous blog entry for the explanation) Pen-Y-Fan on the Sunday 30th May to look forward to.

I should say that I’ve been training with a very heavy rusksack. On the cliff walking weekend I was carrying three house bricks in addition to water and a stainless steel coffee thermos. Someone point out that carrying water was probably more sensible as, if you wanted to lose some weight, you didn’t have to litter the countryside with bricks.

So, for the Pen-y-Fan attempt on the Sunday I decided that an additional 6 litres of water would be carried in place of the house bricks. I think 2 litres of water is about equal to one house brink from a weight perspective. It certainly felt like I had the house bricks.

Anyway, as you will read on the website here, the attempt on Pen-y-Fan was finally successful. It’s a stunning walk and we will be going again.

After the CA trip I had a couple of weeks back home and, needless to say, no training was organised. The minute I set off to the USA again there’s another training walk sorted out. As it happened I was in Washington on the Sunday 13th June and therefore decided to spent the day walking (apart from the bit when I set up the booth). Twelve miles walked around Washington in, what the Washington Post listed as, 95deg heat. How do I know the distance? I measured it on Google maps! Whilst out walking in Washington I happened upon Capital Pride – what fun! Unfortunately, I couldn’t linger because I had miles to cover, but I manage to take in ‘The DC Cowboys’ on the main stage – they were excellent.

Then, freshly back from Washington DC, the final organised team training event was a walk from Monmouth to Chepstow down Offa’s Dyke. 17 miles in eight hours with four major steep climbs to the top of hills – with the heavy rucksack. The next morning I didn’t feel as bad as I thought I might. Slightly stiff but otherwise OK.

The problem is, of course, that on getting back home after a couple of pints at the end of the walk, there was a hot bath, decent dinner and comfortable bed waiting. On Kilimanjaro there will be a wet wipe, a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat awaiting. Then, the next day, you get up and do it all over again! Joy of joys.

Today is Monday and we leave on Sunday. This last weekend was relaxing (well carting kids around and watching England crash out of the word cup – hardly relaxing) but I’m aiming to get down the gym three times this week to climb onto the cross trainer and keep the limbs moving. I’m confident I’m physically fit enough – it’s the altitude sickness I worry about. There is nothing anyone can do about that and it would be really disappointing if I fail to make it due to altitude sickness which can strike anyone.

As a final thought, anyone who knows me, knows I like a drink or several. Well I decided to give up drinking for two weeks before the attempt. So, following the Monmouth to Chepstow walk, the subsequent pints and a couple of glasses of wine in the bath, I stopped drinking. No booze for seven days to date.

As an interesting aside, when we were last in Arusha, following a safari a couple of years ago, we met a couple of Dutch guys in the hotel bar shortly after their attempt on Kilimanjaro. The fit marathon runner failed to make the summit due to severe altitude sickness. His mate, who basically made the trip to keep the other one company and was unfit and a smoker, strolled to the top without a problem. Apparently it’s something to do with the need the body has for oxygen. The fitter you are the more your body needs. Maybe sitting in the pub drinking would have been better preparation.

It's all about kit

One of the more interesting things about preparing for the Kilimanjaro climb is the kit list. This can cost you thousands. It's a fairly simple list:

3-4 season sleeping bag (0 degrees to -10 )
Roll Mat ('Therm a rest' blow up type are best)
Water proof jacket (Gortex type)
Fleece type jacket (Wind Stopper)
Several mid layers (Polar tech)
Thermal top and leggings (first layer)
Gloves/ woollen hat/balaclava
Head lamp (Spare batteries for summit climb)
Boots or sturdy walking shoes
Sports Sandles or light shoes (Evening)
Trousers (One spare pair to change into)
Sun hat (with brim)
Sun glasses
Insulated water bottle or Platypus water bladder
Strong plastic bags for putting clothes sleeping bag in

Then you start adding up the cost. A decent 4 seasons sleeping bag is around £250 (~$400). The Thermarest self inflating mat is £75 (~$115), Fleeces can be £30 (~$45) each and so on. Kha Koon & I had already purchased the walking jacket (see a previous blog entry) and new walking boots.

So the debate raged. Exactly how much did we need to spend/should we spend. There are some contrasting arguments. On one hand, if it's going to make the difference between getting to the top or not, then it could be money well spent – after all we have 'invested' so much anyway. Conversely, most of the kit we are going to use only once! The boots and jacket will last for many years and be used often. As a self confessed Marriott junkie, I can't see the sleeping bag be used after the trip.

So the upshot is that we have become very good at seeking out bargains on eBay and from the outdoors shops. We have not 'just thrown money at the problem'.

Sleeping bags have been sourced from eBay. One is a "Royal Marines Commando Arctic Weather Sleeping System". Rated to -30degC, it's almost brand new and cost £50 (~$75) delivered. The other is an absolutely brand new "US Issue extreme cold weather sleeping bag" again rated to -30degC for just under £30 (~$45) delivered. The final aspect is the sleeping mats. Thermarest sleeping mats are expensive. Again, eBay to the rescue and two Karimor self inflating sleeping mats later at £20 (~$30) each we have sleeping mats. So with the two sleeping bags, a couple of Jagg Bag silk liners (again from eBay) and the sleeping mats we have our sleeping system sorted. The only question I have is ‘why are military issue "arctic weather sleeping systems" olive green in colour and not white’?

The day sacks (rucksacks) have also come from eBay. Kha Koon got a newly new Berghaus Freeflow 30 Ltr rucksack at a reasonable discount and I picked up a men's version (35 ltr + 8 ltr) for a real steal. So eBay has been our friend on the kit front. These Freeflow rucksacks which provide a frame to keep and air gap between your back and the rack sack itself are great. I'm a fan.

So we are kitting up and, as the big day approaches, we need to start checking what we have and haven't got and start seeking some more bargains. One of the things that the training walks has definitely taught us is the need for a seating mat. The alternative is a wet derriere.

So the kit is complicated enough. We then have to consider the medical equipment. A fairly lengthy list:

Diamox (for altitude sickness can be purchased here in Arusha)
Headache tablets
Diarrhoea tablet
Rehydration salts
Small box of glucose
Stretch bandages
Deep heat or similar for sprains and muscle aches
Band aids /plasters/compeed for blisters
Water purification tablets or iodine (water is boiled on the mountain)
30 + Sun cream and lip protection.
Moisturizing cream or gel (Sun and Wind can be extreme at altitude)
Malaria tablets/ prophylaxis (Consult doctor as to side effects)

So, it's quite a logistics exercise.

I think the interesting thing is that there isn't necessarily any agreement in the team as to what is the best route to follow with kit. We are all sourcing our own and it will be interesting to see how kit decisions affect the overall experience and which bits of kit perform and which bits don't.

I'm convinced that a key aspect is having a reasonable night's sleep. This means a good sleeping bag, decent pillow and eye shades. I'm hoping I'll be OK - afterall if I can sleep in the economy seat of a trans Atlantic flight surely I can sleep anywhere?