farmer1

Hi All,

I appologise for coming on here with my begging bucket. I used to be a regular poster but since I no longer have a scooby I tend to just be a guest reader.

Sadly last year my aunty lost her battle to cancer, in the latter stages of here illness she received care from a charity called St. Lukes Hospice. Not only did they provide 24 hour care for my aunty but they also supported my family through a difficult time. Since then both my mum and sister have taken part in fundraising walks and I have also been wanting to do something in order to help give a little back.

It's always been an aspiration of mine to climb a major mountain and the opportunity has arrisen for me to climb Kilimanjaro for the benefit of St. Lukes.

Currently I am physically out of shape and terrified about not reaching the fundraising goal of £5000.00 and I would be most greatful if anybody could make a donation. In return I promise to ensure that I get myself into the best physical form in order to attempt to summit.

I have set up a page to make donations easier and so you can track my progress: http://www.justgiving.com/Ian-Miller2013

Many Thanks

Ian Miller

P.s. Mods if I have broken the rules by posting this please accept my appologies and delete/move as required. This is a genuine post and I have tried to be as honest as i can about my motivations.

Jamie

You aint broken no ****ing rules

£10 sent next pay day.

farmer1

Thankyou jamie, much appreciated.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

Good luck Ian I planned on climbing Kili last October but broke my collar bone snowboarding. Will do it next year hopefully. It'll surely be an experience you won't forget.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Pick up an "as new" sleeping bag off ebay they are useless in the UK due to being down filled (too damp here).

I would also suggest getting a boot fitting, nice Merino wool socks (dont take anything cotton based either), and dont skimp on the boots, a decent pair will set you back between 1-200 quid, but will be worth it
Merino wool will also not smell if you dont change it for several days, and its cool/warm when you need it to be

Tony

farmer1

Thankyou for the donations and advice, I will definitely invest in the right gear and recommendations are always welcome.

David Lock

African Snow

farmer1

They are some amazing pictures . Although they are making me rather nervous now.

Would you mind if I used them else where? As I think they really show the vast scale of what I am aiming to climb.

farmer1

Just found out about a spanish runner called Kilian Jornet. The guy is awesome and recently set a new record for running up and down Kilimanjaro - 7 hours, 14 minutes !!!!!

Kilian Jornet, 22, set a new speed record at Mount Kilimanjaro, running from base camp to Uhuru Peak and back in 7 hours, 14 minutes. The previous record was held by Tanzanian ultra runner and mountain guide Simon Mtuy in 8 hours, 27 minutes. At 19,340 feet, Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa and a popular trekking destination. Most climbers take about seven days to summit.

Jornet started his run at 7:15 a.m. from Umbwe Gate, elevation 5249 feet, and reached the summit 5 hours, 23 minutes, 50 seconds later, breaking the ascent mark of 5:32 held previously by Bruno Brunod of Italy. Jornet spent about ten minutes on top and then descended the 13,960 vertical feet back to the finish at Mweka Gate in a startling 1:41. Mtuy helped organize the attempt and was graciously waiting at the finish. The round-trip is about 53 km (32.9 miles).

Gives me something to aim for.

David Lock

They're not my pictures and anyway I haven't been in space recently I am sure no one is going to report you if you use them.

Well this has bumped your post up at least

david

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

The pics were meant to depict the decline of Kili's ice cap.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3054

farmer1

I hadn't noticed the dates on the picture until somebody jokingly mentioned global warming on another forum.

It's quite a strange sight on the video I posted, watching a bloke run on sand in what looks like desert conditions with what looks like a meter or thicker ice cap just a few meters behind him.

EnergyRouter

Sorry I can't support this one, but I can send you some great information on your prep and you can see the route ahead of time by watching my videos on YouTube! Here is the link:

farmer1

Thanks energy router, great vid!







I have uploaded a picture to the very first post of this thread. The picture is designed for powerpoint presentations.

If anybody gives powerpoint presentations, during briefings, meetings or as weekly updates at work or clubs it would it would be awesome if you could insert this picture as a slide. Alternatively the image could be used in newsletters or shared on facebook etc.

The picture can be saved be right clicking and selecting "Save picture as"

Thankyou for everyones support.

Ian

Fat Boy

My 19 year old nephew did this last year (in his trainers and ski jacket...). His summary - it's not that bad - more of a stiff walk and high altitude/low oxygen so you need to acclimatize on the walk in/up, but not that hard really. He did the usual set off in the middle of the night to see the sun come up and said that was pretty incredible as it's effectively a stand alone mountain in the middle of the african plains.

Good luck to the OP

farmer1

Really looking forward to seeing the sun come up from the summit provided I make it in time, did your nephew do it as part of an organised guided group? If so I may have a question or two.

Unfortunately I don't have much of an update at the moment. most of my time has been spent at work and whilst not at work getting the ball rolling on a few fundraising events. I am organising an event which should be of interest to scoobynet member living in Devon or close to Plymouth, I will reveal the event and release more details once the event has been finalised/confirmed.

On a side note if any body would like to make a donation , it is now even easier. All you have to do is text "IANM88 £5" to 70070. The £5 can be changed to however little or much as you would like to donate (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10)