Lessons Learned

Our second day of walking in the Malverns was a short but memorable one. It rained constantly and we could barely see the hills we were walking up. Still it was a good opportunity to test out the waterproof coats and covers and we learnt many lessons in the few hours we were out.

1. Waterproof trousers should be put on before your trousers get wet.
2. Waterproof covers for rucksacks should be put on before starting the walk.
3. Rain and wind equals a permanently runny nose and your tissue gets very soggy.
4. Walking in the rain and wind is unpleasant.
5. Learning what the different toggles on your hood do is best done before you are halfway up a hill and it has started to rain.

Looking happier than I felt!

I was alarmed when my coat started frothing!

Still at least we found all this out in a place where we could head back to a cosy house with a log burning stove, hot showers and a comfy bed. Kilimanjaro will be a snug two person tent, wet wipes and a sleeping bag - hmmm...

Bank Holiday Training

With the trip rapidly approaching we decided it was time to fit in a training walk or two so headed back to the Malvern’s with a clear objective. We were going to walk the full length and back again – a distance of about 18 miles according to the map I looked at.

The weather forecast was not good, rain, wind and more rain but we philosophically decided that we would face whatever the skies threw at us. Feeling slightly anxious we carefully packed our bags with the items we will have to carry on Kilimanjaro and laced up our boots – this would be a real test; had all those hours of gym torture and circuits classes paid off? We were both hoping to make it up the hills without being overtaken by little old ladies and their dogs!

Despite it supposedly being spring the weather was a tad on the cold side and the gloves and fleeces quickly went on, however there was no rain, a definite bonus. Dele had sensibly remembered a hat whereas I was destined to spend the day with cold ears. Reaching the top of the first hill we were pleasantly surprised, a bit out of breath but nothing compared to the torturous AMT machine at the gym. The walk settled into a very regular pattern – on the down side of the hills we chatted, gossiped and giggled. On the up slopes it all went rather quiet apart from the occasional groan. We developed a strategy of not looking too far ahead as a quick glance would often reveal how far we had to go to get to the summit and dampen the spirits somewhat! Despite the moans and groans we made it to the top of every hill in one go and before we knew it had reached the end.

All the gear and some idea!

I was jealous of that hat!

The walk back was slightly tougher as the legs were getting a bit tired but we persevered and had the welcome distraction of what seemed like hundreds of hang gliders and gliders filling the skies above us. There is something both eerie and beautiful about a plane swooping through the sky without a single sound.

All of the equipment was carried up a very steep slope.

We were heading back to British Camp car park but had a dilemma, would we attempt the hills on the other side of the camp or head home? Neither of us was willing to be the one to back down and there was a lot of “What do you think?” questioning.  Finally working on the logic that a) we would regret it if we didn’t try and b) on Kilimanjaro we wouldn’t have a choice we decided to give it a go. 

I won’t lie to you, it was tough. Muscles we weren’t previously aware of made their presence known and I think it was sheer stubbornness that got us to the top. Feeling rather smug and very pleased with ourselves we headed back to the car and home. We had come a long way since our first disastrous attempts and for the first time felt we were fit enough for the challenge that was creeping ever closer.

At the top of British Camp!