A team of local Julian House supporters have reached the summit of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, raising a significant donation towards the charity’s work.
The challenge, which took five days in total, saw the group ascending the equivalent of 4.4 times the height of Ben Nevis and trekking across some of the most spectacular and varied landscapes on Earth.
From Kilimanjaro’s rich montane forests filled with amazing flora and fauna, across its other-worldly high-altitude desert, past Kilimanjaro’s cathedral high glaciers, before reaching the crater’s rocky rim and summiting the iconic snowy Uhuru Peak, 5896 metres high.
Jessica Gay, from Julian House, led the group: “The team did amazingly well. It was tough. Although we had great weather, the cold on the way up and on the summit was bitter.
“However, our stormy practice weekend in Brecon helped, plus sharing all the experience that we’ve gained from previous treks on the mountain.
“An unforgettable experience for everyone and a great boost to Julian House from the sponsorship raised. Well done all.
“A big thank you also to Executive Jet Support for sponsoring the challenge and to Nationwide Bath, Royds Withy King and other local businesses for supporting their colleagues on this epic trek.”
Julian House has been organising the event for 20 years and has built up an impressive track record of getting its teams to the summit.
Preparations normally include a training weekend in the Brecon Beacons and thorough briefings about what to expect from the extreme altitude and how to cope with the inevitable effects.
However, even with the best preparations in the world, the vagaries of altitude and how it affects each individual means that it is by no means guaranteed that everyone will cope.
The fact that all 11 of the group made it to the crater rim of the dormant volcano was quite an achievement, with 10 making the extra two-hour traverse around the rim to the absolute summit at Uhuru Peak.
Because access to the mountain is strictly managed, plans are already in hand for the next trek which is likely to take place in the autumn of 2021.
Register your interest early here, or by contacting Jessica on [email protected].
