Kilimanjaro trek experience
Jo Sopala and group on Kilimanjaro
On Oct 10 2008, 16 excited MS Trust supporters gathered at Heathrow Airport, heading to Tanzania for what they were sure would be the challenge of a lifetime. One member of the team was Jo Sopala, Director of Fundraising at the MS Trust, who describes herself as "somewhat cuddly" and "not much of a mountaineer". Here are her thoughts on her Kilimanjaro experience.
"Having arrived in Tanzania, our first night was spent at the Ameg Lodge, where we enjoyed our last shower for 6 days! We awoke in the morning to see Kilimanjaro rising above us in the distance. It was an inspiring sight, but suddenly made the whole adventure very real!
"We transferred to the Machame gate, where everyone registered to climb the mountain, and then we were off. We started climbing upwards and I must admit that I suddenly realised what I had ahead of me - 70km trekking, rising from 1800m to almost 6000m. I began to panic. Had I done enough training? What if I couldn't do it? What on earth had ever made me think I could do this?! I was beginning to think I should turn around, before it was too late. Then I remembered the year leading up to this; the sponsorship, the coffee mornings, car boot sales and the way friends and family had supported me. I swallowed hard and carried on walking.
"The first day was spent trekking through beautiful rain forest, but much of the climbing involved steps of varying heights. I was increasingly relieved that I'd spent so long training on a stepper! Personally, I found that first day the hardest. As I continued to climb the steps, I questioned how long I could continue, but we had superb support from the local guides and Skyline and Discover Adventure staff. They reassured me that a slow and steady pace would be to my benefit at high altitude and as we reached the top of yet another steep slope, I heard voices and laughter and realised I had reached first camp.
"Finally I realised I could do this. Despite our basic facilities, we enjoyed a lovely dinner in our mess tents (we referred to them as the golf balls) and everyone was settled into their tents by about 8pm.
"We awoke on day 2 to a frosty morning and the knowledge that we had another day of very steep climbing ahead of us. Lots more steps and a narrower path, but we were already gelling as a group and beginning to have real fun together. We climbed out of the rain forest and into alpine heath, which was characterised by lush mosses, colourful flowers and overhanging rocks.
"Our second camp was above the clouds, looking across to Mount Mehru. In the evening we were treated to the spectacle of the moon rising over Kilimanjaro. We all stood, spellbound by the site, took photographs and realised just how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place.
"Day three was our "acclimatisation day", the first time we would climb above 4500m. It was a real slog! By this time we were trekking across highland desert, the alpine zone, where the weather is described as 'summer every day, winter every night'. The cynics among the crowd began to debate whether or not the moon landings had been filmed here! To avoid altitude sickness, we followed the "walk high, sleep low" code and so we descended to Barranco Hut to camp at 3900m.
"The main problem with sleeping at the Barranco camp is that you spend the night looking up at the 'Barranco Wall', in the full knowledge that you will have to climb up it in the morning!
"We set off early on day four, many of us nervous about climbing the steep, rocky and narrow path. But this is where you really begin to feel the benefit of being with so many like minded people, working towards the same aim. We had become such a strong team and we wanted everyone to succeed and so we encouraged each other (mentally and physically!) up the Wall. I felt an immense sense of achievement when I reached the top of the Barranco Wall and we were all rewarded with the most incredible views. Despite the physical strains of the climb, we were reminded once again of how lucky we were to be having this experience.
"It was still relatively early when we reached the top of the wall and we still had an awfully long walk ahead of us. We stopped at Karanga Valley for lunch and our final water stop before the summit. As usual, our porters prepared us a fantastic meal and we were sufficiently fortified to set off for Barafu, the final camp before the ascent to the summit.
"As we were again climbing higher, the terrain was becoming more and more desolate and ultimately we were walking on scree. The altitude began to really take effect on us all and I began to struggle.
"Over the years I have heard many people describe the fatigue that comes with having MS and I felt that I was hitting a similar "wall". However, that was enough to remind me why I was doing this; I don't have MS and I don't experience fatigue like that on a daily basis. I had embarked on this trek because I believe that the work the MS Trust does truly benefits people with MS now, by offering practical advice and research to combat issues such fatigue in MS.
"I was making very slow progress by this point and many of the team were way ahead of me, but there was always someone from Discover Adventure at the back with the slower ones and we continued to support each other.
"As I finally neared the camp, I realized that I was not going to be able to reach the summit later that night, but I was honestly not disappointed, nor did I feel that I was letting anyone down. The trek had been the hardest thing I had ever done and I had already far exceeded my own expectations. I could not face food and simply struggled to my tent, where I slept for a few hours.
"The summit climb starts at about midnight, to avoid trekking in the heat of the sun. I knew there was still a group of MS Trust trekkers intending to climb to the summit and I was determined to wave them off. I am still in awe of everyone who reached the summit that day, but particularly the MS Trust trekkers who got to the top and even managed to get some photos of themselves with the MS Trust banner.
"I am afraid my main contribution was to make them tea and hot chocolate when they came down, but it was an absolute thrill to see the joy and the sense of achievement on their faces. They were exhausted and elated and went to lie down for a few hours, before we started down hill.
"Our final night camping was spent at Millennium Camp where we could buy a beer! We were still sleeping above the clouds and had a tremendous view of Kilimanjaro rising behind us. We had descended a few hundred feet and so the effects of altitude were wearing off. Those of us who had not made it to the summit (over half of us) were captivated by the stories of those who had. We were all so proud of what we had achieved, individually and as a group. We enjoyed our final meal in the candlelit mess tents, then headed to our tents for our final night camping on the mountain.
"Our final day was filled with mixed emotions. We were all very excited at the prospect of beds and showers, but knew that our adventure was drawing to a close and that soon we would have to return to "real life". We spent our last night as a group at the Ameg Lodge, where we enjoyed a lovely celebration dinner, followed by some emotional speeches and then a night of fun at the Glacier Bar with a live reggae band.
"Reflecting back on the Kilimanjaro challenge I think all the trekkers would agree, this was a truly awesome experience. I pushed myself through a real physical challenge, met some incredibly inspiring people and raised some much needed funds for the MS Trust. This really was supposed to be a once in a lifetime experience, but believe it or not, I would go back and do it all again tomorrow!"
Jo Sopala 2008
Make a Difference
You can find further inspirational ideas in the latest issue of Make a Difference - the MS Trust's fundraising newsletter. Find out more
