And it all ends

There is nothing quite so rewarding as coming home to an excited family. A special Kilimanjaro cake had even been baked to celebrate this great occasion!

I spent a lot of time thinking on this trip and here are some of the fruits of my labour. Firstly I wanted to share the three reasons why this trip was so wonderful:


1. Climbing this mountain was a challenge that I have entertained for years. To actually be out there surrounded by its incredible beauty was a special reward.
2. Spending time and connecting with my brother after years of little contact was equally special. We got to rebuild a really important relationship.
3. Kilimanjaro is climbed at a snail’s pace. For the first time in my life I have had the opportunity to enjoy every moment! Going so slowly meant that I had all of the time in the world to look around, drink in my surroundings, think deeply, and find a deep peace within!


And yes, I did learn some things out there:


1. I have to slow down! It is only when I do life slowly that it has any meaning at all!
2. The end is not as important as every step along the way. If I get every step right and make the most of it, it actually does not matter where I end up.
3. The timing of my goals is also not important. So long as I keep plodding on towards them, I will achieve them when the time is right. I certainly do not need to achieve everything right now!
4. Life needs to be lived in a state of happiness. I can choose to be happy and cheerful every step of the way.
5. Data coverage on Kilimanjaro is NOT very good, hence I was not able to post in real time!


That is probably enough about the mountain, although I will be back on its side at some time in the future! For now, it is now time for me to do life on my new terms!

As slow as possible

Today was supposed to be a frantic rush of last minute preparations interspersed with work deadlines. Instead all of the pieces of work fell into place yesterday, leaving today free.

What a gift!

I thought I might sneak off for a surf. The beast swallowed my surfing kit for the trip to the beach, only to return with it all in the same dry condition. The waves were appalling!

Instead I found myself at mass. That’s right, church on a Wednesday morning. It was beautiful, better than the surfing could ever have been. It struck me that throughout the world, all day, every day, hundreds of masses are being said. That there are people praying for others, all of the time! I found that comforting, and added my own prayers to the pot.

Now I have a whole day to do the things I need to do, at the slowest possible pace!

Which by the way is the secret to climbing Kili; doing it at the slowest possible pace. It is said that smokers and overweight people are most likely to summit. Smokers have an advantage because they are used to breathing less oxygen, and overweight people are used to going slower. Young fit people are least likely to summit because they go too fast and don’t acclimatise. Essentially the atmospheric pressure at the top of Kilimanjaro is only 20% of that at sea level. In other words, it is five times harder to get the same amount of oxygen into ones lungs.

Climbing this mountain is going to teach me a lot!

I am going to push technology to the limit and post directly to my blog from the mountainside. I hope you will follow my journey with a wry smile and lots of enthusiasm!