A Monea lady took charity work to new extremes recently when she scaled the heights of Kilimanjaro in Kenya in order to raise vital funds to support Voluntary Services Overseas in their fights against HIV and Aids.
Twenty-four-year-old Anne Keown details her experience of the gruelling trek to the top of Africa's highest mountain, which stands 5,895 metres high, and for which she has already raised thousands of pounds for the charity.
On day one of her climb she begins: 'We started walking from the Rongai Gate at about 11.00am. And we walk slowly. No, we walk really slowly, ridiculously slow. We walk about 1.8 km/h. You wouldn't believe it until you do it. In Swahili this pace is called 'Pole Pole' (Po-lay Po-lay), which means 'take it slow and don't excite yourself'. It's what we would hear most over the next few days. It's the key to reaching Uhuru peak.
'People who don't make it, usually blow it on the first few days by not walking Pole Pole enough. This was an alien concept as we have so far to climb and we were walking like we had nowhere to go! But they knew best and this is how it would be'.
By day three, the journey was becoming punishing, Anne continues: 'As we climbed, it was evident the air was thinning and shortness of breath was worsening. After three hours of walking we were leaving the vegetation behind us and closed in on Mawenzi Tarn, spectacularly situated right underneath the towering jagged peaks of Mawenzi.
'In the afternoon, we went on an acclimatisation walk. We walk high and sleep low. This is a technique used to improve the process of acclimatisation. With all the Acute Mountain Sickness warnings, we were all constantly assessing ourselves. This was a constant battle between, 'I feel fine' and 'I can't breath'! Taking three steps left me out of breath. I had never felt this way before and, at this stage I was beginning to doubt my training regime. I began to wonder if reaching the top would be possible!"
However, despite the difficulties, Anne persevered, and finally after a five-day trek she got her just reward: "Summit night. This was it. The final push! We got up at 11.00pm and assembled in the mess tent. It was horrendously cold, and we were warned it would get colder as we ascended. In total, I was wearing six layers on the top half of my body and five layers on the bottom half, not to mention ski gloves, snood, hat and hood. I then treated my isotonic fluid with some anti freezing tablets and hoped that this would prevent my water supply from freezing. I suspected it wouldn't but only time would tell.
"We set out at midnight sharp. There were so many other groups setting off from this camp, some slightly faster, some slower, but we all set off in the same direction with the same ambition.
'The first three hours passed relatively quickly and as news arrived that some of our group had turned back, we passed some very sick looking people from other groups. I was still quite optimistic despite the fact it was a constant battle to breath, re-hydrate and talk. We reached the halfway mark and we were given a tiny mug of soup to warm us up. Despite the fact it was so difficult to consume, I managed to take it all on board as I knew it would be vital fuel for the next few hours.
'The next three hours were tough. It really was a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. The energy the soup had provided appeared to be long gone. A group of people passed us wearing oxygen tanks and masks. I was so jealous. To me this was practically cheating.
'At this stage, more people from our group had turned back. This was heartbreaking for all of us and I personally thought it was harder to turn back than to continue as they would still have Kilimanjaro on their to-do list.
'But, this was risky business and for some reason tonight was not right for them. News came through that our doctor had also turned back, but I felt fine about this as the guides are so fit any one of them could have carried us back down to camp on their backs within minutes if required. I walked on though. I couldn't feel my hands or toes. I was hoping I wouldn't get frostbite. My water had also frozen, I tried to eat one of my cereal bars but it was frozen too.
"Eventually, we arrived at the boulder field, which I knew was one hour from Gilman's Point (5,681m). We continued onwards and upward and a great sense of achievement swept through the group as we reached Gilman's Point, just in time for sunrise. It truly is an amazing spectacle to watch the sunrise over the plains of Africa and it made all the effort worthwhile. As we had reached Gilman's in time for sunrise, we decided to continue on to Uhuru peak, the absolute summit. Standing at 5,895m, this is the highest point on the African continent – the ambition realised, the challenge complete – the ultimate achievement!'
To support Anne, go to her fundraising site at: www.justgiving.com/annekeown
To date, she has raised over £3,600 for Regional AIDs Initiative for Southern Africa (RAISA).
RAISA is a four-year VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas) initiative that seeks to strengthen the response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Southern Africa. Anne also pointed out that her flight costs, equipment, visas, vaccinations and accommodation, etc., were not covered by her fundraising, a general misconception held by many.
