Back in action!

Well, here I am back from my holiday - rested, refreshed and ready to get going with Mount Kenya preparation again! I've had a great time just lazing around on the beach and doing as little as possible over the past couple of weeks, so I think getting back into the gym is going to be a challenge in itself!

While I've been away I have been really pleased with the continued giving and I have now nearly reached my revised fund-raising target of £4000 - so thank you to everyone who has given so far, it really is very encouraging. However, there's still 5 weeks to go until the challenge which gives me plenty of time to raise even more! I would really like to hit £5000 if possible, so please pass the word. People have been very generous so far and it really will make a huge difference to so many children if I can raise even more.

Justgiving have a new 'widget' for showing how much I have raised so far and I think it's pretty cool. I've posted it at the bottom of the side panel, so please take a look and please let me know if you have any trouble with it.

Anyway, that's it for now - I just wanted to let you know I'm back in action. Watch this space for more updates soon.

Time for a break - but first...

Summer holidays are upon us and I'm taking a break in the sun :o) But before I go, a couple of random thoughts to share with you.

That picture

Several people have asked me if I have been up Mount Kenya before because of my picture standing in front of the mountain. Alas, the answer is no - I just had a bit of fun with a graphics editor. It's actually a picture of me walking my dog (Barney) in Yorkshire which I cut and pasted into a photo of the mountain. If you look closely you can see that the shadows are wrong because on me the sun is from the front, but on the mountain it is from the right. You have to look closely though and I was pretty pleased with the outcome. Here's the before and after pictures...



You can click on these pictures to see larger versions.

Fundraising

I've had a great week of fundraising, for which I am incredibly grateful. I think I have raised something like £2500 in the week - which is fantastic. I'm really close to my £3000 target now and there's still 8 weeks to go. I think I will move the goal-posts and up my target as I am feeling very optimistic about raising more. Thanks for your wonderful support, but if you've not given yet please do give as I'd love to raise as much as possible. Follow the link on the right to my justgiving page, or click here. Thank you!

OK, that's it for now. I'm off to Manchester first thing in the morning for our Vision Africa AGM and then it's time to pack my holiday bags, so no more blog updates for a couple of weeks.

A couple of pictures

As promised, here are some pictures that I took on the walk in Wales this weekend. The first is looking across to Cader Idris and the second is me on top of a hill! All in all a great weekend and some good walking practise for Mount Kenya.

OK, so I know it's not a great picture, but it proves I was there - nobbly knees and all!

On top of the world

Well here I am on top of a mountain in Wales. The view from up here is fantastic - looking across the estuary to Barmouth. It's a lovely sunny day and this has been great practise, but i'm looking forward to getting back for a cup of tea now! I'll post a picture when I get back home.

Taking to the hills

This weekend it's time to blow the dust off my hill walking gear and get out there for some proper practise. I'm heading off to the 'mountains' of mid-Wales for an activity weekend, with the aim of getting lots of hill walking mileage under my belt. I've been doing quite a bit of up-hill walking on the treadmill, but you can't put it in reverse to go down-hill!

Well, after three weeks of dreadful weather the forecast for the weekend finally looks good - just in time! I was praying that I wouldn't have to test my wet weather gear and it looks like my prayers may be answered. Hooray! The scenery in Wales is breathtaking, but it can be pretty miserable in the rain.

I bought myself a new digital SLR the other day specifically so that I can get some good pictures in Kenya. So this weekend will be its first field trip and it will give me some much needed practise for how to set it up properly. I'll post a couple of pictures when I get back.

Also, watch this space and I will try to send a quick update from my phone to the blog by SMS. I hope to be able to use this neat facility to send some progress reports from Kenya - at least as long as I have a signal. So, I'll try a quick message from on top of a Welsh mountain this weekend (if I remember!).

Well, I call them mountains. Actually they are only between 3,000 and 3,500 feet high (or about 1000m). Just a pimple compared to Mt. Kenya, but hey - at least I'll get some uphill and downhill walking practise!

OK, time to pack my bags...

Decisions, decisions...

I never knew that choosing a sleeping bag could be so complicated until I started preparing for this trek! When we are down on the plain and visiting the Vision Africa projects the temperature at night will be quite high, but when we get up the top of Mount Kenya it will be seriously sub-zero. So, what kind of sleeping bag should I get?

Lots of research was called for, scouring the internet for advice. Well, after much deliberation it seems I need a 4 season bag rated down to at least -10c comfort rating. But, it's not that simple - should I get a synthetic bag, or a down filled bag? Back to the internet again... Concensus seems to be that a down bag is best because it's smaller and lighter - an important factor when you have a 15kg limit on your main rucksack.

That's it then, a four season down filled sleeping bag. Time to search the internet for a good deal... What! have you seen those prices! £200 for a good bag seems typical - I was thinking more like £50! Wow. But there's more - aparently it can rain or snow quite suddenly on the mountain and a bag with a waterproof outer shell and stuff-bag is recommended (or so the internet tells me!) Well, let's just add another £50 to the price shall we!

Carole, my wife, chips in and says I may as well give the money to the charity and stay at home! I know what she means, but in for a penny... Well, I finally take the plunge and decide on a bag. The good news is a quick call to my local outdoor specialist and they lop £35 of the price for me. Some small comfort I guess - it just better be a really comfy bag because I'll be seriously upset if I'm cold on the mountain!

I can feel an eBay ad in the offing when I get back from the trek - anyone want a second hand 4 season, 93/7 700+ fill down filled, water-resistant, -12c comfort rated, all singing, all dancing sleeping bag complete with waterproof stuff sack?