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T Minus 230 Days

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F irstly, thank you to everyone who has reached out to me after reading my last blog where I shared the sad news that my trip to climb Kilimanjaro would be delayed due to company organising the trip entering insolvency. Your kind words and support are greatly appreciated. However, in this update, I’m delighted to say that I have now rebooked the trip and head off to Tanzania on the 7 th October , just a mere 230 days away (or less depending on when you read this!). Thanks to the excellent Tour Compass , they have put together a schedule for me to ensure I have the best possible opportunity to make it to the summit, all 5,895 metres or just over 19,000 feet. As a result, the training continues, six days a week in the gym building up fitness, strength and resilience and as the weather improves, getting as much real world experience as possible, climbing both Snowdonia and Ben Nevis over the Spring/Summer months so that I am as ready as possible come October 7 th . If anyone wants to
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A Longer Journey but the Mission is the Same: Finish the Story

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  "If the going is tough and the pressure is on, if the reserves of strength have been drained and the summit is still not in sight, then the quality to seek in the person is neither great strength nor quickness of hand, but rather a resolute mind firmly set on its purpose that refuses to let its body slack or rest." The above is a quote from Edmund Hillary, one of the first people to climb Mount Everest in 1953. While I may be climbing a different and smaller mountain in Mount Kilimanjaro, the challenge will be the same.  It is that quote I wanted to start this blog post off with following the challenges over the last few weeks.  As many of you know through reading this blog and/or having conversations with me,  I had intended to climb Kilimanjaro in June 2024, however due to the tour operator no longer being able to fulfill that trip, I now need to find a new tour operator so that I can climb Kilimanjaro as soon as possible, with an initial target date of September or Octob
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The Journey So Far and The Journey Still to Come!

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  An Apology and a Thank You It's been a while since my last blog so firstly an apology. I said at the start of this that I would try and publish something on a regular basis, well that was the aim, life just got in the way. Anyway, with my epic challenge being just over six months away, I will try and update this on a more regular basis in 2024! With the apologies out of the way, I would like to thank everyone who reached out to me after reading my last blog, which you can still read by clicking here . I was quite open about some of my challenges in that blog and I want to thank everyone who reached out to me afterward and it's great to know that I have friends, colleagues, and people around me who I can turn to in times of challenge, I am sure there will be more of them in 2024 so thank you again! Journey So Far and the Journey Still to Come Since I last published a blog, I have kept up my training, going to the gym on a regular basis, three times a week, twice on a
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And now for something slightly different....

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In this week's blog, I want to step away from training for Mount Kilimanjaro and talk about something different, mental health and in particular, my own mental health.  As I touched on in one of my previous blogs, one of the reasons why I am climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is because I see the training, the challenge, and the whole process as good for my mental health as well as my physical health. I suffer from anxiety and insecurities and times and this has many different forms. For example, I find it difficult not to overthink and overanalyse situations, find myself believing the most unrealistic option to be correct, or suffering from imposter syndrome where despite all evidence to the contrary, I don't feel good enough or valued enough.  These feelings/emotions came to a head a couple of weekends ago when I sat on the floor in my bedroom suffering from what I felt was a panic attack. I couldn't stop crying, felt sick and my heart rate and breathing was too fast! After about
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Training Updates and Fantasy Hike Team

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It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog so I thought it would combine a couple of blogs for a bumper bonus edition! Training Updates One of the first things people ask about this challenge is the training and what level of fitness they will need to be able to attempt the challenge. The good news is that with Aspire Adventures, who is managing this trip for us, we have been given a dedicated training guide to follow so we are in the best possible position to reach the summit.  It goes without saying that this is no ordinary hike and that both fitness and stamina are required to be able to climb up to and back down from the summit. Therefore, I will be following this guide, building my endurance levels, my overall cardio, and my experience of hiking of smaller hikes, breaking in my new hiking boots. Like barrister's wigs, I'm guessing you can tell first-time hikers with their brand-new boots.  As a result, I have been making the most of the somewhat summery weather we
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So Alex, why are you climbing Mount Kilimajaro?

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  A fair question many of you have asked is why am I climbing the 4th highest mountain in the world. The short answer is of course to raise funds for HSO - Herts Schools Outreach. However, many people would say there are other ways to fundraise, for example, jumping out of a plane is a much quicker journey up and down whilst running a 5-10km would require less training, is more achievable, and cost less. However, the challenge of training for the best part of the next 12 months, trekking for seven days and the inevitable altitude sickness make this an extraordinary challenge which is lucky because HSO is an extraordinary charity.  Who Are HSO - Herts Schools Outreach? Founded in 2019 by my friend and fellow Kilimanjaro challenger Michaela Johnson, HSO is a support service for all children and young people across the UK promoting and enhancing positive mental health change.  Since 2019, HSO has positively impacted and supported over 1,272 children and young people and with the Covid 19
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The Original BFG is Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro!

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If you haven't heard the news yet, I (aka the Original BFG, pictured left) have signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in June 2024. In taking on this challenge I will also be raising funds for a charity that I am a trustee of, namely HSO - Herts Schools Outreach .  Before finding out about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I had no desire to climb any significant hills, peaks, or mountains, let alone the highest mountain in Africa and the fourth highest mountain in the world! However, when this opportunity came up, it took me all of 10 minutes to sign up to take part in it. In taking on this utterly ridiculous challenge, I thought writing a regular blog alongside my training programme would be a useful way to track progress, keep all of you reading this up to date and let you know more about this challenge I have decided to undertake. In the weeks to come, I will keep this blog up to date with the latest news from my training plan (lots of walking, hiking, and visits to the gym)
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