25/07/2023 – Deano's World

You’d have thought I’d have learned by now. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I ask myself as the reality of what I’ve agreed to sets in. Not only have I agreed to climb a stupidly big hill again, all in the name of a good cause naturally, but because the original group leader has had to step away I’ve ended up agreeing to pull the trip together as well. At least I’m not playing rugby up there this time.

Since Everest in 2019 I’ve done the square root of fuck all to keep myself in shape. The pressures of Covid, work, Samurai, Wooden Spoon and my complete lack of ability to say no to anyone has meant that, without, exception I am in the worst physical shape of my life. The only thing worse than my physical health is my mental health, and, like all mal-adjusted men I have “solved” that problem by drinking my ever increasing body weight in exceptional red wine, crisp gin and cheap rum.

“Why can’t I just, for once, attempt one of these challenges from a solid level of fitness?” I ask, “Why can’t I just, for once, make this shit easy for myself?”. Nick Wakley, a good friend of mine, once told me that I had the mind set and resilience of an International rugby sevens player and the body mass of two of them. I’m not sure about the first bit but the second bit is currently spot on.

“Deano you’ve got the mind set and resilience of an International rugby sevens player and the body mass of two of them.”
Nick Wakley

I’m 45, 4 years older than when I last went to any real altitude. I’ve had Covid at least twice and one of those times was pretty nasty on lungs. Mentally and physically I’m exhausted and quite frankly you could flip a coin on whether my mind or body fails first. To be able to summit I’ll need to be fitter than I was in 2019 not least because of the increased distance but also because any semblance of youth has since deserted me. I’m firmly middle aged and where stubbornness used to get me out of trouble its not going to be enough this time.

So enough of the hand wringing and whining: time to sort my shit out and embrace the challenge and the huge positives of undertaking it.

So why am I going to climb Kilimanjaro? Top of the list is the fact I am, finally, getting to go on an expedition with my wife. Previously all the challenges I’ve undertaken have been during term time and as my wife is a teacher that prevents her from joining in. This time however the climb is during the school summer break which means she can join me in Tanzania.

Then you’ve got the obvious stuff: the incredible view, the fact it is in East Africa which is one of my favourite places, it’s one of the seven summits, the dramatic change of scenery from savannah to rainforest to tundra, its almost legendary status in global culture and then the fact that I’ve wanted to climb there since I was about ten.

Lastly its all going to be to raise money for a good cause. As Kili’ sits on the border between Tanzania and Kenya and towers over the national park of Amboselli it makes sense for me to raise money for the incredible Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT).

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust operates several wildlife conservation projects, with a primary emphasis on elephant conservation. They have established the world’s most successful elephant orphanage, based in Nairobi, Kenya. The orphanage rescues and cares for orphaned baby elephants, often victims of poaching, human-wildlife conflict, or natural disasters. The elephants are raised with specialized care, including round-the-clock attention, nourishment, and veterinary support until they can be re-integrated into wild elephant populations.

Orphan elephants at the Nairobi orphanage

In addition to their elephant-focused efforts, SWT also works to conserve other endangered species, such as rhinos and giraffes, and runs various community outreach and anti-poaching initiatives. Their work not only aids the individual animals in their care but also contributes to broader conservation and ecological efforts in Kenya and beyond.

If you’ve enjoyed my ramblings and if you are in a position to do so please consider donating to the SWT by clicking here

As I’ve said previously, Buffy and I are climbing Kilimanjaro to raise money for The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the first step towards hitting our initial £5000 target was to run a charity dinner at the always fabulous Gurkha Kitchen in Oxted.

To entice the locals out on a Monday night who better than Bath, England and Lions legend Lee Mears and Wales, Lions and Golfing legend Andy Powell. The two rugby men took questions from the room about everything from the upcoming Rugby World Cup, favourite tour memories, the state of the game and their favourite service stations on the M4. The auction and raffle raised an incredible £2000 for the charity and got us a good start on the way to our target.

I’d like to offer a huge thank you to all those who attended, to Lee Mears and Andy Powell who entertained the room, to my brother Andrew for providing some very generous prizes and to Purna Gurung and the amazing team at The Gurkha Kitchen for hosting the whole thing!