WE MADE IT!

I have just arrived back from Nairobi after my six day trek up Mt Kenya. And yes unbelievably I made it up to the summit after six of the most gruelling but also awe inspiring trek I have ever undertaken.

It was a huge moment for me to clamber up to Point Lenana (4,945 metres) - literally hauled up by my Guide Zachary up a sheer rock face- in freezing temperatures. I discovered later that the route we took to the top via the scenic Sirimon Chogoria track -while one of the best for acclimatisation and reducing altitude sickness because it takes longer to get to the summit- is in fact one of the most difficult in terms of endurance with many people turning back after the first day on the trail.

Every Step Makes a Difference.

I found the uphill grades more than tough and I took it very slowly ..but I kept reminding myself of what one of my staff at UNHCR said to me.."Every step makes a difference"-she was referring to the work we do for refugees but it helped inspire me to go on... as did the many generous words of encouragement from friends, family and supporters who posted notes on my blog. One memorable day as we were being pelted with hail as we attempted to traverse a shale rock face I suddenly thought of one post to me of 'Go you little red fire engine' which immediately made me laugh and cheer up and take the next step. I was also grateful for the suggestions from my pre trek training group "Wild Women on Top" -my leader Vic who pushed me to the limit knowing I would need that fortitude, the advice to take it slowly (I learnt the Swahili words for slower slower very quickly "pole, pole") and the strength of mind over matter (sometimes worked but not always.)

Friends and Laughter.

I also had the practical support of many friends in the form of equipment. One of my most precious items was a 'tube' scarf loaned to me by a friend and also a former refugee who had trekked over mountains herself nine months pregnant to escape fighting in Sarajevo. She had washed the scarf in a gentle perfumed soap which was extremely comforting and well as keeping my nose and mouth warm in the almost arctic winds!!

My most on the spot support was fellow trekker and UNHCR supporter Kayte Webb who had decided to join me at the last minute. Her boundless good humour and encouragement was priceless. After I had just hauled myself up a kilometre or more of loose gravel rock and mud, thinking the worst was over, Kayte greeted me with a Pythonseque quip" and now we’re about to traverse this sheer cliff face!"
We both broke into hysterical laughter as our Guide Zach on looked perplexed at these crazy Australian women.

We Achieve Nothing Alone.

The big lesson was that we achieve nothing alone. Without Kayte, without the motivating words of supporters and without my pre trek training I would not have made it. And for refugees this is their everyday reality - without the help of organisations like UNHCR and its supporters every day would be impossible!

But We Still Need More Support!

But we still have one more challenge. My achievement of reaching of Pt Lenana was just one step. our greater goal is to raise $10,000 to help nearly 4,000 women and babies, as part of our Safe Mother and Baby program. I am still $2,000 short from my target and am asking for your help to reach this bigger goal if not more. Please send this message to anyone you think might be able to help. We only need 200 more people to give $10 each and we will have achieved what we set out to do. Thank you so much for your donations already and thank you so much for your encouragement which I truly felt every step of the way! :)

Climb Diary.

Now as for our daily blog - I thought we would be able to send messages while on route but there was no reception. I kept a diary of each day's journey with some highlights from the trek.

Day 1
After a 3 hour drive from Nairobi we arrived at the Sirimon entrance to Mount Kenya National Park at 1pm – Altitude 2850m.
We met up with our climbing party made up of the guide Zach, two porters Christopher and Josephat, and our cook Tephlat.
A short time after setting out, we were lucky enough to come across a group of baboons and deer in the forrest at the base of the mountain.
We then walked for 9km on a moderately sloping track with a spectacular view of beautiful wildflowers all along the way.
Arrived at “Old Moses” camp at around 5pm – at 3300m. Already it was very cold and with no fireplace in the very basic hut, we were quickly dug down into our winter-proof sleeping bags for the night.

Day 2
Awoke at 630am and set off again at 730 for a 16km uphill trek and then across a grassy moorland with deteriorated into a very boggy path. It soon became very hard going, traversing the marsh with our feet sinking into boglike mud with each step.
The route took us along Mackinder’s Valley – a beautiful but remote terrain, populated by extraordinary looking giant cabbage like plants which looked to me as if they had landed from another planet.
Again another long trawl up the mountain side until we reached our lodge for the night at Shipton Camp some 4600m above sea level.

Day 3
Today we’re heading for Mackinder Camp – at least a five hour walk from where we are and covering some of the most wild mountain terrain on Mount Kenya.
After a very steep climb on the ridge, heading up from Mackinder Camp, we reach a sheer cliff face, up to a ridge overlooking two glacial lakes(tarns). Kayte and I now realise we are embarked on a journey much more arduous than we imagined.The weather is constantly changing and when tiny pellets of hail start raining down on us we try to avoid slipping down the scree slopes and boulder fields which form so much of this 3 million year old volcano.
Unlike the other camps, Mackinders camp at 4,300 mtres is a more substantial stone building. Although the long drop toilet is still a discouraging 50 metres above the camp-which makes midnight visits in the below freezing temp not a very comforting prospect.

Day 4
Today our Guide Zach says we should try for the summit. For the first time I am able to climb the mountain without stopping every few minutes for breath. In fact I make it in a record 3 and half hours. Everyone is surprised. Kayte on the other hand is suffering from mild altitude sickness and is struggling to make it to the top having to stop every few minutes to be sick.
We finally make it to Austrian hut overlooking the Lewis Glacier and Lake. Clearly the glacier is retreating and we find out that almost 7 of the 18 glaciers have disappeared. Global warming is having a big impact on the mountain environment.
By the time we reach the hut Kayte is very unwell and heads straight to the bunk to sleep.A small snow storm starts swirling outside and I think our attempt to reach the summit will be off. But Zach wakes us up at about 2.30pm and we kit ourselves in our warmest gear ready to try for the peak.
Kayte and I carefully follow Zach and Josephlet as they dig in their footsteps in the snow for us to follow.Its is difficult with sheer drops on either side and Kayte at the foot of the final ascent decides she is too unwell to go on.
I follow on with Zach and make a final scramble to the top with Zach pulling me up over the rocky ledge.Not very elegant but I have made it. I am amazed I made it here at 4,945 metres( and I know Zach is too.)
The weather starts closing in and we pick our way back along the ridge which is just as difficult on the return.

Day 5
Today we head down the mountain which i think will be so much easier than the ascent. I could not have been more wrong. The 8 hour trek downwards entails walking down mountain streams, across more bogs, and endless tramping across strange rocky landscape.
I feel I have expended all my energy getting to Point Lenana. Fortunately Kayte is getting better the lower we descend.
By the time we have walked 5 hours and Zach tell us we are not yet half way I start to worry. Will we make it off the mountain before night?.Everything is wet,, my feet are sore, I have blisters and a stabbing pain in my ankle. It is only Kayte’s ongoing encouragement that get me down step by step. She convinces Zach to get a jeep to pick us up at the end of the trail. The jeep takes three hours to travel the 40 kilometres to pick us up. Once safe in the jeep I am warm for the first time in hours and grateful for the umpteenth time that I was not alone on this journey.
Our small party celebrate the end of what has been for me an extremely testing experience but one that has also reminded me constantly of the goodwill and generousity of people . I know that when we work together we can literally move mountains-even if it is one step at a time.

On the way!

I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya last night from Uganda after spending one week in Nakivale Refugee Settlement which Australia for UNHCR donors have supported over a number of years.
It was fantastic to see what our funds had achieved:
- the first ever secondary school in the settlement
- a new ambulance
- clean drinking water
Despite their hard circumstances, everybody was really welcoming, especially the kids who surrounded us at every opportunity to talk, and to hold our hands.
We visited the health clinic where women we're giving birth in a tent. Although it was confronting, given the very basic amenities, it was good to see that every mum got a "safe delivery" kit and a "mamma" kit - which included a baby blanket, nappy's, 2 x safety pins, a baby jumpsuit, and soap. Construction of a new maternity ward had also started.
It was really great to have this experience prior to us leaving tomorrow to climb Mt Kenya to raise funds for refugee mothers just like the ones we met.
We will be picked up early tomorrow and up the mountain we go!

Why I am climbing Mt Kenya

What I am doing.

I am climbing Mt Kenya(which at 5,199 metres is Africa’s second highest mountain) as a fundraising challenge to raise awareness about the plight of refugee mothers in Africa and to raise funds to support our Safe Mother and Baby Appeal. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Australia for UNHCR, which I helped found, and it is a great way for me to mark this milestone as well as encourage others to undertake their own personal challenges to help refugees.


Why I am climbing.

Last year I visited Dadaab refugee camp on the Kenya/Somalia border. The situation of refugees in the camp was extremely hard. As my plane left Nairobi for Australia I saw Mt Kenya in the distance. It stood out as symbol of hope to me after what I had seen in the camp - so I decided there and then to climb it to raise funds for refugees.

Why I am fundraising for Safe Mother & Baby appeal.

The Safe Mother and Baby program is one of the great examples of how we can make a huge difference as individuals through a relatively small donation. The Clean Delivery Kit costs about $2.70 a unit and is the difference between life and death for many mothers and babies. It is made up of a plastic bag containing a clean blade, a plastic sheet, soap, string for the baby's cord, a swaddling cloth and information using simple pictures. Where home birth is the norm and sanitation is poor UNHCR distributes these kits which have dramatically reduced birth-related deaths and infections –in one camp in Nepal the maternal mortality rate actually dropped to zero!

As part of the program we also fund maternity clinics, train and equip midwives and, where possible, provide all pregnant and breastfeeding mothers with extra nutrition and anti-malarial medication.

What I hope to achieve.

I obviously hope to make it up to Point Lenana at the top of Mt Kenya in one piece! (My mother thinks I am mad!)If I achieve this and reach my goal of raising $10,000 for our program (which could help 3,703 refugee mothers)I will be very happy.

Please support me as much as you can - every dollar makes a huge difference! I'll keep you updated from the mountain!