Our journalist Gemma Weir is ticking off her bucket list one tick at a time… and this is a very big one! She is getting ready to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding in the world – keep your eyes peeled to our blog for all the latest updates on her journey to Kili!
There’s no sugar coating this almond; I know nothing about hiking, other than it’s like a walk to the shop, but longer, and you’re better doing it in boots with ankle support, and you come home without chocolate. Sounds rubbish.
So this is my journey. My actual journey. Not one of these metaphorical ‘journeys’ of self discovery or to a higher plane of spiritual enlightenment that everyone started to travel in 2019 before the social apocalypse happened. I’m going on an actual, physical journey and I’m taking you with me, because misery loves company.
So, what’s the point? Well, I have a bucket list. It’s 2020, almost everybody has a bucket list. I also have a warped sense of reality and more confidence in myself than I probably should have.
So what’s next… *drum roll*
Mount Kilimanjaro
January 14th, 2023. The day before my 40th birthday. I figured that if I was going to spend the beginning of my fourth decade on this polluted little earth in a heap, crying and broken… I may as well be crying in a broken heap on Mount Kilimanjaro – and it gives me plenty of time to wedge my inflated lockdown butt into some hiking gear and sample the finest hiking spots in Northern Ireland as I go.
I thought I would share the experience for a few reasons…
- My editor made me
- We’ll be looking at some of the rugged natural beauty of Northern Ireland along the way that you’d maybe like to learn about and give you some ideas for your own local adventures
- I’m the underdog, and everyone loves to hear stories about the under dog. I’m unfit, pushing forty, lazy, with a dodgy hip and zero connection to reality. [If nothing else, this journey might make you feel better about yourself – like that warm fussy feeling in the pit of your stomach you used to get when you watched other peoples disastrous lives on The Jerry Springer show and realise that you haven’t quite hit that level of catastrophe yourself yet? Something like that.]
So over the next lot of months, I’ll be getting my boots on and getting my buttocks off the sofa and into the elements. Which brings me to my first novice top tip that I have learned from extensive Google searches… THE BOOTS MATTER!
I have no kit. Nothing. My wardrobe is a fabulous wash of vintage mish-mash pattern fabrics and Mary-Janes. During a few of my recent camper van expeditions I have tackled a bit of walking in a pair of boots that were given to me by someone who had high hopes of hiking one day about 10 years ago and the dream died before the boots made it out of the box. They aren’t comfortable and I can’t feel where I’m walking; so this was my first investment.
According to Inspector Google, if you purchase a really good pair of boots, they will last you for life. Some of the boots recommended would require a life time to pay them out. I have a budget! A tight budget, but this was an element that I didn’t want to mess with. If I get a bunion that prevents me from wearing my stilettos from a pair of great big Hermon Monster kebs, I’ll never forgive myself! So I calculated what I could afford, and then added fifty quid and went for these bad boys…
Salomon Quest 4d gtx women’s w … They retail at £180 but I managed to bag mine for ‘one fitty’ including postage… steal!
These are the newest of this type that I could find; some older models are selling for around ninety quid upwards, but because I’m hoping these big fella’s are going to carry me up the tallest free standing mountain in the world, I opted for the best I could get. (I think I would have more success in purchasing boots fitted with a rocket pack, but they’re only being trialled for mountain medics… Which could also come in handy!)
So that’s my feet sorted out and hopefully, blister free with my lifetime investment. The next top tip is Merino wool… apparently I have to buy big under-crackers that are ‘wicking’ to let the moisture out (I have several jokes at this point, none of which will survive the edit, so I will continue with a muffled snigger).
Wicking fabrics are important for letting all the sweaty Betty’s escape. Kili gear is going to be pricey so I have opted for a mid-range/budget-friendly kit to get me started with basic walks and hiking to make this bucket list tick more affordable. Let’s face it, I’m not going until 2023, I can gather up more essentials along to way. So the rest of my beginners basic kit includes: LAPSA Base Layers (not available in Ann Summers… click the link, you’ll understand why!)
My breeks are Mountain Warehouse and have a cosy fleece lining (great for the winter Mournes) and the last thing I had enough credit card allowance for this month was for a jacket. I spent a few more quid to get a decent jacket from The North Face, something like this one because this is built to last and will see me right on Kili as well as through all of my training in Northern Ireland in the meantime. A bit like the boots, it’s an investment that I think is pretty worth it from the beginning. This should be nice and cosy for my local expeditions and will serve me well as a mid-layer when I hit the snowy heights of Africa.
So that’s that… They journey begins… Get your boots on and follow me. Even better, get your boots on and give me a push! I’ll be chatting to you soon, but in the meantime, check out the Kili facts and see what I’ve let myself in for.
If you’ve conquered Kilimanjaro, give me a shout, give me your tips and tricks, tell me how it went! I’d love to hear your stories!
Until next time…
Gemma 🙂
Kilimanjaro Fact File:
* Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormont volcano in Tanzania
* It is the highest mountain in Africa, affectionately known as ‘The Roof of Africa
* It is the highest single free-standing mountain in the world
* Kili is 5,895 metres above sea level
* One of the worlds great ‘7 peaks’
Stay tuned…
