On Wednesday 17th July the CDK Team met in a deserted car park in Boxhill, Surrey at 6 am for another training hike to get us ready.
This time we were all on our own and none of us had done this hike before. It had been recommended to us as a good warm-up for Kilimanjaro and it was not false intel. These training days are invaluable to us, not only for the fitness side but for also for checking our kit. We have to judge how much food and drink we carry and what other bits of kit we might need. If we make the wrong choice when climbing Kili it could have big consequences.
Weight is kept to a minimum, every 2lb you carry becomes 8lb extra pressure on your knees when going downhill and we are not spring chickens …. more like mothered hens!
We had decided to do the 8-mile circuit twice and push ourselves to the max. We were not disappointed because the hills and steps on this hike are quite long and severe. None of us found it easy, but the diets, workouts, and training walks are paying off.
We completed the 2 circuits in 6hrs 20mins and felt suitably battered at the end. I am so pleased with my team-mates, we shared what didn’t have enough of and encouraged each other when we needed it (the odd barracking and rollicking goes without saying!).
We are becoming a team and the hard work has really paid off. The dedication, attitude, and determination now mean I not only have a team but I have team-mates!
