Rachel rests her fab *#¥•%€

Posted on September 5, 2011

Relaxing at camp 3000m looking down on the African planes, Moshi seems far far away…day 1 complete!

An early start from Moshi & we jumped aboard the Ahsante bus headed for Machame Gate. A short while later Jon had sorted our permit & our local team had registeted & weighed in their loads…and…WE WERE OFF!!

The trek was beautiful – winding slowly through the jungly rainforest. Most experienced there first o-natural wee, causing all sorts of hysterics! Kilimanjaro frogs (farts) were present through out, monkeys swung from tree to tree above. The team have also been attempting to learn some Swahili & interacting with the local team.

We’re just of for a short acclimatisation walk now & then back for some singing & dancing!! Yeeehaaa!

Kilimanjaro life is great

Team stats
- Total team wee’s on trek – 36
- Blisters – Non
- Sunburn – non
- Kili frog of the day – Jon Craig
- Average water drank pp – 3.5L

- Average happy scale (out of 10) – 9.2

Until tomorrow

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Boom – the team has landed (Kilimanjaro 2011)

Posted on September 3, 2011

Hello to everyone who is going to follow this expedition, welcome on board – i hope you enjoy following the expedition unravel over the next 8 days – maybe next year it could be you!

Mid afternoon Friday we all arrived in Tanzania to be greated (as usual) by a happy smily Tanzanian called Izack. The flight was uneventful and all bags turned up…phew We were welcomed into Tanzania and Moshi and moved into the Leopard Hotel for the two nights. Prayers at 05:00, jaz bands in the back of pick ups, locals selling daggers and paintings, and locals using there initiative to make a dollar has been inspiring to the whole team – welcome to Africa!

Just before sunset, Jon (JCG Expeditions) took us all to room 202 and on to the north facing balcony….silence, followed by excited laughter. Most the team were in awe as they gazed out across the mighty yet gentle looking Kilimanajro basked the evening glow.

Today (Saturday) is Build-up day. A chance to do any last minute check on kit, talk about all aspects of the expedition and ask any last minute questions.

The eruption of kit everywhere was very entertaining, trying on differnt layers and umm’ing and aarrr’ing about how many socks and pants to take (kit list says only 3….for 7 days! Surely not?)

Jon then talked through other parts of the expedition from, hydration, trekking, altitude etc tec and we also got a chance to meet our local guides - Jimmy and Eric! Jon has worked with Eric previously and most of the local team that will have tomorrow, however Jimmy is new.The team instantly warmed to him and it seems inevitable that we will be having alot of fun and laughter on this expedition.

So this is it – after months and months of preperationa and build up the team are all as ready as could be. Tomorrow we set off at 08:00 to the Machame gate and begin our trek! The hope is to summit on Friday.

If you would like to wish the team luck or just send them a message of encouragment then please do – leave a comment on here or find the expedition on twitter @jongupta.

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Summit Video – Pollox (Swiss Alps)

Posted on August 11, 2011

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2 down…..&….3 down – challenge DONE!!

Posted on August 8, 2011

Scarfel Pike – the highest mountain in England. Seathwait to summit & back 8.5 hrs! Starting at 18:45 & returning at 03:15!! Conditions on summit at 22:45 were horrendous – rain, mist, cold & dark!! Traveling at night by head torch – a new experience for all the team.

Overall – a tough but incredible climbs, 2 down….

Snowdon – highest mountain I’m Wales. Pen y pass to summit & back 4 hrs! Some very tired legs & minds set off in the morning light for the last summit of the challenge. Everyone made it…just, & for many it was an emotional moment realising they had completed the challenge. For many of them there was a link to Meningitis personal to them & completing the 3 peaks challenge had other meanings.

So – a hugely successful JCG Expeditions & MeningitisUK weekend, we didn’t manage the ’24 hours’ but we did get everyone up & down all 3 peaks safely!

If you fancy climbing the 3 peaks why don’t you give it ago? Either get I touch with www.menigitusuk.org or email me at Jon@jcgexpeditions.co.uk.

Until next year….
Jon

This is a pic of the team on the summit of Scarfel!!!!

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1 down 2 to go…

Posted on August 6, 2011

A calm early morning greeted the team on Ben Nevis – Scotland’s highest peak. Thin high cloud glided slowly over head an the promised rain seemed to be holding off. We set of at 6:30 & made good progress gaining altitude fast – it was actually quite warm this morning & I was secretly wishing I’d had my shorts on.

Progress was good as we came out the first steeper section and passed close by the lake after an hour or so. Traversing the mountain we continued up higher and higher, 2 hours passed. Zig zagging our way up the higher section the mountain, finally it began to level out which only meant one thing, the summit was around the corner!! The team trickled in over 20 minutes & celebrated together with a huge MeningitisUK banner and big grins all round! For some it was harder than expected but the views from the top were truly spectacular – crystal clear in every direction…we could even see Skye. Very very lucky!

The descent was not so enjoyable for some, with cramp and painful knees causing a few issues amongst the team. So we were slightly slower than scheduled overall, and are running just over an hour behind time for the 24 hour mark…let’s see if we can get that back!

On route to The Lake District now & Scarfel Pike – UK highest mountain, heading in via the corridor route.

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3 Peaks Challenge & MeningitisUK

Posted on August 5, 2011

It’s that time of year when ordinary people take on a challenge and push themselves to achieve something out the ordinary. This weekend 13 challengers all raising money for MeningitisUK are taking on the national 3 Peak Challenge.

Follow there progress with regular updates on twitter @jongupta and on here!

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Home time

Posted on July 24, 2011

Yey! We’re all at Heathrow & we have our bags….

21 days ago we all packed our bags with unknown certainty of what Ecuador would hold in store – and one things for sure….it’s not what we expected!! It’s been a million times better.

We’ve been through a whirl wind of adventures, jam packed more into 21 days that most of us manage in a year and enjoyed new experiences that will remain in our memories for along time!

What an amazing expedition

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Sinchi Aqua Center

Posted on July 22, 2011

Throughout the project phase of out trip the team managed to cram in a lot of productive work to help the people of the Sinchi Aqua Centre, all whilst enjoying the afternoons off and the spectacular flora and fauna the Ecuadorian jungle has to offer.
Arriving late in the evening, everybody was immediately welcomed by the friendly family who provided dinner and with the help of Kelly from Yanapuma, provided some info about our stay with them.
Starting the following morning, hard work began. Although some tasks seemed daunting, each was completed as planned and with positive attitudes all round. From path-building and jungle clearing to tree planting and fruit gathering, the variety of work kept it from becoming tedious and each day elevensies were provided to keep us strong.
After rest and lunch of local yuca or plantain with freshly caught fish or chicken, afternoons were free but not one was wasted. In the space of four days, the team had witnessed a city where monkeys roamed free, trekked to secluded waterfalls in the midst of a jungle and, perhaps most memorably, visited a local community of kids in a nearby settlement. After hours of amusement in the form of playing volleyball and attempting to converse with the kids, it was time to say goodbye and head back to Sinchi.
The evenings were mostly spent eating delicious meals prepared by the for us by the owners. Surely not many can say that they have tried Piranha bolognese before? The later parts of the night consisted of putting up mossie nets and fighting off tarantulas which had a habit of crawling into wellies. However, in the last two nights of our stay, the team were treated to back to back parties with the extended family present. The highlight was undoubtably the last night when the men of Sinchi treated us to an incredibly upbeat instrumental performance and a shaman ritual.
Following morning it was time to leave and after waving goodbye our taxis pulled out of Sinchi and there was a mutual feeling of accomplishment as in just four days we had done so much in so little time, ensuring a spectacular end to our spectacular trip.