Page 51 - The Gazette Autumn 2024

Cpl Bethaney Neame from Joint Hospital Group (South East) reports on her recent challenge, with Navy nurse Stuart Robinson, to climb the formidable Mt Kilimanjaro in aid of a good cause. How did they cope with the mountain? Read on...
Almost four years on from the original plan back in 2020, I finally found the time to book my big trip to hike-up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania after it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After completing the Everest Base camp hike in 2019 I caught the hiking bug and wanted to tackle more peaks. However, Africa’s highest mountain standing at 5,895m above sea level would be no easy challenge!
Sadly, in January 2023 my close friend and Navy nursing colleague Stuart lost his mum to lymphoma, which is the fifth most common type of cancer in the UK. We pulled together and thought what a great honour it would be to summit Kilimanjaro in her memory to raise money for Blood Cancer UK. As serving nurses we see the effect cancer has on patients, families and those closest to them.
The physically demanding trek takes five days following the Marangu route ascending towards Uhuru Peak at 19,341ft. On Day 0 we met our group, only five of us! And our guides Adolfe and Godlisten who we would spend the week bonding and summiting with. We had a briefing on what to pack, safety and the timeline for reaching the top. Our main takeaway was the phrase ‘pole pole’ which would end up being used multiple times a day through our hike as it means ‘slowly-slowly.’
Day 1 – Mandara huts, 2,720m
We set off from Kilimanjaro National Park at 700 metres above sea level. This was just the warmup! We hiked a short 8km in roughly five hours, passing through the jungle terrain and we were lucky enough to see lots of monkeys on our way! We were introduced to ‘sippy- sippy’ which was our chance for a small break and to swig some water from our camelbacks. We were
As serving nurses
we see
the effect cancer has on patients, families and those closest to them.
advised to drink a minimum three litres per day and after reaching the Mandara Huts and being shown to our little slice of heaven in the form of a small wooden hut with basic bunk beds, we were introduced to our next concept: ‘washy-washy.’ Here we met Mike who would be waking us up in the mornings and bringing us lovely bowls of hot water to take to the ablutions to ‘freshen up’ as there are no showers.
We headed into the mess hut for hot drinks, dinner and the evening briefings including a medical questionnaire and pulse oximetry to ensure we were safe to continue. With a HR of 81 and SPO2 of 90%, Stu and I were both deemed fit to continue another day.
Day 2 – Horombo Huts, 3,720m
We were woken at 6am by Mike bearing hot water and drinks to warm us up. I couldn’t think of anything better than hot chocolate for breakfast followed by washing from a bowl and straight to breakfast for porridge, sausage, potatoes, crepes and omelette – all the carbs!
Today we left the jungle behind and walked 9km through the moorlands where we were finally able to see Kilimanjaro’s peak. This was our first feeling of excitement to see the goalpost however far off it was. The temperature started to cool and the ‘sippy’ breaks were kept short to ensure we did not get too cold. The thin air was making even small tasks feel laborious. We continued after having lunch in the clouds with the most incredible view, arriving at the Horombo Huts at 3,720m above sea level at around 3:20. We bundled into our hut of paradise, washed and enjoyed the luxury of a little nap before meeting the entire team at 5.
Here we were treated to a heartwarming display of Tanzanian melodies and dances and encouraged
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