Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I will attempt to keep you updated as and when via this site and would like to thank all those who have made valuable contributions and invite those who haven't yet to dig deep for such a worthy cause.

DAY ONE OF THE KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE: I am now at the first base camp about to tuck into some pasta and soup. It has been an exhilarating day and everyone is feeling surprisingly fine. Most notable problem experienced today was flatulence which, I have been reliably informed, is due to high altitude. I am therefore going to have to carefully ensure that I am not down wind from my Team Members over the next few days - especially considering the number of Kendal Mint Cakes that have been scoffed today alone!!!The next hurdle appears to be an abundance of elephants in the area. Whilst noone is too alarmed by this, the guides are keeping a watch tonight to ensure that none of them stray into camp. Despite this, I anticipate a good night's sleep ready for another day of climbing.

DAY TWO OF THE KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE: Well we have made to to camp. We are two thirds of the way there and we are currently at 4000 metres.Thanks to Berghaus Equipment which has been tested to the limit and more than proved its worth, we are in great shape. I have never paid so much attention to my wardrobe in that we have to wear two sets of "Skins". One set is to be worn during the day whilst climbing. This ensures maximum oxygen supply to our bodies. The other set is to be worn at night to ensure that our sore and aching muscles achieve a quick recovery re: good blood supply.We have each consumed approximately 5.6 litres of water today supplemented by Gatorade rehydration sachets. This, together with the Maxi Muscle Energy Bars have gone a long way towards the success of our 20km climb today.Considering the distance we had to achieve today when we woke up this morning, everyone was in remarkably high spirits. At least two of us have been given nicknames on camp and no doubt more will be forthcoming in due course. I have been called "Alpha Male" because of my tendancy to lead the group from the front and setting the pace. Anthony from Greene King has been called "Altitude Ant" because of his super duper watch and his penchant for running ahead intermittently and announcing to everyone their current altitude. Speaking of altitude, the flatulence suffered yesterday has given way to upset tummies for some of the team members. Jason, in particular has been suffering but ever resourceful, he spied an American Tourist who had brought along a WC and proceeded to upset him by comandeering it and rendering it unfit for purpose due to fumes! Whilst elephants were in abundance yesterday, they have not been spotted today. However, we did encounter some Jackals and Columbus Monkeys. We are grateful for these distractions as, together with the surrounding beautiful scenery, it takes our minds off the sore feet and distance ahead. Now we have reached our camp, we are starting to notice the drop in temperature and we are beginning to feel quite cold. Thoughts are now turning to journey ahead. Whilst we are resolute in our determination to succeed, the seventeen members of staff looking after us persistently remind us that reaching the summit is not a foregone conclusion. Code we believe for "Don't get complacent the worst is yet to come". We are grateful for the professionalism of the staff and their constant monitoring of our health as we reach higher altitudes. We are grateful for the support received back home. This, together with the determination to support our worthy causes spurs us on. We hope you will check in for the next blog. We personally can't wait until we are in the position of writing the words "We Did It"

DAY THREE OF THE KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE. We are now at camp having endured a steep 300m climb of Mawernzi Tarn. We are now at 4300 metres and I have to admit that the altitude sickness is setting in. My teammates are fortunate in that they are able to take some medication to alleviate the symptoms but unfortunately this is not an option for me as it is classed as a banned substance. Having said this, we are all in good spirits and as resolute as ever to reach the summit. This is by far the most difficult day yet and we are well aware that it is not going to get any easier. We woke up this morning with a cup of tea in our tents provided by the porters and it is little things like this that feel like luxury. Our journey today has been punctuated with tunes from my IPOD. The team seemed to find Bob Marley "Jamming" quite a good beat to walk to and we were spurred on even more when I played Jason's request of The Proclaimers "I Would Walk Five Hunderd Miles". Can't seem to get that darned tune out of my head right now!  Tonight we are settling down in what can best be described as a crater nestled between two spurs on the western side of Mawenzi. The guides have warned us to expect temperatures of  -10 degrees. Thank heavens for our Berghaus equipment. As always it has been nice to take in the lighter moments and touch base with the UK. Once again, our thoughts are turning tomorrow. We are acutely aware that the altitude sickness can only get worse but as mentioned before, spirits are high and we are all determined to reach the top. Here's hoping that we get a good night's sleep tonight despite the temperatures. I will let you what happens tomorrow but in the meantime, thanks for taking the time to follow our progress and again, if you know anyone who might like to make a donation, please don't hesitate to forward this website link to them. Until tomorrow.

DAY FOUR KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE: Well I personally started today in pretty bad shape due to altitude sickness. We climbed the west side of Mawernzi, headed north west and then crossed the east edge of the plateau. I have to say when we reached this point the views of the mountain were spectacular. You will note a new photo on this page and  I can confirm that this was us leaving camp on day 3. Signals on our mobiles are a nightmare but at some point today we managed to get one bar, just enough to send this photo through. Hope you like it. It was a 10km hike today and we have actually dropped to 3,314 metres. The reason for this is so that we may spend the night in a more oxygen rich environment in order for our bodies to recover enough for the final push. The camp we are staying at this evening is Horombu and we have the luxury of sit down toilets, much to the relief of Jason. I think at this point it may be wise to inform you readers of our plans for tomorrow just in case we are unable to check in for a while. Tomorrow is going to be a long arduous day culminating in the final assault at midnight. Very early tomorrow morning we plan to commence a six hour hike to Earafu (4600 metres) and once we have arrived, it is imperative that we rest until midnight. We will then commence the climb to the summit. As mentioned previously in this blog, we are camping tonight in a more oxygen rich environment. To put thngs in perspective, it may be of assistance for you to note that at the summit there is only 50% of the oxygen that you can expect at sea level. Just sitting down in that sort of environment can be debilitating but climbing a steep slope really takes a toll on your body and mind. We are therefore making the most of tonight. The guides have been amazing and are very supportive. I personally have concerns due to how ill I felt this morning and I am under no illusion that the final climb will test me to the limit but having said this, we are a strong team and everyone of us remain absolutely determined to achieve this goal. Spirits are very high and defeat is not an option. Besides, it is amazing how far you can go on a good old British cup of tea. I will try and check in tomorrow to give an update on progress but if this is not possible, at least you know what we are up to. Onwards and upwards. Thanks for continuing to support us.

DAY FIVE OF THE KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE

Hello again. Let me start by offering some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we have made it to Earafu Camp as planned after a horrendous six hour hike. When I say it was uphill all the way, I mean it was vertical in the extreme. However, I am pleased to say that we are currently sitting immediately below the summit. There is not much team talking going on about the last stretch of the journey but we are sharing a lot of determined looks now that our goal is in sight. This brings me to the bad news. Our planned departure at midnight for the final push has been delayed due to circumstances beyond our control. However, as soon as the guides give us the green light, nothing will stop us and we are ready to leave at a moment's notice. As I am sitting here and have some time to kill, I thought I might as well try and share our current experiences with you. As we are now at 4600 metres, we are at snow level. It is extremely cold. I apologise in advance for the graphic detail but this should put you in the picture. We currently have to urinate in bottles whilst in sleeping bags wearing our Skins and Berghaus extreme weather gear. To attempt it any other way would mean the stuff freezing as it left our bodies. I'm sorry about the visuals there but I am sure you now picture just how cold it is. The air is extremely thin and this is affecting our muscles. We are aching all over because our muscles are not getting enough oxygen. Despite this, you have to go a long way to find any negativity in this camp. Some of the team members have been hoarding Maxi Muscle Energy Bars and Kendal Mint Cakes and these are going down a storm. There are rumours, however, that the guides are running out of rations. They are serving us meals that can best be described as stodge. The guides are attempting to explain to us that the meals are pure carbohydrates, a necessity at this level but I can assure you that if the biscuits don't appear soon, there is likely to be riots. The dunkers have been attempting to have Kendal Mint Cakes with their tea but it's just not the same!! Unfortunately, the speakers on our IPOD have given up the ghost and Jason is obviously going to miss his daily fix of The Proclaimers. Mags doesn't appear too overwrought by this though. We all look like Yetis at the moment. We haven't had a shower or a shave in five days and we are smelling rather bad. We have decided to turn our present condition into an advantage though. Shortly before we departed, we contacted Virgin Atlantic and asked them to sponsor us. Unfortunately, a response wasn't forthcoming. We have therefore pledged that unless we get a donation from Virgin, we intend to embark our flight home in our current bearded yeti like states. Therefore, we would ask that anyone who is on first name terms with Sir Richard might like to have a word with him. We are certain that his staff on our flight home would appreciate his generosity. There is not much more to add at the moment. To sum it up, it is cold, we are a bit sore, the food is debatable but despite this we remain in very high spirits and unlike the previous few days, we can see our final destination. We are under no illusion that the final hike will be the hardest but we are ready. The question is when will the guides be happy to start? I guess you are going to sit this one out with us and wait for my next blog. In the meantime, I know I keep saying this but thank you so much for your continued support. We are getting feedback and it really is appreciated. Please remember why we are doing this and support our causes if you can.

DAY 6 OF THE KILLI GREENE KING CHALLENGE

WE DID IT. It only took 16 hours but I can confirm WE DID IT. As you can probably imagine we are absolutely exhausted and desperately need to get some rest but I promise to check in tomorrow with a more comprehensive blog confirming all the details. Once again, support in the UK has been reaching us and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted us via donations and support. Your help has made this challenge even more worthwhile!

Why not checkout my teammates fundraising pages to read their blogs www.justgiving.com/jasonhayes and www.justgiving.com/pvmaguire

Until next time. Thanks again.

David

If you would like more information on the PRA Benevolent fund and the excellent work it does please visit www.prarugby.com.