‘It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves’ Edward Hilary “Let’s see if we can run up that stretch of the mountain” was what came out of Jodi’s mouth whilst pointing at a very steep incline of the 3054ft Mount Skiddaw. Like a bunch of school children wanting to face the dare, we all started racing up about a 200ft stretch of Mount Skiddaw, secretly wishing we could make it to the designated point first. As we started to run I saw Joe, then Josh, closely followed by my Dad racing pass me in hope of not being the ‘loser’. After running up what felt like Kilimanjaro itself, my legs and head gave in to the challenge as my lungs felt as though they were due to collapse at any second. After stopping to take a huge (much needed) breath and being thankfully greeted by Jodi, who had also stopped running, we looked up to see Joe, Josh and Dad laughing and waiting impatiently for us to catch up. My heart beating 10 to the dozen and sweating like a woman… Read more

Two weeks ago, many of the CMN team climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in October met for the first time. 12 of the 19 trekkers attended the expedition training weekend in Snowdonia North Wales, to prepare us all for the ultimate challenge… climbing the highest freestanding mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro. I have done some mad things in my life, but this has got to be the biggest challenge so far! The team members who attended the training weekend got on so well! You would think we all knew each other for years. I think the bond created was because we all have something in common… one focus in getting to the top of that ‘hill’ and one passion in supporting and raising awareness of the Caring Matters Now Support Group. All 12 trekkers are closely linked to the support group, either family and friends of mine, or parents and uncles of children with CMN. The weekend itself was organised and led by Brian Jackson, director of Expedition Wise. Brian has climbed… Read more