Craig Mitchell, a director in Browne Craine & Co (“Browne Craine”) completed his adventure of a life-time having climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of The Isle of Man Children’s Centre, raising over ?4,500 for the charity.
“It was a truly incredible experience with the odd hair raising moment along the way,” said Craig. “To have reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro after 12 months of training is incredible, don’t get me wrong, it was extremely difficult at times, but we had camaraderie within the group which saw every one of us reach the summit! Summit night itself was probably the toughest personal challenge I have ever faced and I reached a fatigue low I genuinely didn’t think existed, but perversely it was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done! I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to raise so much money for The Children’s Centre – thank you to everyone who sponsored me.”
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, with its summit being 5,895 metres above sea level. The challenge, which took place in October, took Craig and his 25 fellow trekkers, along the beautiful Machame route that approaches Kilimanjaro from the south, allowing gradual acclimatisation to the altitude and an excellent chance of reaching the summit. The charity trek took them through dense tropical rainforest, moorland and scree until they reached Uhuru Peak, the highest point. This is one of the most challenging charity treks at altitude, climbing one of the most impressive mountains in the world for simply breathtaking views.
“The Children’s Centre is an extraordinary charity and they do a lot of great work here on the Island,” continued Craig. “They provide vital services to over a 1,000 children, young people and families each and every week and I’m delighted that my efforts, and those of my fellow trekkers, will have helped the charity to raise much needed funding”.
The trip also proved to be a very humbling experience for Craig who commented on their hosts: “Our Tanzanian guides and porters live a difficult life in testing conditions, but you wouldn’t have known it when meeting them. Each and every one of them was wonderfully friendly and welcoming; their constant cries of “Jambo Jambo” were an inspiration. Other than reaching the summit itself, I think one of my lasting memories will be the evening we partied with our guides singing and dancing as a group”.
If you would like to find out more about Craig and his trek, please go to his Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/Craig-Mitchell15.
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