As a community, Norwich School recognises the talent that is widespread throughout pupils and staff alike. To celebrate this we have introduced a new blog segment, Who Knew, in which we find out about staff members hobbies, passions and talents.
Next up on this segment is Rachel J Peters, Bursar's PA, who tells us about the time she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
Why did you decide to walk up Mount Kilimanjaro?
"It is something I’ve always wanted to do. It is challenging, but not a technical climb, so you don’t need any mountaineering knowledge or experience to do it; you basically just walk up it, although 5,985 metres up is a long walk up! I’d been thinking about it seriously for a while, but after one too many Proseccos one night with my best friend, we went ahead and booked it and then got two other friends to join us as well. "
What did you do to prepare for your trip?
"There aren’t too many mountains in Norfolk, so I spent many hours before the trip trudging along on the stair stepper at the gym. I walk between about three to four miles a day with Maggie, my spaniel, so I tried to add in longer walks at the weekend and do regular strength training at the gym as well."
What was the most difficult part of the trip?
"Definitely the altitude. At the top of Kili there is 50% less oxygen than at sea level, and there is not much you can do to prepare for the effects of altitude – most people suffer from varying levels of altitude sickness and it can strike very randomly, regardless of how fit you are. It can give you headaches and make you breathless, nauseous, dizzy, and tired, and can be quite dangerous if it develops into acute mountain sickness (AMS). Because of the lack of oxygen, you walk extremely slowly on the trek (everyone on the mountain knows the Swahili words Pole Pole, which means slowly, slowly) but I was still very breathless, and any extra exertion made breathing a real struggle. We camped each night on the trek and it was extremely cold, which coupled with the effects of altitude, made sleeping difficult – I existed on about three to four hours of sleep a night for most of the trek, and it's put me off tents for life!"
What was your favourite moment of the trip?
"It’s hard to choose a particular favourite moment as there were so many, but I think one of the best bits was the people who were on the trek with me. As well as my three friends, there were ten other people in our group who I had never met before. We became firm friends in a very short space of time and have stayed in touch and are planning a reunion soon. The guides, porters and cooks who accompanied us were the most amazing bunch of people. The guides looked after us every step of the way, and the porters skipped up the mountain ahead of us every day, carrying all our belongings and the whole camp set-up on their heads. Camp was always set up and ready by the time we arrived, and they provided us with three amazing hot meals a day, all cooked in tents way above the clouds. They were unfailingly happy, friendly, and smiley and I can still hear their cries of “Jambo!” as they ran past us, and we shuffled very slowly along. The other great thing was the night sky – during the day we were mostly above the clouds, but at night the skies were incredible and, if the clouds cleared, the views of lights in the towns below us were amazing. For various logistical reasons, you summit Kili overnight, climbing through the darkness by the light of headtorches and reaching the edge of the crater (it is a dormant volcano) at sunrise. That was absolutely unforgettable."
Would you do it again?
"Climbing Kilimanjaro was the hardest thing I have ever done. It was an incredible experience but, looking back, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It really tested me and I was very proud of myself that I made it to the summit (one of our party had to turn back at 4,500 metres due to altitude sickness), but I’m not sure I would want to put myself through the rigours of doing anything at altitude again – it makes everything you do so much tougher."
Are you planning on doing anything similar?
"Nothing at altitude, but I have signed up for the school Three Peaks Challenge."
What would you say to someone who wants to walk up Mount Kilimanjaro?
"Do it! It’s an incredible experience. It’s physically and mentally incredibly challenging and there are moments you will undoubtedly think you can’t do it, but reaching the top of the tallest freestanding mountain in the world and what is known as the roof of Africa was one of the best things I have ever done."
