Can I afford to climb a mountain?
About five years ago, while I was still working for British Gas, I looked into doing some trips for charity. The first I looked at was climb a mountain, and the second was a vietnam cycle trip. At the time I felt the cycle trip was the one I wanted to do, but after looking into it I felt that I didn’t have the time for the fundraising and for the trip itself, so with some regret I put it to the back of my mind.
The a week or so ago I found out that the same trips are run through Brunel, and my hopes got spiked again! The trips are organised by Childreach and look amazing, some friends of mine have done the trips in previous years, After sitting in on the talk this evening two things have changed. Firstly, I have now been convinced that actually I would rather climb a mountain – in this case mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres above sea level. But secondly I have a dilemma: although I have the time to do the trip now, I don’t have the money. I am certain I could raise the £2,500 charity money that is required, however I am not so sure that I can afford the £250 out of my own pocket for the registration. But…
I really want some of that.
I’ve been thinking about it hard. I can just about afford the registration cost, however it would leave me with no money for anything but rent and house bills (not including my own mobile bill or travel) until January. But the more I think about it, the more I know this is the opportunity of a lifetime. To be able to say “I raised £2,500 for charity and climbed mount Kilimanjaro” would just put a smile on my face for the rest of my life. I mean seriously…climbing a freaking mountain!
I think I’m going to do it. I will start looking tomorrow for part-time work – there is a possibility I may be able to get some bar work locally, or something on campus. I know I won’t regret doing it, and I suspect that I will regret not doing it when I have the chance.
I’m terrified. Not by the climb, not by the travel, but by the finances.
Good luck. I’m thinking about doing the same thing with Big City Mountaineers.
Thanks, and to you too! I signed up this morning and have just created my fundraising page! https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/zombietoby