A team of Brits is tackling Africa's three highest peaks next month and all in a good cause, here's how to support them instead of some hapless comedian...
A small British team is tackling the Three Peaks, but with
a subtle difference; the mountains they're tackling are the three
highest summits in Africa and they're doing it in aid of Comic
Relief.
The team is planning to top out on the three mountains within a
three-week period in February and they reckon that they're the 'first
fundraising team to try this'. Given that most Comic Relief projects
are focussed on Africa, it seems a very apt way of helping out.
The mountains in question are Margherita, 5109 metres in
Uganda's Rwenzori mountains. Not to be confused with either pizza
toppings or cocktails, it's a remote mountain surrounded by thick
rain forest, gorillas and often described as a vertical bog topped
off with glaciers and an icy summit.
Next on the list is Mount Kenya, 5199 metres, the highest
mountain in, erm, Kenya. The team will be tackling the actual highest
point on the massif, Batian by the Southwest ridge, a route which
involves a couple of days of tough rock climbing.
Finally it's on to Kilimanjaro, 5895 metres in Tanzania and
Africa's highest point and a gentle high altitude trudge to the roof
of Africa.
The Team And Sponsors
The four-person team - above with added noses - is led by Steve
Perry, the Todmorden peak-bagging machine best known for his
Winter284 Challenge when he ascended all 284 Munros solo without
using motorised transport.
He's joined by fellow Tod' resident Andrew Wilkinson, a keen
climber and hillwalker, Lorraine McCall from Edinburgh, the first and
only woman ever to complete a self-powered round of the Munros in
summer 2005 and Dan Bailey, an adventure travel journalist based in
Fife.
The expedition is being supported by Rab, outdoordesigns,
Terra Nova, Pacer Poles and others.
Making A Donation
We reckon it's a great idea and a change from dreadful telly
marathons and the good news is that you can make a donation to the
team online using the link on their web site at www.3peaksafrica.co.uk
where you can also find more details of the project. Oh, and look who
put those web pages together.
Good luck guys :-)
