A TEENAGE pupil had a memorable half-term – he became one of the youngest people ever to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Reading Blue Coat School pupil Oliver Pink took part in the arduous task over eight days to raise funds for the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
So far, the 13-year-old has raised £575.
It took Oliver six days to climb to the summit and two days to climb down.
The final summit climb involved leaving Base camp at midnight, climbing six hours in the dark and reaching the summit (Uhuru Peak) at sunrise.
He writes: “My thoughts on the plane to Tanzania were mixed; I was excited but also anxious about climbing the tallest mountain in Africa and tallest free standing mountain in the world. I was only given this opportunity because my mum summited Kilimanjaro previously. She, in turn, was following my grandmother who had also summited many years ago. So, to me, it felt like a family tradition to do it.
“The first thing that hit me when I got off the plane was the heat of Tanzania. However, that feeling of warmth was not going to last on my trip. When I began my trek, I felt very excited to be walking up this amazing mountain but also nervous about whether I could continue to complete it.
“Within an hour or so, our guides spotted monkeys and a mongoose, and I was very pleased about this as I’ve never seen anything like that before outside of a zoo.
“Unfortunately, my spirits did not stay this high as on Day 3 I annoyingly got altitude sickness and was sick quite a lot. However, a kind dentist from Bahrain gave me some altitude sickness pills, which allowed me to plough on, still feeling very ill and tired.
“When I was starting my hike up to the summit on the final day, I could not believe I had come this far. The day started at midnight and the ascent included walking in the dark for several hours. At 7am, after seven hours of walking, I reached the peak at sunrise and I could see the whole world in a different light, including Moshi, the local village.
Marjie Thorne, marketing and communications officer of Reading Blue Coat School, said: “It turned out to be quite a tough climb for Oliver, as he suffered from altitude sickness – but managed to get to the top.”
