A Bloxwich man who climbed over 19,000 feet to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain celebrated his achievement by flying the town’s flag at the summit.
The flag of Bloxwich appears at Africa’s highest peak.
Andrew Field, aged 44, who took on the challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Cancer Research UK, spent seven days making his way up the mountain and finally arrived after a gruelling journey at approximately 8 am on 25 June.
“It was hot and humid,” said Andy. “It’s physically, mentally and emotionally, the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Andy walked for eight hours a day over 10km to reach various bases on Kilimanjaro, where he and his group took the opportunity to rest and eat before setting off in the dark of night, when the weather was cooler, to continue the ascent.
“The hardest thing to adapt to was the altitude,” he said. “You have to walk slowly to adapt to the changes in altitude, which gives you headaches, breathing difficulties, tingly fingers and a general feeling of not feeling well.”
A slow ascent is required due to major changes in altitude
“Getting to the top was such a huge achievement for me. I was running on adrenaline and absolutely over the moon. The view was spectacular, but I was quicly ushered back down the mountain due to altitude sickness, so I only got to spend five minutes at the top.”
With oxygen levels at the summit at 50%, Andrew ambled back down on a four-hour journey to base camp, where he had time to reflect on such a momentous achievement, and admits that he found it hard returning to the normality of work and daily life.
“The adrenaline you feel when you make it is unbelievable, and I’m keen to do something similar again,” he enthused.
“I would like to tackle one of the other seven major summits. For anyone thinking of doing something like this, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s tough but worth it. I organised it through Ultra Adventures, and there were 20 guides and 140 porters helping and encouraging us along the way.”
A team effort saw 36 out of the 40 climbers reach the summit.
His efforts were worth it, with over £9,000 raised for Cancer Research UK, a cause close to his heart.
“I wanted to raise the money in memory of my mum and my stepmother, who both passed away after battling cancer,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity of family and friends and having the opportunity to support such a fantastic charity.”
Donations are still open until the end of September via Just Giving.