Updates...

I've been away for a week - watch this space for an update and new pics - lots to tell!! Will update soon...

A full day in the mountains

Now that was an experience. Eight hours from stopping at the foot of the mountains to getting back to the car again. Yesterday we did a spectacular hike in the Du Toit's Kloof mountains just outside of Paarl. I actually swam in the ice cold river - trust me, I would not have believed that to be possible a few days earlier! The scenery was spectacular, the company great and I certainly had to face challenges along the route that were absolute firsts for me.

Sometimes one looks at an obstacle and simply can't imagine getting up or down all on your own! Well, at this stage I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own. I am so fortunate to have met the incredible people in my new hiking group - there was always a helping hand, and bit of advice and encouragement when I needed it. I wish they could all come with me to Kili!!

The closest I can come to sharing the beauty of this route is by posting some of the photographs we took. Have a look at the pics lower down on the right hand side of the page as well. The little guy at the top is a Sundevall's Shovel-Snout snake - totally harmless and petite - we met him on the rocks at the waterfall. He certainly lives in paradise - thanks Irene for identifying him!

Today I can really feel I've done something new, thank goodness for Votaren Gel and hot beanbags!!! It's time out for a day or two but I definitely feel that I'm on track. Anyone have a spare set of crutches???

Getting those miles on the legs

Another week has just flown by! Tomorrow I'm going on my second hike and I'm super excited. We're doing a walk in the du Toit's Kloof mountains, a truly beautiful part of the Cape. Our route is going to take us along a river and we'll be going for a swim somewhere along the way! You'll have to wait a couple of hours to see the pictures - it sounds as if it is going to be something really special.

At least now I know what to expect and packing my backpack is going to be a bit easier than last week. Hopefully this time I'll sleep the night before, last week my nerves kept me awake half the night!

As for the running, on Saturday I ran a 10km race in Paarl. As it's the celebration of Nelson Mandela's release from prison, they organised a 27km race from the prison where he was held for many years; a kilometer for each year he spent in jail. Luckily for me, there was a shorter, 10km route as well and I opted for that one.

The distance markers for the 27km race read (e.g.):  10km (Another 17 years to go...) That really made one think, I couldn't imagine having done 10km and then still having another 17 to go at that stage, so imagine reading that as 'years behind bars' and so many years still ahead! No matter what your political affiliations are - that is food for thought!

Last night my friend and I ran 8km with our club, so slowly but surely those miles are adding up!

I'm furiously sending out invites to the Hair Spa day on the 15th of March, if you're interested - let me know!

My first hike!

I cannot believe that it took me so many years to discover the joys of hiking! Today saw my first attempt at conquering the local mountains. I was fortunate enough to be invited by a friend to join her group for a hike from Chapman’s Peak to Constantia Nek, a spectacular hike of approximately 4 and a half hours.

This special group of people get up very early every Thursday morning to explore the many hiking routes that we have in and around the Cape Town area. What a pleasure it was to be introduced to a new activity, meet lovely people and discover the beauty hidden behind the hills that I’ve driven past a million times!

For years, as a tour guide, I told people about the manganese deposits found above Hout Bay, the little wasp introduced years ago to kill off the alien vegetation and the fynbos vegetation that is unique to our part of the world. What a delight it was to finally stand next to one of the old manganese mining shafts for the first time ever and to see first hand how the little industrious wasp is quietly making a difference!

A great leader and a cameraderie that is well established amongst a group of people who have shared many hikes, as well as beautiful surroundings made for a truly enjoyable day.

My running is definitely paying off as well and I’m not sure that I would have had the stamina to keep up the way I was able to if I was not at least reasonably fit.

I’m learning how my body responds to all the different challenges I’m putting it through and slowly but surely I can feel that I am able to more and more. It’s a good feeling! Nothing comes without hard work, especially as you get older and now that I have embarked on this path I am determined to get to the next level. :)

A BIG thank you to the new angels that have crossed my path to help me along!

January - getting my ducks in a row

I am SO excited about some of the contacts I have made and the great ideas that are slowly but surely starting to materialize. HOWEVER - until I have all the Red Cross details in place I don't want to add links etc. There are some great fundraising events lined up - please note that I WELCOME any ideas, no matter how big or small. In the end every cent that we can raise for the hospital adds up... I am meeting with them again tomorrow morning so I will post an update in the evening. Next step is to go shopping for my hiking boots - I've been told that I should wear them a good couple of months so that they are truly worn in when I get there. In fact, a great tip I received yesterday suggests that I should even wear them on the plane - if my bag is lost everything else can be replaced except my well-worn and ready-to-climb boots! Now that's a decent tip. Flip-flops aint gonna to do it, that's for sure! Until tomorrow - in the meantime I'll be surfing the net in search of that elusive perfect boot....

Working out the details...

This week I had my first meeting with the Red Cross Hospital. They are very excited about the project and we now need to work out exactly how the fundraising is going to work. Our next meeting is on Monday and hopefully we will have the details on the blog by the end of next week. Tristan went for his last visit to the hospital two days ago and the doctors are extremely happy with how his burns are healing. Seeing all the new children in the ward is simply heartbreaking and just makes me more determined than ever to get going with efforts to help upgrade this much needed facility. As for the training - at this stage I'm running at least every second morning, hopefully I'll be able to start doing some hikes pretty soon. January is a hectic month, February is going to definitely be more structured as far as the training goes. The good news is that Wild Frontiers have signed up one other person to climb on the dates that I am planning my trip, so that's wonderful. The group will consist of 6 climbers only - so now's the time to let me know if you want to join me!! I will be posting loads of photograhs in the near future as well, just need to get the fundraising sorted out. I feel as if my brain is in overdrive, I have SO many ideas and so much to read up on! I hope that you will stay with me on this journey and would love to hear from you if you have any ideas regarding the fundraising part of this project. I'm going to challenge a few of my friends soon to undertake projects such as dinners, sports events etc. There are a few of them who've hosted and organised great events and I certainly hope I can motivate them to join in. You can write to me on the blog in the 'comments' space or you can email me on ferreira@netpoint.co.za. As before - watch this space!

An idea slowly becomes reality...

SO. A number of important decisions have been made since I posted the first piece at the end of last year. I have found the operator that I feel happy with to take me to the top of the mountain. It is overwhelming when one starts out a journey like this one - there is so much information on the Internet, you can't imagine how on earth you're going to choose the right people to partner with. For me there were a number of deciding factors. First of all, they had to have been around for a couple of years. I wanted a personal referral from someone that I trust and thirdly, the initial contact that I made with the company had to impress me. The company that I chose checked positive to all the above and I will now be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in July this year with my new friends at Wild Frontiers! Check them out at www.wildfrontiers.com. The company was formed in 1991 and they have taken a number of groups up for Cape Union Mart - this alone speaks for itself. I love that I could see a photo of the consultant corresponding with me - they also supply a short cv of each of the employees, it just makes everything a bit more personal. Vanessa Bell is going to be in charge of all my arrangements and already she has endeavoured to try and put a group together for the specific dates that I have requested - I really like that. When surfing the net I read somewhere that one should try and time your climb so that your summit evening falls on an evening when there is a full moon. You normally start the summit at midnight, so having a full moon increases visibility. Hence I would like to arrive in Tanzania on the 21st of July and start the trek on the 22nd. My birthday is on the 12th of July, so if I can pull this off it will be exactly two years before I hit the big FIVE ZERO!! Eeek. That's two big decisions made - the date and the operator. The other BIG idea was born at dinner with my husband and two children about two weeks ago. Before I continue I have to say that when they heard I want to climb Kili, I saw a few snickers and I probably can't blame them - I have had a few dreams in the past that lived on in my head only... This time I saw they didn't laugh too long though,I think the fact that I actually ran two half marathons in the last few months has made them take me a bit more seriously! Getting closer to 50 (I can't even say it out loud!) certainly makes one more determined to do things - so while I'm on a high I'd better get all my ducks in a row with this one!! So anyway, back to the idea my children gave me. Late last year my little grandson suffered burns to his upper body. He was rushed to the Red Cross Childrens' Hospital and went into theatre the next morning where Prof. Heinz Rhoode and his team performed an absolute miracle on him. Today his scars are healing beautifully and even though it will be a long time before we will know for sure if any of the scars are going to be permanent, he could not have been in better hands during those first crucial hours. While we stayed at the hospital, my daughter and I encountered a number of women who had really badly injured children. We took turns in staying with our little one - not only did this take a lot of organizing, it was emotionally and physically draining for all of us! It therefore really touched us to see the number of women who were there day and night with very little and sometimes no support at all from spouses or friends. My children therefore suggested that, if I am going to undertake this adventure, why not raise funds for the burns unit at Red Cross so that some form of support could be offered to the hundreds of mothers and children who come through their doors every year, In fact, Prof. Rhoode told me that they see at least a thousand children a year! The amount of sadness attached to that is staggering. I feel incredibly privileged that my children get it. I am so proud of them and I am embracing their suggestion, in fact I cannot think of a cause that would be more fitting after our own experience. I will be working as hard at raising funds for this amazing cause as I will be at getting fit for the climb. The idea is now reality - hope you're looking forward to seeing it develop as much as I do! Have a look at www.wildfrontiers.com. There's lots of space open on the climb that starts on the 21st of July! :)