With the climb on my mind pretty much 24-7, it’s no wonder that I would be climbing mountains in my dreams. Luckily I’m not actually sleep walking as I’m not quite sure where I would end up.
Picture from: Interesting stories of sleep walking
It did leave me feeling rather anxious and concerned in the morning. Clearly my sub-conscious is swamped with pre-climb thoughts. There seems to be quite a few things I still need to get in order before I head off in 9 days.
After my 1000 steps wake up call on Saturday, some of the concerns of my fitness and preparedness were raised. Walking up the 1000 steps is no easy task on a good day, but as preparation for my climb I thought it would be perfect. Instead I had feelings of inferiority, fear, exhaustion and failure. I felt pathetic and insignificant. Severe I know, but ones mind does tend to go into panic mode when your heart rate is racing and your muscles are pumping.
The sleep that night was less than peaceful let’s say. The dream included discussion of breaks, what the toilets were like and where the hell was our leader? Are these really things I will come up against.
I’ve enlisted the help of a rest and relaxation soundtrack for my sleep in the lead up to the climb. Proper rest and a clear mind are going to be very important in these last few days before I head off.
A call to my great aunt helped me to calm down and talk through some of my anxieties. I guess this is part of the process. Just waiting now for the nerves and fear and worry to subside, so that excitement and anticipation can set in!
I will be taking on my biggest Adventure yet, Climbing Kilimanjaro for Alzheimer’s Australia NSW! I will Climb Kilimanjaro in honour of my Grandpa who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2008. I was in Africa when I found out and I said at the time I would one day do this for him, in his memory! We are raising money for Alzheimer’s Australia NSW to raise awareness and the necessary funds for prevention of the disease that affects so many. Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Australia, after heart disease and stroke. We must prevent and find a cure as it’s not a normal part of aging, and does affect 100,000’s of Australians.
Help me reach my $10.000 target by donating to my online fundraising page:
http://my.artezpacific.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=357503&Lang=en-CA
KILI COUNTDOWN – 9 Days to go
Lovelly Travels 