Why, oh why?

People recently have kept asking me things like "why (at your age) the hell are you putting yourself.....?"

George Mallory, when asked why he would want to climb Everest said "because it's there". Good answer - if you are prepared to take what, at that time, was an indeterminable risk to achieve something. I am a complete chicken - of an indeterminable magnitude compared to Mallory's (and Irvine's) braveness but opportunities in travel thesedays means that insignificant people like me are able to challenge themselves like never before and step outside their comfort zone. We're all here for a blink of an eye in terms of man's evolution and, when I depart this earth, I want to be be able to say I made the most of it!!! As one gets older, this becomes more of an imperative. We have been fortunate to be able to travel extensively but I need more than the fact that I have 'been somewhere'. I am as scared (facing the risks of Kili) today as I was when I decided it would be a good idea to back pack alone around Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast when I was 18, but again, nothing would stop me doing it (and look how volatile this region of Africa was at the time!!). However, age teaches you to better mitigate the risks where you can and we have taken the time to prepare.

I found out today that 2 of our trekking party are late forties, both females. I am soooooo pleased that our party doesn't consist of mainly youngens who will race ahead and leave me looking like some geriatric! Hubby will be the senior! I think we'll have a great time, no matter the ages etc..