Climb Every Mountain
Climb Every Mountain – Rachel Hargrave of The Phoenix Partners has climbed the first of seven summits to raise money for Leicester Charity Link
Agency director of award-winning brand, design and PR agency The Phoenix Partners, Rachel Hargrave, has completed the first of the seven major summits she is climbing in order to raise money for Leicester Charity Link.
On Thursday, 27th February at 7.40am Rachel reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. She commented, “I’m absolutely thrilled. This is the second attempt and I felt so much stronger going into it. It really helped that the weather was so much better too. Last time I attempted it, it was winter but this time it was summer. Mind you, it was still minus ten degrees Celsius on the top with very cold winds.
“The best moment, without a doubt, was summiting. The view from the top is incredible and it is one of the few places on earth where you can see the curvature of the earth. Watching the sunrise at Stella Point was also a very special moment and made me shed a few tears.
“The worst part was getting a touch of altitude sickness which meant that I had quite bad stomach cramps for about five hours. Having to climb with those wasn’t fun but I knew it would be worth it; and it was.
“I’ve already started training for the next one which is Elbrus in August. Although not as high, this one will be challenging because it’s all snow and ice so I’ll be on fixed ropes and wearing double skinned plastic ice boots. They aren’t the most attractive of footwear and they are very robust so movement can be difficult. That said they do fend off frost bite!”
Following Mount Kilimanjaro, Rachel will go on to tackle Elbrus and Aconcagua in 2014. She aims to complete the remaining four summits (Denali, Carstensz Pyramid, Mount Vinson and finally, Everest) by 2018.
Between now and Elbrus, Rachel will also be completing the three peaks in the UK – another fundraiser for Leicester Charity Link.
For more information on the climbs or to donate, please visit www.giving-back.co.uk/seven-summits-challenge.asp.