Day 1

Machame Gate - 1,800m

Our mini-bus arrived at 9am, full with the porters and guides ready to accompany us on our trip. Our three local guides, Godfrey, Nelson and Philippe, over the next week would become our firm friends.

The gate to the park sat fervently at the top of a winding road leading up from Moshi. Pulling into the National Park there was a nervous air about the group but everyone was keen to begin. We all signed in and had a leisurely lunch which, much to our surprise, comprised a wonderful selection of pita, houmous, dates, sausage and bacon; and tomato and onion salad. There were some final kit checks and eventually we entered the park gates and started slowly up a shallow incline into the forest.

Day 1

Machame Hut - 3,000m

As we climbed through the forest's warm mist, the guides introduced us to the Swahili words that would epitomise our journey: pole pole (slowly slowly), kunyo maji (drink water) and mambo, poa (hi, cool). Then, our Swahili names: Simba (Sean, lion), Sungura (Jamie, rabbit), Cheka (Ella, smile), Punda Milia (Holly, zebra), Faru (Dan, rhino), Fuko (Alastair, mole) and Paka (Katy, cat).

We emerged from the forest and arrived at our first camp, Machame Hut, unexpectedly quickly; the guides and our UK-based leader Eion seemed confident in our progress and proclaimed us to be a 'strong group'!

As soon as the sun went down the cold set in: a dramatic change and before long we were beginning to make the most of the many layers we'd filled our bags with. Once packed into the mess tent, we all began to thaw out and our first night in camp passed smoothly - the excellent soup, roast potatoes and chicken and vegetable sauce filling our stomachs quite nicely!

That night we slept relatively comfortably, with the down sleeping bags keeping us cosily warm all night.

Day 2

Shira Camp - 3,840m

We'd already been pre-warned about the steepness of Day 2. It was a short day but we ascended quite quickly. The landscape began to become more sparse and rocky as we moved into open moorland and further above the first layer of cloud. The beautiful views across the mountainside continued and we peppered our walking with regular toilet and snack breaks (Godfrey, the head guide, calls it 'checking his e-mails'). On the steepest inclines, the porters humbled us by passing us at an incredible pace, carrying their vast array of tents, cooking equipment and our main bags.

When we reached 3,800m, Godfrey decided we had the energy to bring forward our acclimatisation walk for that day so we slowly stumbled up a prohibited path through the shrubbery.

The signs of altitude began to prick today and both Dan and Sean developed headaches: there was a general sense that things were about to get a whole lot tougher as we made it to the campsite and crashed. Dan and Holly retired to their tents to recover. Ella had a rather chesty cough which caused Godfrey some concern so he decided it was time for his magical remedy of raw ginger, raw garlic and honey. It turned out to be a miraculous cure!

Unbeknown to us, Uhuru Peak was standing calmly behind a blanket of clouds. Later in the afternoon, the clouds parted and the Peak was revealed in its full glory. Before now the challenge had not seemed so daunting but all of a sudden it really hit home and we set up our chairs to gaze from afar at the summit peak in all her magnificence.

Day 3

Barranco Camp - 3,950m

The night had been sub-zero and, for a few of us, sleep had proved elusive. The clear morning sky cast glittering rays of sun across the sparse grass which was covered with a gleaming morning frost. Our breakfast table was set up facing the Peak which would lure us towards it for the first 4 hours of today's walk. It was a real slog today: a fairly shallow incline but, as we ascended, everyone was feeling worse for wear; headaches affected many of the group and so lunch ended up being a fairly sombre affair. The steep afternoon decline was welcomed by everyone although it did give us some indication of the pounding our knees would take on the way down!

Once in camp, there was a general feeling of exhaustion but we were also beginning to feel a real sense of achievement. The porters presented us with bowls of warm water, cups of chai and a tray of popcorn and biscuits and we soaked up the afternoon sun.

We knew tomorrow would be a steeper, longer, colder, sleepier and, in general, more challenging trek but for the moment we were all happy to eat and rest.

Day 4

Karanga Camp - 4,200m

A daunting incline awaited us early in the morning, involving a fair amount of scaling rocks. Today, working together seemed crucial and the guides continually offered their hands as we hauled ourselves up the rockface and, as normal, they seemed to glide effortlessly upwards. Today the summit was goading us more than ever; after we ascended, we then descended, moving even further away.

The walking was much harder and the altitude was really kicking in. We went down into a valley and filled our water bottles. Exhausted, we realised we were not yet half-way and, glancing up, a steep hill was still diligently guarding our lunch spot, Karanga Camp. When we eventually got there, a lull descended on the group as the bizarre Tanzanian take on a Cornish pasty didn't go down particularly well.

Day 4

Barafu Camp - 4,680m

The next four hours towards Barafu Camp were a militant slog, one foot in front of the other, pole pole. Gradually, any sign of life was replaced by pathways of rabbled slate. The summit mockingly stands on our left-hand side, offering a scattering of snow as its only sign of greeting. The last part of the day was fairly excruciating and each of us seemed distracted by our own battle of self-will. The final climb to the summit camp was slow and when we finally signed-in at the hut there was a huge sense of relief.

Jamie and Katy arrived last and were both suffering. Katy plodded in and headed straight for bed; Jamie swayed in and did the same. Eventually, everyone followed in a vague attempt to get some sleep (or, for those of us who couldn't sleep, rest) before dinner. Nerves were pretty shot and dinner was quiet. Jamie's altitude sickness took on new levels of nastiness as he ran out from the mess tent to throw up his dinner. The nerves edged up another notch and it was clear that everyone was thinking about the 12am rise and the prospect of what lay ahead. Before trying to get a few final hours of sleep, we all squeezed into a multitude of layers, trying to leave a few back for the 3am freeze we'd been told to expect.

Day 5

Uhuru Peak - 5,895m

At midnight, under the light of a sky full of stars, we all set off from the camp. It was warmer than we anticipated. Our tiredness was immediately apparent and it quickly became clear that the summit day would be an internal battle; our bodies were to be tested beyond their limits. It was solitary: most of the group became separated, each person contending with their own challenges. Our guides were remarkable: encouraging, supportive and phenomenally patient. After the first hour, an order is established: Dan and Alastair lead the way; Holly joins another group after moving beyond Sean; Katy, rather remarkably after a rough start, continues her plod; Sean struggled to keep up his slow Simba Death March; and Ella and Jamie alternated positions at the back.

Jamie fell many times but determinedly persevered. Eventually, there was one fall too many and he was forced to return. An hour later, Alastair, who had been affected by altitude for much of the climb, was no longer safe to carry on. His swerving and veering eventually proved too dangerous and, despite his best efforts, he was forced to come down. Jamie and Alastair made their descent, plagued by fatigue, rambling and largely incoherent.

Sean and Ella now made up the rear guard: the former hysterically laughing at his hands and the latter falling asleep at every opportunity. Dan, in great style, managed to reach the summit a full two hours before everyone else, slogging away at the front with Eion. Katy found a new lease of life around sunrise and got there just over an hour later. Ella eventually met Holly and Sean on the climb to Stella Point and the three of them reached the summit at around 9.15am, over 9 hours after leaving the camp.

It was exhilarating to reach the summit but the group were shattered and it was far from the jubilant experience we had expected.

The descent was tedious. The guides were adamant that we must not stay at the summit for too long, it being too dangerous. Ella was effectively carried down while everyone scree-skied and eventually we all made it back to Barafu Camp in one piece. The idea of starting to walk again in the afternoon was too much to contemplate but, after a quick sleep, we woke for lunch and the mood lifted.

Day 5

Mekwa Camp - 3,100m

Our fast decline in the afternoon didn't end up being as bad as first feared. The realisation that, firstly, our epic and much-anticipated adventure was coming to an end and, secondly, that most of us had reached the summit, or pushed ourselves to the absolute limit in an attempt to get there, resulted in a content camp. Tiredness engulfed us and we were forced to go to bed soon after the after-dinner cocoa had been devoured.

Day 6

Mekwa Gate - 1,900m

We awoke on the final day to a busy camp. The guides and porters were in high spirits, excited at the prospect of being back at home and seeing their family. It was also Sean's birthday so breakfast was a happy affair and, following our mess tent singing, the whole camp joins in with the porters singing to Sean in celebration of his birthday and to all of us in celebration of the climb.

Today, we descended through the forest where a deep mist enveloped us. The ground was wet and slippery and fatigue produced more than one slip to the ground. The boys bounded ahead and the girls lagged behind, muscles aching after yesterday's escapades. There was one last view of the mountain through a gap in the trees before the forest once again took over.

Reaching the end of a long muddy path the group picks up the certificates and finally convenes in a small bar where Kilimanjaro Beer was happily gulped back and the Leader of the Stomach (our chef) made us our final meal, a spectacular spaghetti bolognaise. Eventually, we all tumble into the van which takes us all back to Arusha.

Showered and finally clean, the group met in the bar and, with beer and gin and tonics, reflected on the epic adventure that had been the GUD Mount Kilimanjaro Climb 2011.