From Bequia to the Roof of Africa: My Kilimanjaro Climb (Part 1)

A little over a year ago, on a Sunday morning, I got chatting to a new gym member called Jody.

We talked about our plans for the new year, and it turned out we had the same thing on our bucket list.

Kilimanjaro.

"Let's do it together," he said.

Two voices in my head

The first voice was full of excuses, looking for a way out.

The cost. The time off work. The time away from family.

Then a different thought jumped out, loud and from nowhere. Some would call it the subconscious mind:

"If not now, then when?"

That was all it took to start what turned out to be an epic, possibly life-changing journey to the top of Africa.

My why

I grew up on Bequia, a small island in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

I did this for two reasons.

The first was my daughter. I want her to see her dad take chances, so she knows she can too, and lives a full life.

The second was to inspire someone back home on Bequia to go out and have their own adventures, because this planet has so many stories waiting to be told.

Growing up, I didn't really have heroes outside of my family. I still don't. And I can't remember anyone from my island doing anything like this.

So I'm going to claim the title:

First Bequia man, and first Vincy man, to climb Kilimanjaro.

Above the clouds

There was one moment, standing above the clouds, when I turned to Jody and said, "I can see why some people choose to believe in God."

You can look at the photos, but they don't do it justice.

Glaciers. Giant groundsel plants that look like something from another planet. Rainforest, monkeys, moorland, then rock and ice. On Kilimanjaro you walk through what feels like every climate zone on earth in a few days.

Just being alive to experience nature in all its wonders.

The sunrise rising behind Mawenzi Peak, at 5,149m, is one of the most stunning things I've ever seen. And the mountain at night, lit up above our tents at Shira Cave Camp, 3,750m, is a picture I'll carry with me.

Real strength looks like this

As a personal trainer, this is the part that stayed with me most.

Men and women of every age moved up and down that mountain at five times our pace, carrying 20kg or more on their backs and heads, over rough ground. Meanwhile I was struggling to stay upright and catch my breath at altitude.

You don't build that kind of strength chasing a six-pack. You build it by doing real things, day after day, for years.

That's what I try to build with my clients in Cheltenham too. Not gym strength for the sake of it, but the strength to carry the shopping, lift the grandkids and keep doing the things you love as you get older.

Nothing happens without teamwork

The real unsung heroes of this trip were our guides, Hemedi and Saidi, and the porters.

They carried the water, the tents, the food, even the portable toilets. They set up camp ahead of us every day, moving at three times our speed.

Without them we wouldn't have made it. Simple as that.

Respect. Gratitude. Humility.

Time To Be More

At the top, at 5,895m, I held up my brand: Time To Be More.

It's about becoming the best version of yourself through four things: a positive mental attitude, smart training, recovery and good nutrition. Nothing extreme. Just small, consistent steps.

Getting up Kilimanjaro was exactly that. One slow step, then another. No heroics.

Epic and humbling

It was a personal achievement in every sense: physical, mental, emotional, and a little bit spiritual.

If I had to sum it up in two words, it would be epic and humbling.

And if you ever have the chance, and the ability, to do something like this, please, please do it.

But it doesn't have to be a mountain.

For a lot of the people I work with, the "Kilimanjaro" is walking back into a gym after ten years away. Getting strong enough to stop the back pain. Feeling confident in their clothes again.

The same two voices show up. The excuses, and the quiet one asking, "If not now, then when?"

So the real question is: which one are you going to listen to?

In Part 2, I'll share the side nobody posts about. The summit-night headache, the fake summit sign, the toilets, and what it really cost.

If you're in Cheltenham and you're ready to start your own climb, book a free 15-minute call. No pressure, just a chat about where you are and where you want to be.

Time to "Be More" – L