From the Cliffs of Cornwall to Kilimanjaro

Eric Marks

Description

The idea of writing a book suddenly dawned on Eric Marks as he walked along the South West Coast Path from Minehead in Somerset to St Just in Cornwall. The experiences he'd had, the great seascapes he saw, and he people the met were a pageant for his senses and things were only just getting started.From the Cliffs of Cornwall to Kilimanjaro documents Eric's incredible decision to walk 252 miles with his nephew along the South West Coast Path of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall as part of their training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, later that same year. Was this a late-life crisis, or what? Sharing his memories and stories with the reader, we're taken on his trek, from the comforting sights of home to the exotic landscapes of Africa and joining the thousands of people who every year volunteer to climb the tallest mountain in Africa.Unexpected situations, both home and away, including some near-death moments, slingshot the reader from highs to lows, but one thing is certain: it really is surprising what part serendipity plays when you are on the walking trail for several days at a time. An inspiration for other readers into their later life, Eric has proven that you're only as old as you accept you are in a journey that is dynamic and demanding, satisfying yet humbling.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Kilimanjaro
• Memoir
• Mount Kilimanjaro
• Walking
• Kilimandjaro

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 28 avril 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781803139142
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright © 2022 Eric Marks
https://www.ericmarks.co.uk/

The moral right of the author has been asserted.


Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.


Matador
Unit E2 Airfield Business Park,
Harrison Road, Market Harborough,
Leicestershire. LE16 7UL
Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador
Twitter: @matadorbooks


ISBN 978 1803139 142

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd




I dedicate this book to my nephew, friend, and outstanding trekking companion, Jonathan Starkey Kennedy (Jon).

We thought that we knew each other pretty well, but unexpected strengths and weaknesses emerged during our training and mountain trekking. These only served to deepen our mutual respect, and I am happy to say that we are still on very good terms.

As you will see, our whole adventure was exciting, gruelling, spellbinding, and humbling. It was also interspersed with strange and exhilarating events, and even stranger people we met along the way. But my wicked sense of humour –usually at Jon’s expense –punctuated the story.

Jon, you put up with all this from me so well that I take immense pleasure in dedicating this book to you. No one could wish for a better friend and walking companion.

With heartfelt thanks and great respect,
Eric


Contents

One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Afterword


One

I didn’t know what a life-focusing event I was letting myself in for at the dinner that evening. You may have experienced something similar. You listen, captivated, to a friend talking enthusiastically about some upcoming event that has the lure of adventure about it. Then, out of the blue, you are invited to join your friend on the trip of a lifetime. You hesitate, but after a couple of glasses of good wine, you know that this is an irresistible force. I hesitated for a while longer in order to give the impression that I was a carefully reasoning sort of guy. But I knew that I was hooked. My life had changed to a different level, to a different tempo. What a strange thing to have happened in my seventy-sixth year! In my mind I was still in my early twenties, just as well when I reflected on what lay ahead of me.
The friend in this case was my nephew, Jonathan. He wanted desperately to climb a substantial mountain, and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was his choice. He had no idea just how difficult it would be to get a climbing buddy, and after exhausting his lists of ‘probables and possibles’, he unleashed his persuasive magic on me… a last resort.
But first, let me tell you something about ourselves before we all set out together on what was to be quite an adventure. This adventure I will never forget, not only because it turned out to be so exhilarating but also because it was stunningly different from what I expected it to be.
My nephew Jonathan was forty-eight and very keen on staying fit and healthy. He worked out regularly in his local gym but lived in a part of the country that is lacking in hills; in fact, it is pancake-flat. Clearly, this was not ideal training ground for big hills and mountains. Being in a quite high position in the Metropolitan Police, he was a resourceful guy. He travelled down from London, to where I live in Plymouth, for training on the steep ground of Dartmoor and, of course, on the South West Coast Path for its frequently steep and testing terrain. Another incentive for travelling down to visit my wife, Judith, and me is that we always fed him well. His mother, Vivien – Judith’s sister – also lives in Plymouth. She provided him with accommodation and also fed him well to keep his strength up!
Jonathan lives for sport of all types, and indeed it could be said that sport is his life, next to his wife and four daughters. Jon (as he prefers to be called) had picked up several sports injuries in his career. These would need to be treated with great care in the course of our training and the Kilimanjaro expedition itself. It was these injuries that would possibly give me a chance to keep up to his pace over the many trials ahead of us; time would tell.
Jon is quite tall, good-looking in a rugged, outdoor way, and has a powerful build. He has even less hair than I have, and that is saying something, believe me. His favourite clothing is shorts and T-shirt, but this may not have been viable on the heights of Kilimanjaro after the first day or two. Jon loves to talk with people we meet when we are out walking. Often within seconds he has them believing that he is my carer and that I am on day release. It’s amazing how many people accept what he says, even when I tell them that he is telling ‘porkies’.
As regards his general effect upon me, let me say right here at the outset that I have the highest regard for Jon. He is inspirational. He is also reliable, especially in an emergency. His long years in the police have helped to shape him into someone special. He is intelligent and knowledgeable, just the sort of guy to have with you if things take a turn for the worse. Jon is a great non-fiction reader with wide-ranging knowledge. A possible downside is that he doesn’t always suffer fools gladly. Clearly, I would need to be careful in what I said and did.
So, what about me? What can I tell you that will help to illuminate the events that are about to unfold?
Having left the Royal Marines in 1969, I had kept myself reasonably fit. This had been achieved mainly by regular walking with our various Labradors over the years and occasional two-day backpacking trips. But all that changed when, at the age of seventy-two, I joined my local gym. I had gradually become aware that my level of activity was not adequate to keep me in good condition for my later years. Something had to be done, and fast, because the body keeps a careful reckoning.
Joining the gym was a revelation to me. The high-tech nature of the gym equipment was far removed from what I remembered about my days in the armed services.
In those days there were wall bars, vaulting horses, medicine balls, skipping ropes, climbing ropes, and not much else. That being said, the assault courses and endurance marches on Dartmoor more than made up for the lack of gym equipment.
I engaged with much of the new fitness gear and machines in the local gym, and within a few months I became fitter and stronger. Little did I know at that time just how essential all this was to become in three years’ time when Jon invited me to join him on this African adventure. But first, let me tell you some more about the two of us and about our similarities and striking differences. This was to become important over our months of training and on the expedition itself.
Jon enjoys fine food and wine, whereas I have little interest in food other than as fuel for my active life, although I do enjoy a glass of wine. I love the stoical lot of the backpacker, walking alone, carrying everything I need for a few days of camping. The feeling of self-sufficiency gives me a real buzz. Jon, on the other hand, detests camping. I am sure that he would also decline the alfresco food I would serve up to him at the end of a hard day’s backpacking.
I also am a keen reader but generally in literature and philosophy. Jon loves the modern popular music scene, whereas I am steeped in classical music from the Renaissance to the present time.
When it comes to walking interests, Jon is mainly in love with the lure of the big mountains. I am much more enamoured with distance-walking over attractive, but often challenging, countryside. As you can appreciate, I was stepping outside my comfort zone when it came to our expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro. Having said that, Jon was also stepping outside his comfort zone and into a nightmare, as the route he eventually decided on involved several days of camping. This wasn’t spotted at the outset when Jon booked the trip – glad it wasn’t me!
***
Now, let’s talk commitment. Let’s go for it as we were summoned to do on some of the premium-priced sports gear. Yes! It was time to select a specialist travel company, book the expedition, and pay our deposits in resolute style. I hope you are adventure-ready for what was about to happen over the months of training that lay ahead and then the trip of a lifetime to Africa and the great Kilimanjaro volcano. Now, let’s go forward, because I cannot wait to tell you this story. See you in chapter two.


Two

The irresistible urge to book for the expedition overtook my natural curiosity to know exactly what I was getting into. Yes, I blundered into this one. Jon knew a little about Kilimanjaro, but in the event, this was only a starting point. We both had a lot to learn.
Our learning process really started with the arrival of the travel brochure. This was glossy, sparkling, glistening, and crammed with a feast of photographs showing what awaited us. If we thought we were keen to go before sending for the brochure and p