Jambo! Sherpa Bear here, back from my travels in the deepest darkest depths of Africa and fresh from my epic climb up the World's Highest Freestanding Mountain, Kilimanjaro. You will have read the papers, watched the news and seen the videos but now is your chance to hear about Kili straight from the Bear's mouth. Ok, so it was hell, the weather was horrendous; the food, particularly the porridge, unbearable; the personal hygiene questionable; the altitude sickness ghastly... But I got through it all and made it to the summit! I am now part of a very exclusive club of celebs who have made it and, unlike Cheryl, I didn't need an injection in my bum. I have to confess that this sort of rugged adventure is not really my cup of Redbush but I was prepared to go and help the blokes along. We had quite a mixed team as you will have read, with Craig being blind, Andy being Craig's 'eyes', Stu and John missing legs, Frenchie's legs not working that well, Tony with a repaired arm, Natalie who had lost her husband last year, Peta my favourite Sun Page 3 Girl, Peter my favourite Sun photographer, Matt and Kev my favourite film crew and then Team Parry of Emma, Sophie, Jon, Tom, Louisa and of course my porter, the old boy Bryn.
We tackled the Machame route which is reckoned to be the most scenic and the one most favoured by those in the know. We were supported by the team from Discover Adventure: Commander Ken, Jimmie, Fi and Doc Kev as well as the team of great local guys from Ashante Tours led by Pascal, Jimmy and Whitey. I played down my Special Forces experience I wish I could write more but frankly my time is money and I am dictating this from my well deserved R and R here in the Bearing Up Game Reserve. The cost of emails from here is outrageous. Keep taking the oxygen everyone and well done my team, you couldn't have done it without me. Now for another of those rather good cocktails please... Sherpa Bear, Mountain Climber |
Sherpa Bear's Kili Blog: 20th October 2009 S'up Bear? Ok all you Hero fans out there, this is the big one. I, Hero the Bear, am following in the bear-like footsteps of Chris Moyles and the dainty tread of the lovely Cheryl Cole up the highest freestanding mountain in the world, Kilimanjaro! On Thursday 22nd October I am flying out to Moshi with my support team for My Big Bear Event and then I am going to face the elephant, push the edge of the envelope and reach for the sky in my attempt to My team includes some wounded blokes as well as my porters from Team Parry but as you know, they are just really the back up to this Great Bear Event. I will also have a camera crew and the rather beautiful Peta, the page 3 girl, along to keep my morale up. There have to be some perks in this job after all... It will be tough, dangerous, it will be, in the words of the X Factor finalists, 'a journey'. I am up for it, I've done the training, I am nails, I will succeed, defeat is not an option, I am Hero! Actually, I am really rather worried about this whole daft idea but have got to do it as we need to raise a lot of lovely dosh for our wounded boys and girls. So please help me get up the mountain by sponsoring the team. I'll do my bit and climb it if you do your bit to sponsor my team and make us feel all warm and cuddly in the knowledge that you are thinking about us. Thanks everyone; watch this space for news from Kili. Sherpa Hero |
s and just went along with Bryn, letting him think he was in charge of our team. Of course, he was a potential liability to the group but I managed to keep him going but we will really have to look at whether it is right to take such an old boy along on such adventures: it might be seen to be cruel. 
be the first of the Hero Bear family to reach the summit.