So this is it!

October 16th 2014 - 1 Day to go 

There is no more I can do. No more training, no more dieting, no more buying endless pieces of kit, no more stocking up on sweets and snacks, no more crashing my bike. In 28 hours I will be taxiing down the runway at Heathrow with a small group of strangers about to embark on the biggest challenge I have ever, or am ever likely to face in my life. Has the training been enough? I am about to find out.

The last few days have been filled with excitement, trepidation and a bit of panic when I thought I was going to get a cold. I seem to have fended that off, the last thing I needed was breathing difficulties before I even started.

And with perfect timing the the BBC had a news item on their website that was a timely reminder that this is no ordinary trek. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29516211 for the item in question. Everest Base Camp is almost 2000ft lower than our ultimate goal. It is fraught with dangers but I am comforted by the fact that Charity Challenge have a great reputation and high success rate for getting people through these challenges. 

All that was left, the final challenge before leaving, was to pack my kit bag. Piece of cake you would think. However, the main kitbag to be carried by the porters has to be kept below 15 kilo's. As a result there has been a serious amount of culling of clothes, sweets and medicines. I have probably cut the amount of clothing in half, the amount of sweets and snacks by about three quarters and the meds also in half. I am not going to be nice to know by the time I get home, if I ever was in the first place.

Leaving work on Tuesday I was really touched by the messages of support and the hugs, kisses and handshakes to the point where I had a bit of a lump in the throat. Normally I would be only too glad to be receiving hugs and kisses (alright I still was) but it almost felt as  if I was leaving for good.

So this is it! I don't know when I will be able to get a message back to say have I done it or not, it could be after I arrive back in the UK. In the meantime I will leave you with my guilty pleasure - a bit of Miley

"I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
'You'll never reach it'

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa"

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Mark