Well it's been a while since I last updated so I thought I'd share some of MY trekking news -

on New Year's Day 2010 I climbed to the top of Ingleborough, one of the Three Peaks in the Yorkshire Dales, in a bid to kick-start my fitness campaign for June 2011. That's when I hope to climb Kilimanjaro and follow in Great Aunt May's footsteps once again!

Here's a picture of myself, my friends Sue and Matt and my husband Duncan at the top of Ingleborough.

It was a bitterly, bitterly cold day and we arrived in a blizzard. Another couple we met at the top, while we were enjoying a cup of tea (freshly brewed on Matt's stove) and a slice of my homemade Christmas cake, told us how a woman and a child on another ascent, were being taken off by Mountain Rescue, thought to be suffering from hypothermia - that will tell you how cold it was.

Despite the Arctic conditions, I really enjoyed the trek. The scenery was absolutely stunning - a veritable Winter Wonderland!

I hope to continue doing one walk a week from now on - building it up slowly and gradually!!

So here it is in Great Aunt May's very own words, this is the first time these words have been reprinted since July 1941. Exactly 68-years ago this Saturday she began to write the account. Only a few days after returning from the expedition!

BAY 575. NAIROBI. 11-7-41

THE MAKING OF A MOUNTAINEER

CHAPTER ONE – THE FIRST ASPIRATIONS

IT was probably about three years ago that the suggestion was first made. Two years ago, when exploring the upper regions of Mount Elgon, the suggestion was discussed a little more fully, but still with reference to the more or less distant future. “Perhaps next year – or the year after…” and so on. And there the matter rested.

Shortly after Easter this year, a woman came up to see me as I was doing some business in town, saying that she lived in Moshi, a small town in Tanganyika. A Salvation Army officer whom she had met from time to time had asked her to pass on his greetings to any Salvationists whom she might meet in Kenya. At this reference of Moshi I remarked that we had been thinking of spending one of our future furloughs at Marangu, about 25 miles from Moshi and that if we did so we should very much like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The conversation that ensued made the climb sound so attractive that I came home all enthusiastic for a holiday at Marangu in the not-so-distant future. Both Captains were interested in what I had to relate and thought it would be an admirable way of enjoying ourselves in June 1942. For June 1941, we had been contemplating a lazy three weeks by the sea at Mombassa.

It was not long before the Mountain proved to be a more powerful magnet than the sea. We had often heard of the Guest House at Marangu from Major and Mrs Penn, Majors Betts and Fairhurst. They had spent their furlough there about three years ago and had often spoken of the lovely surrounding country and snow-clad mountain looking down upon it. They had not done any climbing, but had referred to Marangu as an ideal spot for a holiday. On being asked for the address to which we should write, Mrs Penn very kindly offered to write to Mrs Lany on our behalf, asking for her terms and also what arrangements could be made for climbing, if we felt like making the attempt.

Our enthusiasm for the mountain grew rapidly. We knew that June was not considered a good month for such a venture and even if we had not known beforehand, we could not have gone away without knowing it. For almost every person who heard of our plans told us that December or January would be far more suitable for climbing. In Mrs Lany’s letter we were advised to leave the decision whether to climb or not, until we actually reached Marangu. When we would have more idea of what the weather would be. So we set aside warm clothing and other requirements in the hope that June would be in a kindly mood...

I've found a little background info on Kilimanjaro today in Trail magazine. There's a feature on climbing Kili in this month's issue, promoted on the front page as "Kilimanjaro Moyles did it. Could you?", which made me chuckle.

Anyway, apparently in 1929 Pastor Richard Reusch made the first of 40 summit climbs, along the way discovering a frozen leopard on the crater rim, which would give Ernest Hemingway inspiration for his book The Snows of Kilimanjaro. That was the second book I read in preparation for my own attempt on the summit,l after my great aunt's account. I also watched the 1952 film of the same name, starring Gregory Peck.

The Trail article also tells how in 1961 a tourch was placed on the summit of Kibo to symbolise the independence of Tanganyika. And the peak was renamed from Kaiser Wilhelm Peak to 'Uhuru', which means freedom in Swahili.

Aunt May and myself never made it to the top peak of Uhuru. There are actually two peaks on Kilimanjaro, as the mountain top is a crater. You first arrive at the top at a spot called Gillman's Point and then you walk around the crater rim to the highest point of the crater, called Uhuru. So Aunt May and myself both made it to Gilman's Point, but in 1941 this was considered good enough to qualify my aunt as having reached the top and when she returned to the bottom a very special presentation, which I shall talk more about in a later post. So if it was good enough for Aunt May it was good enough for me!

However, I want to make my second attempt in 2011 to try and make it to Uhuru, my great aunt had ambitions of returning to make a second attempt as well, as she describes in her writings, but unfortunately she never made it back there.

A brief background of Aunt May

Aunt May was born on May 1st 1903 in Fowey, Cornwall. She attended St Blazey Infant School and went into service after finishing school.

Apparently she saved all she could of her five shilling wages while in service, to equip herself for the Salvation Army training college. She had joined the St Blazey Corps of the Salvation Army in 1923 and I believe became an officer in 1926.

While in the Salvation Army at St Blazey she revelled in the open air meetings, sold the War Cry (the Salvation Army newspaper) in public houses and collected for the self-denial effort, in outlying villages.

After becoming an officer in 1926 she carried out slum work in Bath and had similar appointments in Portsea, Abbey Street and Shadwell. While at Shadwell I understand she was responsible for the 'penny kitchens', providing penny dinners for the homeless.

Not long after she was at Shadwell she went to East Africa where she undertook many wonderful adventures, some photos of which I will share with you in later posts.

She retired from the Salvation Army and Africa on October 1st 1960. She was working at the Hostel for the Ambulant Sick in Kampala, Uganda at the time.

While in Africa she used to broadcast on African Radio in Swahili, see the picture above.

Welcome...

... to The Making of a Mountaineer, a blog dedicated to my Great Aunt Rosalie May Trembeth, her incredible expedition and my attempt(s) to follow in her footsteps.

Aunt May, as she's known in the family, was a Brigadier in the Salvation Army and served in Africa for around 35 years. In June 1941 she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world in her Salvation Army issue shoes and dress!

She wrote an account of her climb and took photos en-route. My family discovered a fully typed manuscript entitled "The Making of a Mountaineer" in my granddad's loft a few years ago, when he sadly passed away.

In 2001, shortly before my 30th birthday I made exactly the same trip my great aunt did, following in her footsteps as closely as I could, 60 years TO THE DAY after she made the ascent!

I will reproduce some of her account and photos, alongside my own account and photos in this blog.

In 2011 I hope to return to Kilimanjaro to make another attempt on the summit, 70 years after my great aunt and 10 years after my first attempt. I will also reproduce any news about the build up and the climb itself right here. So make sure you stay tuned.

There's lots to tell, so I do hope you come back for more.

One day I would like to get the whole story published, as a book. But until then, I hope you enjoy these excerpts as much as I've enjoyed writing them ... Happy reading!