Wednesday 6 December 2023 In memory of his late father, Simon Birkby (OL93) successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, in October this year. His wife Beverley and two children aged 6 and 9 cheered him on from their home in Aberdeenshire. Simon and his fellow trekkers, guides and medics walked through extremely high altitude to summit Mt Kilimanjaro – which stands at 5895m tall – gradually rising to 5500m to suitably acclimatise. As of December, Simon has raised £3,545 for Cancer Research UK, 177% over his initial fundraising target. Simon is so grateful to everyone who has donated to his just giving page to help fundraise research to beat cancer. Simon flew to Tanzania as a solo traveller, taking on this immense personal challenge on his own. On arrival he joined a group of fellow climbers, the expedition leader, a medic, guides and porters. Through this shared physical and mentally challenging experience he has made bonds for life. Simon said, “There were one or two occasions where I had to overcome my fight or flight reflex. My toughest mental challenge (vertigo!) was discovered at the infamous Barranco wall prior to making the huge physical effort required to get to the summit. It was a 10pm start in the dark reaching the summit at 7.20am.” This was all before the long, long trip back down. Kilimanjaro is an incredibly unique journey, experiencing beautiful scenery along the way. You can travel through five different climate zones – from cloud and rain forests, to alpine moorland, then arctic desert – all in one week. The most unforgettable experience for Simon was having the privilege to “see sunrise as you reach the volcanic crater rim before the final push to the summit.” Described as the experience of a lifetime, both for a good cause and in memory of his father, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro pushes the boundaries of what you think you are capable and comfortable doing. His excursion was halted due to COVID-19 in 2020, but Simon’s ambition and determination never faltered. Simon’s advice: go and do it. Push yourself. It’s the experience of lifetime. Alumni Community
