Paul Covell takes on the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro

Climbing until dawn with our head torches on to see the way, breathing very heavily in the rarefied atmosphere, for me it nearly ended in failure.

The intense cold, the difficulty in breathing caused by the high altitude and resulting exhaustion was only punctuated by Nagabona one of our guides looking into my eyes for signs of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness ) and constantly urging "Mr Paul drink more water, Mr Paul drink more water". The water, apart from quenching thirst was also a source of extra oxygen. We needed to drink three litres a day.

I was gradually falling back from our party of eight climbers from the UK together with four guides for this final assault. I was determined to reach the crater rim of the highest free standing mountain in the world and the roof of Africa. At its highest point 5,865 metres above sea level, every intake of breath contained only half the amount of oxygen as the same breath at sea level. At 66, why was I subjecting my body to this near-breaking point instead of tending the garden back home in Chalfont St Giles?

Following early retirement at 61 to sail around the world in the BT Global Challenge 2000/2001, I subsequently cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End, walked the Pennine Way and went pair trawling in The North Sea. Another challenge beckoned what better than joining an expedition to the top of the majestic Kilimanjaro?

I signed up with a group organised by Gane & Marshall. I chose The Lemosho Route as this included an extra day for acclimatisation, so important to avoid being led ignominiously down the mountain with mountain sickness which we saw frequently, especially near the summit. Spending extra time at the higher altitude is key and nobody knows how they will be affected beforehand.

Our group consisted of Bryan and his partner Christine in their late 50s, Dan and Lisa, a honeymoon couple living in Dublin, three young fit single guys in their 30s from Belfast, and me.

Full of apprehension for the climb ahead we were woken at 6am for the drive from the base camp to the Londrossi Gate for registration. Nobody is allowed to climb Kilimanjaro without guides and porters, and paying the necessary fees to enter the National Park area.

Our first day's trek took us through the rain forest to camp Big Tree at 2,800 meters. Three porters were required for each person on the trek to carry the food, tents and our main gear. We each carried a small rucksack containing waterproofs, three litres of water and some nibbles. The weight carried by the porters has to be seen to be believed. Anything from 25 to 35 kilos. My day pack weighed 7.5 kilos, one of the lightest in the group. On arrival I had a headache, this was just the first day, how was I going to cope at the higher altitudes. Christine, a laboratory technician in her late 50s, was sick, not eating and feeling very unwell. She was already talking of abandoning the climb and returning. Daniel our guide persuaded her to leave the decision until the morning, which she did, and with the aid of Diamox, the mountain sickness drug she made a remarkable recovery and reached the summit six days later.

Sleeping on the hard ground in small tents and the intense cold meant intermittent sleep. How I wished already that I had brought a thicker sleeping bag. Soup was always on the menu as we needed plenty of liquids.

On the second day at 3pm the full majestic view of Kilimanjaro came into view for the first time and would be with us for the next five days as we circled round climbing ever higher. Unlike the Alps and The Himalayas, Kibo, as it is affectionately known, is not part of a range but is free-standing and dominates the landscape. The scene is ever changing, sometimes the summit is shrouded in mist, and as the cloud drifts away the full beauty of the snow capped peak comes into view.

Day three: in the early morning the tents are covered in frost and already you soon become breathless even just packing up your belongings in the tent. Today we have a packed lunch which we eat at "The Cathedral" (4,000 metres) the highest altitude I had ever been. My appetite had disappeared and I was feeling lethargic. During the afternoon I was sick and after a brief stop continued ever upwards. At home when you are sick you generally lie down for a while not on Kilimanjaro. The other seven members of the group are waiting to continue.

Day four was a tough 7.5 hour slog to reach 4,400 metres, then descending to the Barranco Valley and Barranco Camp. We observed some fine specimen of white-necked ravens ready to pounce for any crumbs. During the day we passed a stretcher party coming down the mountain. Not being able to see a face, we asked what had happened only to be told that it was the body of a young American who had fallen off The Western Ridge, a particularly difficult route up to the summit. It was a sobering moment. Still not eating well, just fruit and a bar of chocolate I had brought with me. Everyone in our eight-strong party suffered headache, sickness, diarrhoea and backache at some stage. Kilimanjaro is not for the faint-hearted. At night it is freezing cold even with two layers of clothing, socks and a hat on inside my sleeping bag.

Day five: I am feeling better, eating better and no headaches which is great news. Going outside the tent at night to stumble to the toilet in the freezing cold is an ordeal, but there is no alternative. I cannot fault the organisation of this expedition except for the primitive toilets just a small hut with a hole in the ground. If you miss it creates a real mess!! We jokingly referred to these toilets as the long drop. I feel sorry for the ladies. Today we had a very steep climb up the Barranco wall which meant using both hands and feet to manoeuvre ever upwards towards Karanga Valley Camp. Once we had settled into the camp we take an extra walk on to the glacier to practise scree-walking for when we come down from the summit.

Day six: After breakfast we take the traverse route to reach Barafu ridge. Moving very slowly (pole-pole' in Swahili) now as we reach 4,870 metres (The height of Mt Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe). A tough trek, we rest in the afternoon and try and get some sleep after dinner before the big push for the summit starting at midnight.

Day seven: The big day. At midnight, wearing thermal long johns, headgear, gloves and head torch, we begin the gruelling eight hour trek to the crater. The guide keeps saying Do not look up', as it is demoralising seeing the slow progress. For the first two hours I kept up with the group, but breathing became more difficult and I was unable to maintain the pace. Nagabona, the assistant guide, stayed with me as I made slow progress. It took every ounce of effort and concentration to reach the crater which I did by 8am. The others had gone ahead to reach Uhuru Point 200 metres higher. I decided to look around the crater before descending with Nagabona.

We reached Barafu Ridge Camp at 10am, took a brief rest then lunch and off again to descend to Mweka High Camp another two hours' walk. The toughest day that I have ever experienced, involving 1000 metres of ascent and 3000 metres of descent in one day.

Day eight; Woken at 7am to sunny weather. An uncanny experience as we were still above the clouds just like being in an airliner. The porters sang songs and danced with the majestic Kibo in the background. A moving moment. A four hour steep climb down via a muddy maintained path through the rain forest brought us to Mweka Gate, where we ate a quick lunch before signing out of the National Park. The authorities maintain a tight control of who is on the mountain.

We chilled out and visited the stunning Ngorongoro Crater and saw elephants, rhinos, lions, wildebeests, zebras etc before returning home. All good value for money except for being ripped off at a Maasi village: $50 between four of us just to see a quick dance, take some photographs and see the children covered in flies. Still you don't argue with guys wielding spears!

In spite of the hardships you get an amazing sense of achievement climbing Kilimanjaro. You really get to know your fellow trekkers and the banter with the guides, porters and cooks adds to the total experience of climbing to the roof of Africa. Once you return to base camp, and your stomach has settled down and you can breathe normally again, it's surprising how you remember the achievement rather than the punishment you put your body through. I would not repeat the experience, but I shall glance at the certificate on the wall many times in the year's ahead and think of the preparation, the accomplishment, the remarkable views and the people I met along the way.