Mountain Edition #8: After Climb, After Chat Part 1

They did it! A few months on from their Kilimanjaro climb, Lucy sits down with the team to reflect on what it really meant - beyond the summit.

In this episode of BrightIAM,  hear from the climbers as they share more about:
- Their time on the mountain
- The moments that challenged them most
- What kept them going
- And how it feels to have raised over £100,000 for Coram Kidscape

This wasn’t just a physical challenge. It was personal, emotional, and for many, deeply connected to why they chose to take part.

This is the story behind the climb, in their own words.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

For Kidscape's 40th anniversary. A team of incredible individuals came together and took on Kilimanjaro. Some reached the summit, others fell in love. Let's watch this compilation from our After Climb After Chat event where we celebrated our climb and heard the stories behind that climb. This is episode one.

SPEAKER_05 0:23

So we're here at the After Climb After Chat event, and I'm joined by one of our fabulous Trek participants, Tracy Harris from Westgate Salon. Tracy, how was the climb for you?

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Oh my god, it was surreal, it was amazing. No words, um, it was the best thing I've ever done in my life. And I keep hearing this, that it's the best thing, but also the hardest thing. It was. It was it was so hard, it was it was so much harder than I ever thought. Um, I don't know why I didn't think it was going to be hard. Um, but yeah, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. But I I absolutely loved it. I loved it so so much. And tell me, was it the people on the mountain that made it possible? Absolutely, absolutely. Um, I mean, I just feel so blessed uh to have met these amazing people. Um 27 people that um I'm so blessed to now call my friends, family. I just love them all. Um they're just wonderful. Uh we just they just supported me, we supported each other. I just love them all. They're just amazing.

SPEAKER_05 1:38

It's marvelous because on that mountain there was a magic and a family that's been found. Yeah, and actually, you've seen some of the other participants since you've come down from Kilimanjaro.

SPEAKER_03 1:47

Yeah, yeah, we've all we've we've kept in touch, um speak to them regularly. Um it's just you know, you just feel like um you feel like you just you can't be away from them now, like um you've formed this special bond that you just you you just feel like you're gonna be friends for life now. Um, because we've been been through so much together. Um, it was so hard, it was so hard, but it was just so amazing as at the same time. Um, just can't explain it. And only only we know what it was like up there, only we know what we went through. So that's why it was um such a special bond. And they're just they're just amazing, they're just amazing.

SPEAKER_05 2:34

They're amazing people, and it's been an amazing climb raising all of that money over a hundred thousand pounds for charity. And tell me, with Westgate Salon, which is your independent salon, um, you've sponsored the documentary Roof of Africa Bullied the Mountain We Face. So we're really looking forward to seeing you in action on that documentary at the premiere in September. Is there any message you would give, Tracy, just finally, to people considering taking on an epic adventure of this scale?

SPEAKER_03 3:03

I would say don't even think about it, just do it because it's so worth it. And the other thing is um what keeps you going on that mountain is because every day is it's it is hard, but what else keeps you going apart from the amazing people pushing you, pushing each other, is the reason you're doing it for, and that's what we've all got in common. We're we're doing it to get up there. All our friends, families, everybody that's sponsored us, that's um you know helped us get up there and sponsored us for Kidscape to make a difference to all those children's young people's lives, and that's what we're making a difference for. So just do it because that's that's what you can do is make a difference to people's lives.

SPEAKER_05 3:59

Yeah, it's wonderful. So, what you can achieve when you put your mind to it, when you're surrounded by the right people, is people, is passion, it's purpose, and you did it, darling. Yeah, I love it. Thank you so much, Tracy.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Help to you, that help from you as well. I mean, you got us there too. Next time.

SPEAKER_05 4:17

Thank you, Tracy. Dale Rubin, you were our mountain videographer. Can you tell us a little bit about what it's like filming on Killer Manjaro?

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Um, wow. How do I don't know how to summarize that. Um, it's extremely difficult, like on my own, trying to keep everything in my head and you know, think about shots and the process of the filming rather than the actual filming. Um, the people made it really easy because I could just pick up a camera and film and they and they would just go straight into it, and we had like really nice rapport and relationship. So that part was easy, but like being at altitude, being exhausted, and thinking of like the the project as a whole and like what shots I need to get, like that was a challenge. Like a yeah, that was a that was a huge challenge. But I learned so much from it, like genuinely, that if I ever had to do something like that again, I I would have like a much more sort of refined idea of how I would approach it. So it was a rude awakening basically.

SPEAKER_05 5:25

It's um it's absolutely sensational that you have been able to not only join this climb and create this content on the mountain, but you did actually make it to the summit before all of the other participants so that you could capture their reactions. Can you just tell us ever so briefly about how that felt, what kind of state you were in, and what kind of footage you caught?

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Yeah, sure. I was really sick about two days before summit day, so like I was coming into it depleted already. Like, I hadn't eaten, I think I've had two cereal bars in about 48 hours, and um, I was just sipping uh rehydration, like like water with a rehydration tablet in it, and I hadn't been sleeping well because my stomach was was a wreck. So I came into Summit Night like really spent, like I had nothing left in the tank. And I remember they wake you up at 10 pm and then you start walking at midnight, and you've got seven hours ahead of you up this this hill, and it's I remember ten minutes into it thinking I'm never gonna be able to do this, like and the rest of the six and a half hours of me just every single step going, I really want to stop, I really want to stop. At one point, uh, I actually fell asleep walking, and I fell down, and I and I woke up sliding down the mountain, and the the guy that was with me grabbed me by the belt and he said, No snipping, no snipping. And he woke me up. And uh I just I got to a point where I almost had to turn my brain off to go, I have to get there because I really want to get the shot. I didn't want to be the camera guy that that didn't get the shot. I it's just the the embarrassment of it would be too much. So the way it works is you you climb aggressively up to a place called Stellar Point, then everybody regroups, and then it's an hour from there to the summit. It's a bit more of a gentle walk. But when you get to Stellar Point, it's you are you're finished, you're completely depleted. And at that point, everybody was just having a moment to relax, and I had to just keep going. And that was really hard to watch everybody arresting, but to then just have to carry on to get to the summit so I could turn back and film people arriving. That was uh yeah, that was tough. But when I got to the summit, I was I was more relieved than in like overjoyed.

SPEAKER_05 7:54

Yeah, just I um I obviously didn't do the climb, and I've heard many stories of um trials, tribulations, stress. It's hard, it's been really hard. But to be on that mountain thinking, being creatively planning, capturing, carrying extra equipment, Dale, you've absolutely done incredible. And everyone I talked to, everyone I've spoken to have said that you are the hero of the mountain. So, what do you say about that?

SPEAKER_00 8:23

I I totally reject that, no ways. I I mean it's lovely, it is really lovely. The group of people are just amazing, and I really enjoyed my time with every single one of them. Um, but honestly, without the the porters and the guides, I I think I not I think I know I wouldn't have made that. Like it, I wouldn't have made that. So, like, in terms of the title of a hero of a mountain, I I think those porters are incredible people. Yeah, I I could I would never be able to accept that title, no one.

SPEAKER_05 8:57

Well, I'm gonna keep giving it to you because it's what I keep hearing. And then just one final quick note. Obviously, you were on that mountain to film footage for the upcoming documentary, which is The Roof of Africa Bullied the Mountain We Face. And you were following Andrew and Josh predominantly the ambassadors of the charity on this climb. What do you reckon? Documentary gonna be any good?

SPEAKER_00 9:21

Well, I I really I could never like toot my own horn. I couldn't but I think I have the raw materials to make something really special. I'll just put it like that.

SPEAKER_05 9:34

Yeah, you've got the raw material because you were there on the mountain, you fought and you caught captured it. But you also have the authentic participants, the real people following this mission, this one climb, one family. And we're doing it all for a great cause, which is bullying prevention, for awareness, and raising funds. So, Dale, if I was wearing a hat, I'd take it off to you, darling. I haven't got one on, but well done, and thank you so much for all you see.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_05 10:02

So I'm here with the wonderful Dan Lustig, who has now just climbed Killer Manjaro. Dan, tell me about the highlights. How was it?

SPEAKER_07 10:11

It was really, really hard. I'm gonna say intense, immense, um, amazing friendships.

SPEAKER_05 10:19

Okay, so an unforgettable experience, but made possible by the people around you on the climb.

SPEAKER_07 10:25

Yeah, exactly. I didn't realise how many strong friendships I'd make in that time. Um, I didn't know many people there, I didn't know how it was gonna be. And um yeah, I mean I can be quite introverted at times, so but I really enjoyed it, it was amazing.

SPEAKER_05 10:44

And you've been part of this amazing fundraising adventure, and as you know, as a collective group, you've raised over a hundred thousand pounds for bullying prevention charity Kidscape Corum. How do you feel about that?

SPEAKER_07 10:57

I can't believe that we have raised that much money. I mean, when some of my clients in the seller say, Oh, I looked in the gift cell, you've raised all this money, and I'm like, just can't believe it. I've never been part of a group that has raised this amount of money. It's epic.

SPEAKER_05 11:14

And it is life-changing amounts of money that can help provide the services for people who are bullied. And I know from when we had our podcast recording, you experienced your own bullying as a child, and actually, this is your way of taking on something epic and hard and giving back. So I hope that you've sat and really felt that and like thought, wow, I just hope you've all had that moment to reflect and really appreciate what you've done as individuals and a team.

SPEAKER_07 11:39

I think now we have, you know, when we were on the mountain, it was very much just getting through every day. Um, I do remember talking about looking back, saying to everyone on the even on the mountain, you know, take a look where we've come. And it's that's like also with the donations, look how far we've come with that. You know, everyone, all their you know, events that they've put on, auctions, uh, asking their friends and family, it's been absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_05 12:12

And I think maybe that's a lovely reflection for life is actually you have to take that first step on any journey, on any any part of life to then keep going and to then get to the point where you can look back and reflect. And often, if you don't make that first step, you can't move on to the rest. But as a team, as a collective, as a project, it has been insane. So, just finally, Dan, what is the highlight from Killer Manjaro for you? The one memory that really sticks in your mind that you think that's the one?

SPEAKER_07 12:44

Wow, um, probably I got up the Brackle Wall. Uh, I'm petrified of my heights. I didn't see I thought it was just gonna be a stroll, you know what I mean? I knew it would be difficult, but I do remember my friend go, you you know it's a high mountain. I was like, Yeah, yeah. So, and I was holding on to the rock like rock, rock, rock. When I eventually got to the top, I was like, I can't believe I've done that. And like I just said, I kept looking back and saying, You've done this, Dan, you've come this far. I was a really shy, introverted child that got bullied, didn't have many friends, and you're with this amazing group of friends climbing the highest mountain in Africa, raising over 100 grand.

SPEAKER_05 13:29

Well, you've just summed it up. Yeah, look at how everyone has come together, look at what they've created, and as a team, you've made your own family now.

SPEAKER_07 13:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:38

So looking forward, we've obviously got the wonderful premiere, the roof of Africa, bullied, the mountain we face, which will be coming out in September, and you're very much a key participant in that. I look forward to seeing it myself. Is there any piece of advice you might give to somebody, celebrity or not, Dan, that's considering taking on an epic adventure like Killer Manjaro? What would you say?

SPEAKER_07 14:00

Oh my god, go for it. I've always wanted to do Killimanjaro, so when it came up, I just thought, this is my time. I don't care if I can't afford it, I will find that money to do it. So take that adventure, jump on it, ride on it, and have the best time.

SPEAKER_05 14:18

Yeah, I love that. And actually, I think it's really important that we do reflect that each participant on this trek self-funded their place on the mountain, their flights, their insurance, their kit, their everything. And on top of that, they've raised an incredible£100,000. So my hat's off to Dan and the rest of the team. Well done, Dan. I love you. Thank you. So I'm here with the wonderful Paul, who was part of the Kilimanjaro Trek Participant, mad crazy adventure to Mount Kilimanjaro. So Paul is based in Hassex, he's at the train station coffee shop, and you've heard his name mentioned on the podcast episodes before. Paul, it's so lovely to have you here. How are you feeling after Kilimanjaro?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Great Lucy, thank you. Yeah, I'm much better now. It's taken a while.

SPEAKER_05 15:07

Okay, so was it an adventure that was harder than you thought it might be?

SPEAKER_01 15:11

It was so much harder. Okay. So much harder. I really underestimated the whole thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 15:17

Well, I mean, it's probably my fault, quite honestly, Paul, because I was part of your recruitment and I said, don't worry, it's fine, it's just a nice walk. You're just gonna do a walk. It was um, I've seen photos of you guys clambering across these big rocks. How was that?

SPEAKER_01 15:33

Well, actually, the rocks was probably the best part. Um for me, anyway. That was a great day. Uh climbing and clambering. That felt more like climbing. Uh, but it was after the rocks, it was the hard bit.

SPEAKER_05 15:46

So, what does that feel like? The day-on-day walking, the long hours, the onwards, onwards, sleeping in a tent. How did you get on with all of that?

SPEAKER_01 15:55

It was just went on and on, and never knowing when the end was. That was the hard thing. They lied. They lied.

SPEAKER_05 16:04

So it's that lack of control, I suppose. I'd find it really hard because I'm a complete control freak. The uncharted boys will tell you. But that not knowing how long the walk is for, what time you've got to get up the next day, what's next on the itinerary. And what about sleeping then, Paul, on the mountain? How did you sleep in your tent? Was it okay?

SPEAKER_01 16:23

The sleeping was quite hard. Yeah. I really didn't get on with the sleeping bag. I didn't have a good relationship with the sleeping bag.

SPEAKER_05 16:31

No, come home with you then.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

No, I I donated the sleeping bag to the lovely DJ Jeff, one of the lovely um guides.

SPEAKER_05 16:38

Okay, good.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

So it went to a good home.

SPEAKER_05 16:40

Okay, and this is something I keep hearing that the people who were on that expedition with you, the support team, the grounds team, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate them? Ten being the top.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Oh my goodness, it has to be a ten. They were absolutely marvellous. Without the team, especially on the last day, um, we all have one to one um uh porters, and without them we just wouldn't have made it. It was fantastic.

SPEAKER_05 17:04

Yeah, and so you made it to the summit of Kilimanjaro, all the way to the top.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Yeah, don't know how it was just teamwork, head down and uh one foot in front of the other. Poly poly.

SPEAKER_05 17:16

Poly poly. And tell me what does poly poly mean on the mountain? What does that mean?

SPEAKER_01 17:21

It just means slowly, slowly, and it's a good metaphor for life, really. Yes, poly poly, and you'll get there.

SPEAKER_05 17:28

Yeah, one foot in front of the other, walking for purpose, for change, for other people other than yourself. And actually, Paul, you're one of our top fundraisers, and you've had so much support from the local community, and your total still keeps going up. You're well over 5,000 now. I mean, that's a lot of money.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

I've been so well supported by the local community and the interest and um uh from everybody and the support in the local train station of Hassox, little community, but it's really gone and inspired other people, hopefully, to go on and do some other things and uh opened up conversations. So it's marvelous.

SPEAKER_05 18:06

Well, we know that you being on this trip inspired our wonderful participant Joe to join. We know that you've got links to the Josh Grade, who's ambassador of the charity. But I suspect that you have sparked something in people's minds seeing the progress, seeing all the lovely pictures you and your wife have put up. So if there's one message of support or advice maybe you would give to somebody considering taking on a trek, taking on an adventure that is as hard as Kilimanjaro, is there a tip you could give them that you wish you had?

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Just go for it and take your time, plan maybe. Um do your homework, but poly poly, slowly, slowly.

SPEAKER_05 18:49

So take action, go slow, and maybe look into it a bit more before you leave, Paul.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Maybe not too much, might put you off.

SPEAKER_05 18:57

Yeah, that's the only problem, isn't it? Thank you so much, Paul.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Oh, thank you, Lucy. Thanks for all your help. It's lovely.

SPEAKER_05 19:03

So it's a really exciting day for everybody here, but particularly for me, because I get to meet this legend. Now, you might be a little bit embarrassed, Alison, but this is our UK mountaineering doctor, Alison, and she has been on that mountain adventure, supporting the team, and quite honestly, without her, it would have been horrendous. So, thank you for coming.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

Tell me, how was it for you? So it was a great trip. They're a really special group, and they bring a beautiful energy, and they're really passionate about Kidscape, really passionate about what they've done, but they they brought kindness to the mountain, they supported each other through really challenging times, and it was an absolute privilege to join them on that mountain and be part of what they were doing. It was just such a special trip.

SPEAKER_05 19:50

And this is what I'm hearing every single conversation I've had on camera and off, following this trip to Kilimanjaro, is there's this family, there's this unity. You guys are all beautiful together.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yeah. And that they're they have been from day one an amazing team. They've all brought their best, even when they're feeling not well, when they're tired, when things are being pushed, and you've not got home comforts, everything's difficult, you've not got what normally helps keep you level. They've always supported each other and helped each other step up and just got through each step, one step at a time. And I think it's that it is that family, it's that support, it's the true friendship of just helping each other step up and just do the next stage to get to their personal stomach. Um and they've been guided by the Uncharted Summits boys, by the in-country team, they all knew what they were getting into, maybe not the full extent of it, and but they all just did themselves so proud. It was just really beautiful.

SPEAKER_05 20:53

It's a lovely thing, and it is a challenge. This isn't something that you just say willy-nilly you're gonna do, and you don't train for. But tell us, I suppose people who haven't climbed mountains, they'd be interested to hear about altitude and how you can treat altitude. Like, what as a doctor, what advice do you give to people?

SPEAKER_02 21:12

So it's interesting, I don't think anyone understands the full challenge until they've done it. And even these guys don't know what they've achieved until they're still not quite there yet. Altitude is a challenge, so as you go higher up, there's the same amount of oxygen in the air, but it's more spread out. So when your body's trying to breathe in oxygen, it's not getting as much into the bloodstream, so your oxygen levels sit lower. So there's some things you can do before you go on the mountain. So, if you take iron, for example, you can treat anemia, you can have more red blood cells, so that gives you more oxygen carrying capacity. On the mountain itself, it's all about prevention and trying to stop people getting ill. So the guides will walk at a very slow pace. Poly poly, which is the healy for slowly, you hear from day one. Because the slower you walk, the better you acclimatise. So people who try and rush up the mountain, for whatever reason, struggle more with acclimatisation because they go into that thinner air faster. And you need to drink plenty of fluids to keep yourself well hydrated. So they'll have heard sippy sippy a lot as well to make sure their fluid is taken in. And also eating, so they need to fuel their bodies. And one of the things altitude does is it takes away your appetite. Tends to affect men slightly more than it does women, and but they are expect or they're encouraged to eat a lot more than maybe they want to or feel the need to. So you can try and try and prevent altitude being a challenge by doing those things. You can also take a medication. So most of these guys took something called Diamox, which changes how your kidneys work a little bit. So you pee more. And it but it changes what you're extracting from the blood. And it changes the acidity of your blood so you breathe more to try and compensate. So that helps you do better with the high altitude and acclimatize faster. It doesn't mask altitude sickness, but it helps you acclimatize faster. We did have a couple of people on the trip who had issues with altitude, and a couple of people who didn't summit due to altitude issues. It's very difficult to predict that. It's not genetic, it's not to do with gender, it's not to do with fitness, and it's not to do with how you performed previously on a mountain. It's just how that affects you on that particular trip. But most people acclimatised really nicely and got to their summit, which was really lovely, but it can be a big problem.

SPEAKER_05 23:45

It's just marvellous to hear you and your knowledge on it. And talking to Dale, obviously, our videographer who's filming the documentary, who has filmed the documentary on the mountain, what's it like to be on this climb, but actually have a job to do? So I know Luke and Craig are wonderful, uncharted summit expedition leaders. It's kind of their bag. You know, they do this all the time, they know. But to be a videographer on this climb, pushing yourself to the limits and filming, to be a doctor or be a wonderful UK mountaineering doctor, you're not just on the climb, and the climb's enough, Alison. What is it like to then have to be keeping an eye doing all those things?

SPEAKER_02 24:23

So that's very much a team sport. So the lead guides are keeping an eye, all of the guides, all of the mountain team are watching for problems, and they all see them a long way off, they can predict things. Um, you can only be in one place at once, so you're relying on the good communication and the good teamwork to let you know where the issues lie, where the challenges lie. But what I did every day was had a clinic running in the evening and in the mess tent after we got there, and people could come to me if they were having issues, and sometimes I would say to someone, Come and see me tonight. And but people would come and tap me on the shoulder and say, Can you can you have a look at this? Can you can you do this? So by trying to keep some of the workload to that defined time, it helps just to keep it a little bit more contained and a bit more manageable. But there was stuff on the trail each day, there were little things that people needed help with, but you've gone with the expectation of that's the role you're going to do. And I I've done Kilimandaro before, I did it a couple of years ago with Craig and Luke. So you know a lot more about what to expect, and by having the engagement with a team beforehand, educating them on altitude, helping support them, it helps to mitigate some of the effects of what's happening and what's going on. So it's a lot of different aspects that you have to consider to try and get things just to the balance right.

SPEAKER_05 25:53

It blows my mind, and I'm so impressed with the determination, the resilience, what you've all done to take on and reach that summit, albeit a personal one or be at the very top. It's sensational, Alison, and I know from talking to our participants, everyone is so pleased that you were there. So thank you. Bless you.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Thank you, and it was genuinely a privilege to walk with them and help them achieve what they wanted to achieve and absolutely be a memorable for a long, long time. Your family for life, that's why I keep hearing that. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 26:24

Thank you, Tom.

SPEAKER_02 26:25

Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 26:26

So you know who I'm here with because this man and his partner Craig started this adventure over a year ago by my side. These are the incredible Uncharted Summits team, and yes, guess what? They have just successfully taken all of those Trek participants up to Kilimanjaro and back again. Luke, how does it feel to be back down on earth?

SPEAKER_06 26:50

It's overwhelming a little bit, I'll be honest. It is uh incredible being here with everybody, seeing everybody, seeing them starting to reflect on what they've done and how they've performed and what they've achieved. It's it's£105,000 for the charity. It is unbelievable, and the the reflection from the Kidscape and from Quorum, they could not be happier. So just you can see it from people's faces, right? They've loved it. We've had people say, I'll never do it again. We've had people say, When's the next one? But that's the way it rolls, right? That's people's reflection.

SPEAKER_05 27:30

But and it's lovely, and I've heard from I'd say nearly all the participants, it's the hardest thing they've done, but the best. Do you hear that a lot in your line of work?

SPEAKER_06 27:39

Oh, absolutely, because it doesn't matter. Everybody today has said it you and Craig tried to tell us what how hard this was, and we totally underestimated it because no one knows, but now people understand what it means. And you say to them, Well, how would you explain to someone else? and they say, 'We can't. You can't you can't prepare people through words how hard it is, but how rewarding it is, and it's that it's just there's no there's nothing that can describe it.

SPEAKER_05 28:08

So you take yourself completely out of your comfort zone, as I know in our original podcast episode we discussed, yeah, you're sleeping in a tent, you're walking day on day, the food's different, the people are different, your home comforts are gone. How do you, as somebody who's an expert in as an expedition expert, how do you mentally prepare? How do you get through those days? How do you make those summits?

SPEAKER_06 28:31

Well, it it's from our perspective, it's about just being observant and aware of everybody's requirement on that mountain. So we have to be checking all the time. Uh, so you know, if it's Kerry, if it's Chris, if it's Andrew, if it's you know, there's pace, people are trying to walk different things. But people have little nuances, you can just see the support that they need, and that might just be a little kind of like hold of the arm. That might be, come on, you've got this, that might just be let's just take a breather, let's just reset, let's just grab some food and some water, and let's go again. Let why are we doing this? Let's just and you just the motivational piece as well is really important, and that seems to be the key, I think. That you know, we got pretty much most of the people to the top. Everyone's coming back down here, everyone is smile on their face, everybody is laughing and happy today. So it's just about it's about putting them before you for us.

SPEAKER_05 29:32

Yeah, and I tell you, I spoke to Kerry, we've had a little chat here as well, but I didn't get this bit on mic with Kerry. But in our reflection call earlier in the week, she said that she found you, Luke, to be her home comfort. So she almost had this sense of like, oh, where's Luke? Where's Luke? I need to find Luke. Oh, there he is, that's okay. And I suspect you're gonna get that a lot because you are leading this team of people who are in this very vulnerable situation. How does it feel? It's almost like being a dad of such. Like, how does that feel?

SPEAKER_06 30:02

Uh I'll be honest, it did feel a little bit like walking into the mess tent on a night, and I you know everybody by name, and I check everybody by name that they're okay. How are they doing? How are they feeling? Is there anything they need? Just chat, smile, you know, and then there are there are others that you know are having you know their own challenges, and Kerry and I ended up walking a lot together because of that, and that just builds bonds, but but that bond is built not just by me, but by Craig, by Allison. Just us being interspersed with the whole team means that we've got coverage across everybody, and everyone feels like well, it's for us, it's personal, right? It's because we care. That's why we're here. That's why we've done what we've done.

SPEAKER_05 30:47

It's just marvelous that you've managed to now come together, create this wonderful climb, take these people up safely, bring them back down safely. Yeah, now we can celebrate, we can look forward to the documentary that's coming. But I would say that the bonds in this room that we've got here, these are friends for life for you guys.

SPEAKER_06 31:06

You can't, you can see it. You can see it just from the way that people walk in, the way they embrace each other, the way that they're talking to each other, the smiles, the happiness in their eyes. Like, you know, we've got everyone saying, What's your next one? Tracy's already wants to book on as many as we're doing, right? Andrew's already like, what are you doing next? We're in. Amber's absolutely up for it, unfortunately. She couldn't be here today. So that doesn't happen if you've not delivered it right. So, and again, it's not about just how we delivered it on the mountain, it's about how the whole project has been run, right? So it's not just an us thing, it's not just a you thing, it's an us thing, right? This would not be no other Trek company has this, right? Right? I've never seen anything like this. No, right? So I'm gonna say it on camera, Lucy. I love you very much. We love you too. And this is a success. This is what success looks like.

SPEAKER_05 32:08

Yeah, and quite honestly, this is what success looks like. When people come together for purpose, for passion, and they deliver results for a charity and a course that matters. Luke, you are sensational. Uncharted summit, look them up, you know who they are. Do you want to go to a mountain?

SPEAKER_07 32:27

Thank you.