Got up @ 07.00 and finished packing my bags. The group has a rest day today and will continue to practice rope work, abseiling and scrambling in the valley.

Met up with them all at breakfast. Matt (JG) came down at 08.25 to take me to the airport. Said all my goodbyes and wished them all success for the rest of the week especially those that were going onto Mt Blanc on Saturday.

All I wanted to do was get back home, get rid of this infuriating infection, re plan the schedule and start training for the next trip.The weather in Arolla was still fine & in the mid 20's c although the forecast is still saying afternoon thunderstorms at any time.

The flight home was uneventful, arrived back in the UK bang on time, Mag was there to meet me and take me home.

The sooner I can draw a line under this trip the better. This is my final blog on this particualr stage of the challenge. I would just like to offer my sincere apologies to all those who were expecting me to complete this stage and those that have given such fantastic support.

Please carry on with the support and be assured this is only a temporary setback and does not deter me one little bit from completing the goal I have set myself. It just means it is going to take a little longer to complete than was first intended.

Indeed I am even more determined to achieve what we set out to do at the beginning of last year.

Over the coming months in addition to mountain climbs / training, we will be visiting Wales for rock climbing, scrambling and hill walking training. Watch out for the bulletins as & when things are organised.

C

Arose this morning @ around 7.00am after another night's fairly restless sleep. The foot is still very painfull, swollen and red. After much cursing I managed to get a trekking boot on but am unable to tie it up.

As dinner, breakfast was a solitary affair. The guys by now should be well on the way to the summit of Pointe de Vouassan. I hope they all make it safely.

Matt (JG) picked me up at 10.15 for the Dr's appointment.The Dr. was a bit a character, his name was Dr. Eggs!!! I was half expecting to see a diploma on the wall from the IV Fertilisation Clinic! What was more amusing was that he had a huge black eye (I think some cosmetic surgery had taken place recently).

I was given 2 x -rays and a blood test. This was carried out by the receptionist!! Talk about multi tasking!!

The results confirmed an infection and the diagnosis was cellulitis brought about by possibly an old blister which had opened up again. A prescription of anti biotics, extremely large pain killers and cortisone cream was given and duly dispensed. The total cost of the treatment / prescription amounted to around 220 Swiss Francs (£110.00), which seemed reasonable.

Matt taxied me back to the hotel where Monica aka Sybil had already contacted the hotel in Chamonix and cancelled my room reservation without any penalty charge which was nice of her and the hotel.

I managed to change my flight to one which leaves @ 12.15 local time from Geneva on Wednesday 25th June. Matt has kindly offered to drive me to the airport - a trip of around 2+ hours from Arolla.

The weather in Arolla is still very settled with temperatures in the mid 20's c. There is more of a breeze today and the peaks look a little more hazy. The forecast is for afternoon thunderstorms anytime now.

The guys returned back to hotel @ 4.00pm looking very tired but very satisfied with themselves. They all summited at 08.45 this morning having got up at 05.00.

I had my final dinner with the group and the atmosphere, quite rightly was one of a sense of acheivement and triumph.I wish my feelings could have been the same but I am pleased for them.

I arranged with Matt that he would pick me up at 08.30 on the Wednesday which gives me time to have a last breakfast with the group, give them my best wishes and say my au revoirs.

C

After a restless night I awoke @ around 05.30. My foot was exactly the same as the night before. Any pressure brought to bear on it or touching it made it very painful.

I fear this is the end of my course & the Mt Blanc summit bid. Caroline came up after breakfast and we had a brief discussion about the way forward. It was decided I could not go anywhere today & we should evaluate the situation later and if necessary seek some medical advice.

Monica (hotel owner) aka Sybil supplied me with a cold compression and some "pommade a l'Arnica. There are 2 doctors on the course - Sarah & Rowland who examined the foot suggested it maybe cellulitis.

The guys set of to Aigulle de Rouges Hut while I sat on the terrace foot elevated swathed in Monica's compress.

An hour later Matt (JG Operations Manager) arrived & confirmed my worst fears. There was o way I could continue to Chamonix and attempt the summit on Mt. Blanc........the trip is finished!!

We arranged to meet back up on Tuesday and decide a plan for the rest of the week. Numerous phone calls took place during the day to the insurance company, BA, back home etc. A call was made to a Dr in the valley below Arolla & an appoinment made for 10.45 the next day - Tuesday.

I went back to my room feeling totally deflated and with the realisation that my "Ultimate Goal" had been so drastically disrupted.

Arolla although a beautiful and relaxing place has nothing apart from Alpine Peaks and snow. So unless you are mobile it becomes increasingly boring.

Everyone here has been so supportive & sympathetic but it cannot take away how low I feel right now.

Dinner was a solitary affair.The foot has not got any better during the course of the day and I cannot even get a pair of sandals on let alone B3 boots.

My thoughts turn to the other guys who I guess are now at the hut and probably resting in readiness for their trip to the summit of Pointe de Vouassan (3,489 mtrs). Their summit route will take them from via the left bank of Aigulle Rouges glacier valley onto glaciated terrain to a rocky summit. This being a "F" Alpine graded peak.

Tomorrow sees them descend back down to Arolla arriving just after lunchtime.... my thoughts are for their successful summit and safe return.

C

Dinner last night was ok. We had a menu of pea soup, smoked salmon tarlet, beef, potatoes & carrots followed by chocolate moose washed down with a glass of local vino rouge... all very civilised!!

We have now all met each other and in total there are 11 (including me) on the course with 4 of us continuing to Chamonix at the end of the week to attempt a summit on Mont Blanc. 1 member of the team dropped out for personal reasons hence not 12 of us as originally planned.They are seem a nice bunch with an eclectic variety of ages, backgrounds & experience.The course director, Caroline Ogden seems very friendly and laid back. She hails from North Wales but has spent most of her life in New Zealand and possesses the accent to go with it She obviously has a wealth of expertise, infact she is leading an expedition later this year to Himalaya and going up Ama Dablam.

We set off this morning at around 0900 Ecole du Glace - to learn our crampon, ice axe techniques. It was introduced to us as a "gentle walk". After a short taxi ride down the valley to a place called Ferpcle which sits around 1715mtrs asl we set off on our first walk at around 10.20.

Within 45 or so minutes it became clear this was to be no walk in the park!!!. After just over an hour I lost the group and one of the guides (Marti - another Kiwi) tracked back to pick me up. The day was a gorgeous hot sunny day with temperatures around 26' c. After an initial continuous upward gradient we descended slightly to the river and continued along it's shore line. I was grateful for the "recovery" time. We then ascended again onto a rock terrain and after a small scramble reached slab rock. By this time the rest had forged ahead and left Marti and I to proceed at my pace. It was patently obvious this was going to be nothing like our trek to EBC!!.

After a around 3 hours I reached the high point of our morning's "walk".. Looking across I could see the rest of the group on the glacier practising the techniques today was all about. Marti said he thought it wise we stay where we were and do our practising there on the grassy slopes. The reason being that it was not going to be the descent to the glacier floor that was the problem but the fact we then had to ascend back up from the glacier and make sure we were back to our starting point for the pick by 4.30.

We had a short break and then practised crampon and ice axe techniques adjusting the crampons to the correct fit for my boots. By this time my feet had started to get extremely hot and in particular my left foot had started to throb a little.

Around 14.15 or so we started to make our descent back to the pick up point. We had reached a high point today of just over 2150 mtrs an altitude gain of just over 400 mtrs.

The descent was an easier affair, firsly going back over the slab rock, a small amount of loose, a scramble and finally back down to the river.. By this time the river has swollen significantly since the morning and it was clear the first melt was well and truly under way.We rejoined the main road where I felt my left foot throbbing more and more. We came across a small roadside cafe and I restocked up with liquid having  run out of water a little earlier. After a few minutes rest we set off again. This was the final realisation that there was something not right about my foot. I decided to carry on and hope it was just first day symptoms.

We made it back to the pick up point at 16.25. I5 minutes later the first group arrived closely followed within 10 minutes by the second group.

Upon our arrival back to the hotel Caroline held a debrief and we dispersed for a short siesta before dinner.

Having taken my boots off my left foot clearly had a problem. It was red, very warm, quite swollen and painful if touched or any pressure brought to bear on it.

Dinner  at 7.00pm was a lively affair with everyone in good spirits. I kept thinking whether my injury and the events of today would mean this was the last time we would spend together as a team of 11 on a hill.

I retired to my room at around 21.00 and had a long soak in a hot bath. The warmth of the soaking had not really had any postive effect and I bedded down hoping the following morning everything would be fine.

Feelings of failure, frustration and annoyance swam through my mind. After all the training, preparation and anticipation was it to end on the first day??? With this flooding my mind I drifted into a light sleep.

Chris

Arrived at Terminal 5, Heathrow to catch the 06:30 flight to Geneva. Boarded on time but the time of take off was delayed for over 20 minutes. The weather in the UK was foul, wet and windy and my Terminal 5 experience was non-eventful. The plane was only half full and finally took off at 06:50. Breakfast on the flight was a cold bacon and egg roll, half a cup of fairly strong coffee and a cup of water (Mmmmm - not)

Flight data: Ground speed 499 mph - Altitude 31,000 feet, arriving in Geneva at 09:05 local time.

I boarded the Swiss train at 10:27 local time to Sion to change for the bus connection to Arolla. The journey took us round Lake Geneva, through Lausanne, Montreaux and finally Sion. Unlike the UK system, it ran exactly on time and was very clean. Arrived in Sion then had a 2 minute walk to catch the bus for Arolla.

Reached Arolla which stands at 2000 metres above sea level. Checked into the Hotel Mont Callon and met up with another recruit called Jez who actually lives in Twickenham and works for BAA. The plan for this evening is to meet up with the course director, Carolyn, at 19:00 and dinner at 19:30 where we will discuss the itinerary for the coming week.

The hotel is surrounded by snow capped peaks, Aiguille de la Tsa and Mont Chellion, both around 3700 metres. The weather is glorious with the temperature around 26°C. Hotel Mont Callon is, supposedly, 2 star rated, very clean with all mod cons, not sure about the Laura Ashley type wallpaper though!. Reminded me a little of Fawlty Towers when I was greeted by a dead ringer for Prunella Scales, AKA Sybil, with Mr Fawlty sat in the rear of reception, busy doing nothing, but they are very friendly.

    Just started packing my bag. Equipment check is now completed. Today finalised my public transport transfer from Geneva to Arolla. The weather in Switzerland still remains unsettled... hope that is not an omen!!! I have had some great messages of support and good wishes... so thank you all it is hugely appreciated.

I should receive the satellite phone mid week but they have already given me the number. Evidently I will be able to receive and send email messages (max of 160 words) so I will be able to update anyone who is interested of the progress we make. It also means if I have your email address I will be to send a personal email to you the minute we summit.

If you would like to recieve a personal message from "The Roof Of Western Europe" then please email me your address to mail@chrisgwilliams.co.uk before Friday 20th June 2008. You will receive an email back stating how you can send a message to me whilst out there. As soon as I summit, which should be either Monday 1st or Tueday 2nd July,  you will receive a confirmation of it. It would be fantastic to hear from you all. I have just 4 more training sessions left and then its up up and away!!!

Equipment - All good to go!! 

Well..... it is now just about 2 weeks before I depart on the second stage of my "Ultimate Goal".

The equipment has all been bought and tried out, batteries are being charged as we speak, training is continuing so all in all everything is as ready as it will be.

The weather over there in Switzerland at the moment is changeable to say the least but hopefully by the time we arrive it will have settled down a little. I was asked the other day if I had any fears about the trip. All I can say is I feel various emotions at the moment.... excitement, trepidation, focused and determined. My motivation has always been and will continue to be, to raise the awareness and hopefully substantial funds for my chosen charity Leukaemia Busters, without whose work & research  I would not be here and be able to embark on this adventure.

I was one of the fortunate ones who was given a second chance at life and everyone who is given that additional chance should embrace it and in some small way show others that no matter how low you get life is a very precious gift and should not be wasted by thoughts of what if or if only.

I truly believe our life on this planet is  pre determined from the time we are born to the day we leave this earth. However, I also believe that our lives can be diverted  along different paths at times. It is the choices we make which determine whether we reach that final destination sooner or later. Obstacles and challenges are placed in our  way every day and it is our decisions which map out our future. We may not always make the right choices but hey, without mistakes how would we know not to do the same things again.

Anyways that is enough of the heavy stuff for now. I would love everyone who visits this site to leave me message and if you could spare a few pennies to make a donation to Leukaemia Busters. There are still many forms of incurable Leuakemia and as the work carried out by the charity is SOLELY funded by charitable donations every penny really does count. Your messages of goodwill are also a huge motivator for me to succeed in this quest.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone for their messages of support and a special huge thank you to all that have donated so far and those individuals who have helped raise funds.

I look forward to viewing your messages so roll on June 21st 2008 Mt Blanc summit here we come Thank you all.

Chris  

Dear Friend

The last two years have been a period of major re-building for Leukaemia  Busters.Decisions were taken in 2005 to set about a full refurbishment and re-equipment of our Simon Flavell Research Laboratory in the School of Medicine at Southampton General Hospital and to embark on a significant collaborative research project with specialist scientific institutions in Italy. Both these projects are now nearing completion, with exciting scientific progress emerging from the collaboration, which is fuelling a major new research programme in our laboratories all under the direction of our Scientific Directors, Drs David & Bee Flavell. As a result of discoveries made we are looking to engage in further international collaborations in pursuit of our vision of a world in which leukaemia is safely, quickly and completely cured for all patients. To support our vision and our future research we are planning a major relaunch of the charity in April 2008 to help secure the funding required to deliver our mission of conducting research focusedon providing antibody-based treatments for leukaemia patients.

The expanding scientific activity requires a dramatic increase in our income if we are to progress quickly and effectively. Our new fundraising programme will begin in style with our Night at the Oscars Ball on Saturday 19th April, at Botleigh Grange Hotel & Spa. Adding to the glamour will be our patrons and hosts for the evening, David and Thorunn Gower. Other activities to follow quickly after the Ball will include: a new friendship scheme, a LB lottery, a Jail 'n' Bail, golf days, football tournaments, cricket days, a new location for our annual walk, plus many more events we are currently working - full details of which will shortly be accessible on a new web site that is under construction, due to go live in March 2008.

For more information on any of the above, plus all the new ways you can help us to make a real difference to the lives of leukaemia patients, please contact the fundraising office on +44 (0) 2380 636607; or better still, if you want to pay us a visit, you will find us at Suite 2, Canute Chambers, Canute Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3AB. Feel free to pop in for a coffee and a warm welcome...... just ask Chris!!

*******

Our new logo ecapsulates our new drive (see "The Charity Page" on this web site). It brings together the strength of our history and the clarity of our purpose. Those of you familar with our previous logo will recognise the Leukaemia Busters face, a grimacing leukaemia cell behind a no entry sign, the symbol that young Simon Flavell designed in 1989 during his fight against the disease. This has been the visual embodiment of LB's pursuit of its goal for almost two decades. The new logo depicts a "Y" body and is the internationally recognised symbol of an antibody. Antibody-based research into kinder and safer treatments for leukaemia is Leukaemia Busters' dedicated pursuit. The use of the antibody symbol, thus joining the original logo with the basis of our work was actually an idea that Simon himself had and so our origins are firmly embedded within the new logo. Our new strap line further emphasises what LB is fundamentally and unfailingly focused upon - fighting for their lives through research.

Please support Chris in any way you can and in turn help us achieve "OUR ULTIMATE GOAL."

Thank you for reading this and your generosity.

Hi All

Well, we are nearly into a New Year. Along with it comes new challenges.

In late May 2008 I will be off to the Lake District on the next stage of my "Ultimate Goal". I will there for 10 days training in mountain equipment and techniques for the preparation of our trip to Chamonix. This follows on directly after the training. We will be spending 6 days on Mont Blanc where it is anticipated we will spend 3 days ascending the mountain and "top out" during the first / second week of June 2008.

Fitness training will start in earnest again on 2nd January under the guidance of my buddy and Personal Trainer Gareth. I will regualrly up date the blog with news, views and progress reports on training but more importantly how the fundraising going.

Please leave your postings on here or email me on:  mail@chrisgwilliams.co.uk

Your comments are really appreciated and serve as a great motivator as I continue on my quest.

While you are here please take a tour of the site and give me your feedback. If there is anything you would like to see included on the site please let me know and we will see if we accomodate it.

In the meantime have a fantastic New Year and very best wishes for 2008.

Chris