I don't know!  Over the next few months, I'm going to find out!

I will attempt to explain why I'm doing this - but first, let me explain the title. 

First of all - no, I don't see myself as a 'fat old bird' and I would normally never use those words to describe myself!

But it is sort of the reality..   OK not even sort of...  

I'm approaching 59 and will be by the time of the hike so I'm not a spring chicken anymore and have various aches and pains!!  But people older than me have done the hike so there's no excuse for me.

And, at 192lbs (13st 10lbs) - I'm described by the health profession and my phone health app as obese. 

So there it is!!

I also discovered from a hospital trip last September that I had very high blood pressure and a minor heart condition.  

My blood pressure is being regulated by medication and is coming down, but my aim is to bring it down and keep it down naturally so I can come off the meds. 

And I discovered that I have something called LBBB - Left Bundle Branch Block which basically means that there is a block in the electrical circuitry of my heart valves meaning that the two chambers that are supposed to squeeze and beat in synch with each other, are out of time and don't squeeze at the same time.  

I'm getting booked in for further tests regarding this.

And the fear of heights?  Pretty extreme!  I can't look over the balcony of anything over 4 or 5 blocks without feeling weird.  If I'm anywhere that I feel exposed to a drop, I freeze and get panic attacks!

So why the hell am I doing this?   Well - I've always wanted to do it and I figured I need to do it before it's too late and I regret not having tried.  So - even if I can't eventually do it for whatever medical reasons, physical or mental reasons, I'm going to give it my best shot. 

More about this in Week 1 The Decision.

But I'm writing about my decision, my preparation and the journey itself in the hope that I can not only motivate myself, but inspire others to take on whatever challenges are stopping them from doing something they've always wanted to do. 

I've always wanted to somehow make a difference in this world, and if my endeavours inspire others to 'go for it' then that makes me happy!