After an eventful and uncomfortable trek across the blistering heat and endless sand dunes of the Sahara, Fulham resident Kira Harper is grateful to be back in London.
Kira, 26, of Munster Road, took on the 100km desert walk to raise money for the Brooke, a charity for horses and donkeys and their overseas owners.
But the seven day hike did not go entirely to plan after Kira was struck down by heat stroke at the end of the second day walking in the relentless 50 degree heat.
"I prepared as best I could, but nothing can recreate that heat – it's sapping," she explains. "By the second night I was very ill and by the next morning I knew I had to take a break. I was evacuated for the day but I didn't want to have a pity party for myself so made sure I caught up with the group later."
Rejoining the other seven participants and their guides, adventure-loving Kira plugged on and managed to arrive in Marrakech a few days later.
"We all kept each other going," she explains. "You don't know the other people when you start but by the end you get quite close especially when you learn why each person took on the trek."
Kira, who raised at least £1,200 for the Brooke as she has two donkeys at her family home in Devon, has not been deterred from adventure despite her Sahara experiences.
"I wouldn't go to the desert again – no way!" she adds. "Maybe something like walking the length of the Great Wall of China, or maybe making a major journey with my brother. There's so much out there to see."
