Everest Challenge fund set to peak at £2000

A sponsored hike to the Everest Base Camp to raise funds for Veterans Aid is on target to raise more than £2,000.

Tracie Moore, Marty Bowler, Clare Thompson and Dean Evans took nine days to hike from Lukla, in Nepal, to Base Camp, at an average pace of five to six hours a day, led by their fantastic guide Mr. Mingma Sherpa.

This effort was supported by a function in March hosted by Jenny Mcnamara at The Red Lion public house in Cambridgeshire. This brought in more than £600 and those who organized the event and who donated prizes to the raffle are gratefully thanked for their support.

Tracie added, “I chose this charity because I am ex-military myself and Veterans Aid targets specifically homeless ex-forces. It provides advice and advocacy, meal vouchers, warm clothing, financial assistance and hostel accommodation for veterans. It’s Victoria drop-in centre received over 2,000 requests for help last year from ex-service personnel of all ages.”

Recalling highs and lows of the trip she said, “The weather was fantastic, the scenery and the local people we met were amazing. We reached a maximum height of 5,500m which was at the summit of Kala Patthar, overlooking Everest Base Camp. The temperature here dipped to -20 degrees and the oxygen content was at 52%.

“Our route also took in the Gokyo Ri summit at 5360m and the glacier Cho La pass which consisted of a 300m vertical climb over the moraine up to 5330m. Whilst the altitude and the temperature were not kind to us, the team sustained no injuries or serious illnesses throughout the trek due to the watchful eye of our Everest summit veteran guide.

“Our return from Base Camp was not so smooth going. Upon arrival back to catch our flight from Lukla the weather had closed in and no flights had been operating for four days. We then had to make the choice to either sit it out and wait for clear skies or to continue hiking for another three days (part of the classic ‘Hillary Route’) to Shivalaya to catch the bus for Kathmandu. We decided the only option was to walk back; Lukla is notorious for becoming locked down for days or weeks at a time.

“The next three days were not as favorable with the weather or the terrain. Walking 10 to 11 hours per day ensured we were hiking in the dark, and in the rain, over very some difficult routes.  We finally reached Shivalaya on the evening of 6th November, exhausted and elated at our accomplishment, it didn’t matter that the only accommodation in the village was a breezy guest house hay loft (costing 50p each!) – it was the best night’s sleep we had had for some time.

“The Himalaya region, while being an area of outstanding beauty, is also a very unforgiving environment, not for the faint hearted.  That said, this experience was amazing and I would recommend a trip to Nepal to anyone.”

 CEO of Veterans Aid Dr Hugh Milroy said, “This is a wonderful gesture. We are grateful to all who support our work with fundraising, but these four have really gone the extra mile, in extremely challenging conditions, to earn the cash. £2,000 represents a £1 for every veteran who has called us this year – something towards food, clothing, accommodation, training or rehab. That’s amazing. We can’t thank the team enough!”