Trek to Mt Everest in Aid of Cancer Research UK

Every single penny you kindly donate goes to Cancer Research UK

Good morning/afternoon/evening to you all.

Firstly, let me start by thanking you for visiting my Cancer Research UK fundraising page. Please read on and find out why I am doing what I am doing.

Unfortunatley, back in 2005 my Grandad was diagnosed with both Lung Cancer and Cancer of the Liver. Despite putting up a vailiant scrap and despite the best efforts of the medical staff at Salisbury hospital he passed away 2 days after Christmas in 2006. He was 80 years old.

Like most 'Grandads' of my generation he fought in the 2nd World War and joined the army as a teenager.  Initially, he joined the Hampshire regiment as a Private, he later transferred to the Royal Engineers (REME) and finally he served for the Army Air Corp. When he finally retired he had reached the rank of Major.

As well as fighting in the 2nd World War he served in Northern Ireland, The Korean War (under the UN) and all over Eastern and Southern Africa.

I am immensley proud of the fact that he was the first ever soldier from the REME to receive the MBE and of course he got to meet the Queen!

He received the MBE for bravery for operations he carried out whilst serving in East Africa. He lead a small team to locate and rescue an RAF crew that had crashed landed in the mountains on the wrong side of the border in Somalia.

He was a top man and we all miss him greatly.

Hence, I felt compelled to try and do something to raise awareness of the devastating effects cancer can have and help raise money to hopefully one day find a cure.

So, please help me if you can!

The Actual Challenge Itself:

The trek to Mt Everest Base Camp is a tough one and is graded as extreme by Charity Challenge. I am of course expecting it to be an incredibly difficult challenge but a thouroughly enjoyable experience too.

The trek starts in a small mountain village called Lukla which is located at an altitude of 8,752ft (2,652m). We fly into Lukla in a small prop plane with Yeti Airlines(!) and the runway is the highest and the shortest in the world. By all accounts it can be quite an experience all of it's own............

I have been told to expect our group to include around 15-20 other fundraising trekkers, plus a small team of sherpas and a few Yaks! We start our climb immediately upon landing at Lukla to try and get some of that thin mountain air into our lungs.

We then spend the next 7-8 days trekking further and further, and higher and higher into the Himalayas. Taking care to aclimatise along the way. We are expected to make our attempt to Mt Everest Base Camp on day 8 or 9 at an altitude of 17,678ft (5,357m)!

The following day we trek even higher to a peak called Mt Kalla Patthar which is at a pant wettingly high altitude of 18,635ft (5647m)!!! This will be the highest point of the whole trip and apparently it offers spectacular views of both Mt Everest above and Everest Base Camp below (fingers crossed no clouds that day!).

Unfortunatley, I have also been told that not everyone might make it due to the dangerous effects of High Altitude Sickness (this generally can kick in above 12,000ft). Hopefully, good old Aspirin should help keep any headaches at bay.

Then once the heady heights of Base Camp and Mt Kalla Patthar have been overcome, the trip is downhill all the way and we will be allowed to actually have a beer once we get lower into the valley! Hoorah!

Here are some more facts about the trip:

- No hotel beds for me - It's camping all the way.

- Temperatures at night as low as -20C!

- A total of 120 kms of trekking at high altitude.

- No showers - Just a basic washbowl of luke warm water each day and trusty wet wipes!

- Higher altitude than any mountain peaks in the alps.

- Our fires for cooking will be burning with Yak dung!

- Link for further information: http://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition_details.jsp?id=780

Training/Acheivments to date:

- I have lost 36 pounds of lard from my belly and counting.........

- I gave up smoking on Saturday 21st of July 2007.

- Summited Snowdon in July 2007, the highest mountain in Wales at 3,650 ft (1,085m).

- Summited Scaffel Pike in August 2007, the highest mountain in England at 3,209 ft (978m).

- Ran the Congleton Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Sun 7th of October 2007 in 2 hours and 3 minutes! www.congleton-harriers.co.uk

- Ran the Asics Reading Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday 2nd of March 2008 in 2 hours and 9 minutes (with serious man flu!)www.asicsreadinghalfmarathon.co.uk

I am personally covering the entire cost of the trip to Nepal. This also includes a personal donation of £100.

So, every single penny you donate goes to Cancer Research UK.

In return for your generous donations and help I promise to do my best not to let you all down. I will make it to Base Camp!

So how do I donate?

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Cancer Research UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So, please, please, pretty please sponsor me!  Many thanks!!!!

Raised Offline:

Marc Cresswell: £100

Michael & Pam White: £20

Jane Walker: £10

Becky & Warren: £50

Gordon Nicholson: £20

Adam Young: £5

Terry Baulk: £30

Kristian Kaye: £20

Sandra Pickersgill & Friends & Family: £200

Cheers!

Marc