<p><strong>Yes, I'm hanging up my running shoes, donning the walking boots and heading to Nepal!<span style="color: #3366ff;"> (updated 3/12)</span><br /></strong></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">The goal is to climb/walk/crawl to Everest Base Camp on an adventure that'll take 17 Days and raise as much cash as possible for UNICEF from your generous donations.</span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">After spending many months preparing for this gruelling trip I'll be out there Trekking in the Himalaya at a maximum altitude of approximately 5545m. To put this into perspective my hometown of Cheltenham is approx 70m above sea level, Snowdon is 1085m and with an oxygen level at 50% of what it is at sea level, altitude related headaches, sleepness nights and loss of apetite are inevitable an no amount of fitness training can prevent. Night times in the tent will be cold with temperatures falling to around -20 centigrade and with hole in the ground bathroom facilities it's going to be a challenge on many levels.<br /></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">Preparation for the trip is almost as exciting as the trip itself. Aside from raising my physical fitness levels through running and hill walking amongst other things, I get to legitimately retail therapy loads of clothing and equipment to protect me from whatever Mother Nature chooses to deliver and</span><span style="color: #006400;"> also I might pick up some new camera gear to ensure I capture what is sure to be an incredible adventure.<br /></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;"><strong>I'm entirely self funding this trip, you are not in any way subsidising my trip by sponsoring me.</strong></span></em><em><span style="color: #006400;"> All donations go striaght to the work of UNICEF.</span></em><em><span style="color: #006400;"> The sale of my awesome 4x4 has provided me with the means to fund the trip although the costs have way exceeded the resale value of the car so thank goodness for overdrafts, credit cards and birthdays... but not for bank charges! Please make it all worthwhile by giving all you can. <br /></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">I'm raising money for the Unite for Children Unite Against Aids campaign, a cause for which part address early infant diagnoses and treatment of babies so they can live free from HIV and Aids. A short video clip about the specific campaign I'm raising money for can be found <a href="http://youtu.be/rkkg4nz9-Sg">here</a>. It's a little under 3 minutes long so please watch it and you'll appreciate why every penny of your donation counts.<br /></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">I'm pretty sure most of you will know what to do next to make a donation and I'm assured by JustGiving, registering your details won't necessarily result in a spamming to your email inbox until the end of time...read the tick boxes carefully!<br /></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to UNICEF UK and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. <strong>Donate &pound;30 or more and I'll send you a free UNICEF pin badge </strong>so make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you to arrange delivery.<br /></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="color: #006400;">I'll be updating this page regularly before I depart for the challenge on the 5th November so feel free to check back regularly to keep up to date with my progress.</span></em></p> <p><em><strong>Thanks Again!</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Tim</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">Update 4th August 2010</span></strong></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">A bit more info about the trek:</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">This trek will take me through the valleys of Sagarmatha National Park, with time to explore its villages and monasteries. Eight of the world's fourteen peaks that exceed 8,000m in height are situated in the Nepalese Himalayas. The highest of them all, standing at 8,848m, is Mt. Everest.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">The trek begins at Lukla, where we trek to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar where there is time to acclimatise to the altitude. The trail will cross numerous rivers leading gradually uphill from Thyangboche to the highest point at Kalapathar (5,545m) with panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and glaciers including Mt. Everest. Having completed the challenge in one piece, I'll get to spend a day or two discovering wierd and unique things Kathmandu.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Trekking Training Schedule</strong></span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">In addition to the intensive cardio work, core strengthening programs courtesy of Zig's Exercise and the random surfing, I'll use the walks to test equipment and get accustomed to trekking on consecutive days.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">7/8 Adlestrop - Cornwell - Oddington (8miles 4hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">8/8 Laurie Lee Country (7miles 4.5 hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">14/8 Surfing Woolacombe Devon<br /></span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">22/8 Surfing St Ives Cornwall<br /></span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">23/8 Surfing St Ives Cornwall<br /></span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">28/8 Stanton- Stanway- Snowshill (8miles 5.5hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">29/8 Winchcombe- Hailes Abbey- Sudley Castle (8.5 miles 4.5hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">5/9 Cleeve Common (8miles 4hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">11/9 Bourton- The Slaughters- Naunton (10 miles 5hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">12/9 Chedworth- Withington (9miles 5hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">18/9 Bredon Hill (9.5miles 5hrs)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800080;">More to follow.... or not ;)</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="color: #ffa500;"><strong>Update 26th August</strong></span></p> <p><span style="color: #ffa500;">Injections- Arghhh!</span></p> <p><span style="color: #ffa500;">Hep-A, Typhoid, Tetanus, Diptheria, Polio and MMR on the NHS. 3x Rabies and&nbsp;Hep-B are considered luxury vaccinations so I have to pay a fee&nbsp;for them. Hannah the practice nurse doing a great job of weilding the needles. No bruises and no side effects - Result!<br /></span></p> <p><span style="color: #a52a2a;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p> <p><span style="color: #a52a2a;"><strong>Update 24th September</strong><br /></span></p> <p><span style="color: #a52a2a;">Visa arrived, it has all suddenly become real and signs of trepidation are beginning to show!<br /></span></p> <p><span style="color: #a52a2a;">A little under &pound;4500 spent on the trip so far, the kitty is empty. I may be Cotswold Outdoors and Mountain Shack's favourite person at the moment but I still need a few bits and pieces to ensure I'm prepared and I'm hoping a birthday just around the corner will hopefully take care of a few of these things but if all else fails there is the the never never.</span><strong><span style="color: #a52a2a;"><br /></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="color: #a52a2a;">Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me, you're keeping me motivated and can't thank you enough!</span></strong></p> <p><span style="color: #a52a2a;">I've updated the link to the UNICEF campaign to a short movie clip, feel free to check it out, it's striaght to the point.</span> <span style="color: #a52a2a;">There's also a few more photos too.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">Update 5th November</span></strong></p> <p><span style="color: #3366ff;">The fundraising target has been obliterated thanks to all that have donated and It's now time to put all the training and preparation into practice.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #3366ff;">My hair has gone, bag is packed, stress levels have returned to safe levels and I'm ready to begin collecting stories for this adventure.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #3366ff;">See you when I get back!</span></p> <p><br /><strong><span style="color: #800000;">Update 24th November</span></strong></p> <p><span style="color: #800000;">I made it back on time thanks to the Nepalese Army. The trip was amazing and couldn't have asked for a better group of people to trek with.The sights and smells will linger on my mind for quite some time and hopefully the stone in weight I lost will stay off although with Christmas around the corner it might be difficult.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800000;">I notice a few extra donations appeared while I was away so thank you for those and those who haven't yet donated you can still do so so please keep the pledges coming in and tell others who haven't pledged to pledge! I'm working my way through all the photos, there are some good ones in there and I'll share with you in due course. I've uploaded a few tasters here to be going on with.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800000;">Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to hear more about the trip, pictures can be found following this link:</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800000;"> </span>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=576747&amp;id=698355369&amp;l=1e8c640c06</p> <p><span style="color: #800000;"> For now I'm off to celebrate completing this challenge with a wee glass of champagne.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800000;">Cheers!!</span></p>