Recently I decided to do something useful with my mundane life…given my tendency to reach out for the extreme embarking on a trek in the beautiful high altitude region of Ladakh, North India whilst raising funds for a worthwhile cause seemed like a good idea.  However, as I write this it is beginning to dawn on me the enormity of the task in hand.

To go gallivanting up the Himalayas, the choice of mountain may as well be massive!  Though, having read up a bit about mountains did it occur to me only around half the oxygen is available at 5500 metres compared to sea level, which I have been informed that I will surely feel the effects of as a novice trekker!

The journey itself will start from Delhi, where we will drive to Rishikesh to carry out voluntary work for a week. From here it will be a five day drive to the capital of Ladakh, Leh via Manali which in turn is about one hundred miles from the borders of Kashmir, China and Tibet.  Along the way crossing potentially treacherous mountain routes susceptible to being blocked by landslides.  These routes will also include the following five high mountain passes as we attempt to acclimatise and take in the awesome mountain panorama at the same time:

Rohtang (3978m), Baralacha (4892m), Nakila (4740m), Lachulung (5059m) and Taglung (5200m)

Once in Leh we will camp in the Indus valley and begin our seven day high altitude trek to the snowy peak of Stok Kangri, a do-able 6121m (20082ft) (for reference Mt Kilimanjaro stands at 5895m and over four and a half times higher than Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain at 1344m).  On the final day, with the use of crampons we will take on the steep climb of the snow capped mountain and reach the summit.

The more daunting task is trying to raise over £3000 for the charity.  I have raised monies for a few causes before but nowhere near on this scale!  The charity I am raising monies for is Sewa International.  They are an international charity run entirely by dedicated volunteers to serve humanity, helping to rebuild peoples lives as a result of natural disasters such as earthquakes and cyclones.  Their most recent project they have undertaken is to collate monies to build new schools and fund for more teachers for underprivileged children.

Please note all funds raised will go directly to Sewa International and I am responsible for the costs I incur i.e. flights, visa, accommodation, climbing, gear, etc.

Whilst I relish the sublime challenge of this task please help me by donating generously for this worthwhile cause.

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (Sewa international) 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 sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

Major training events completed so far:

04/05/2008 The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge 24.5 miles 5000ft climb - time 11hrs 45min

29/06/2008 Mount Snowdon 1080m

13/07/2008 London 52 mile Bikeathon - time 5hrs 50min (All in all 70 miles were cycled if you include travelling to and from the venue)

11/09/2008 Summit reached at around 10.30am!  Last few hundred metres were exhausting.