How We Climbed Everest

How We Climbed Everest

Did you follow our journey to the top of Everest? If you missed any daily reports, they’re all on our Brigantes Rotary Club website. Didn’t we do well?

Well, yes we did – but perhaps not in the way you think. It’s true confession time. Shock! Horror! Bet you never guessed. The daily reports were a work of fiction – hopefully top quality fiction – but fiction nevertheless. Guy Wilson and Peter Wood, walkers but not in the Everest class, used their experience to imagine what it would be like to climb the world’s highest peak. In doing so they were helped with information and photos by another Brigantes walker, Kelvin Burkinshaw, who, with his wife Liz, trekked to base Camp in 2009. And he’s not the only member to have trodden the sacred slopes. One of our Honorary Members, Major Lil Gurung, of the Kathmandu Rotary Club, he served as Communications Officer on a real international Everest expedition in 1971 which involved 900 porters and 40 climbers from 12 countries. He’s been walking in the Himalayas for us in recent weeks and has sponsored us to the tune of £1,200.

But don’t think we’ve been sitting in our armchairs at home while all this has been going on. Not a mile has been walked, not a foot climbed on Everest without having been first walked or climbed in Yorkshire. Our miles and feet, with allowances for gradient and altitude, have been translated to the other side of the world. But make no mistake – every one of them has been done by Brigantes Rotary Club and supporters.

Quite how they’ve been done is testimony to our inventiveness. For instance four of us, David 1, David 2, Guy and Manuel climbed Whernside Yorkshire’s highest peak on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. Then again, Tony, who lives in a block of high-rise apartments, spent his spare time walking up and down and up and down the stairs. Not to be outdone Graham, the Project Leader, spent hours in his native Knaresborough, walking up and down the steps from Waterside to Knaresborough Castle. As you’ll appreciate, Waterside is by the river and castles were built on hills so that speaks for itself. Meanwhile Guy (he of Whernside) has his personal hill at the back of his house, which now has a new path grooved into its slopes. David 3 has taken up rowing and, in the confines of his front room, has been slogging it out on the rowing machine, while Mike did his miles on a step-up machine and Ruth did laps of Harrogate’s famous Stray. John 1 and John 2 have cycled, eating up the Yorkshire roads in their quest to add Everest miles. Peter, recent recipient of a new knee, has been hobbling, then limping and now striding out the miles. Others have walked and walked and walked. Having covered, at the last count, 3,900 miles and climbed 106,000 feet we’re pretty knackered but delighted that our fictitious selves, Brightside, Dowting and the rest made it to the top. Now we hope that you’ll reward our efforts.

We’ve already given £10,000 since the start of lockdown to help people affected by Coronavirus. Now we’re aiming to raise another £5,000 through our Everest expedition. We want to help ‘Wellspring’, a mental health charity and ‘Carers’ Resource’ who support young people who need to look after another family member. The work of both is even more crucial during and after the current pandemic. We’ll also be continuing to support others families affected by Covid.

We’re on the way to our £5,000 but we’re not there yet. We need your help to get there and to be able to continue with our important work. You can sponsor or donate by clicking on the button below.

From the bottom of our hearts to the top of Everest – THANKYOU!