Virtual Everest Trek

Of course we had to do it all at home. So we invented ways of covering the miles. Team members walked up and down apartment stairs and the steps from Waterside to Knaresborough Castle, up and down local hills and even did laps of Harrogate’s famous Stray. Other novel means included miles on a rowing machine or on a bike. To make it mountainous, four of us climbed Whernside, Yorkshire’s premier peak. All the miles counted and we did enough to put our President on top of the world.

In fact we did more. We covered 3,900 expedition miles and climbed 106,000 feet, all adjusted for steepness, natural difficulties and lack of oxygen. Each day for a month imaginative daily reports of the expedition were written and published by two of our members and featured the willing but naïve (and frankly dangerous) Communications Officer Luke N Brightside and his long-suffering Sherpa Dow Ting.

It all kept us usefully employed during the dark days of Covid but we didn’t do it just for fun. We were sponsored for our efforts, exceeding our objective of raising over £5,000 for our Covid Relief Fund, thereby supporting many wonderful and deserving charities including Wellspring Therapy and Training and Carers’ Resource.

Club members Peter Wood and Guy Wilson co-wrote 22 blogs detailing the journey from Lukla to the summit. Daily reports were posted as if written by the overly optimistic Expedition Communications Officer Luke N Brightside and the experienced and pessimistic head Porter Sherpa Dowting.

Peter Wood comments. “For a month Brightside and Dowting took over our lives. We shall miss them! But in the process we’ve learnt a great deal of respect for Everest, for the hardy mountaineers who attempt to climb it, and especially for the guides and porters who make it as safe as it can be for them.”

The answer is with a great deal of ingenuity and even more perspiration. Here are some examples:

• four Club members climbed Whernside Yorkshire’s highest peak on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year.
• 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 has his personal hill at the back of his house, which now has a new path grooved into its slopes. According to him he now has two very confused bullocks with stiff necks who cannot understand why this mad human being has been flogging up and down past them 16 times a day
• David has taken up rowing and, in the confines of his front room, has been slogging it out on the rowing machine,
• Mike did his miles on a step-up machine
• Ruth did laps of Harrogate’s famous Stray.
• Two Johns 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.

Carers’ Resource

Is a Yorkshire-based charity that provides support for carers in the local community, no matter what their age, race, religion or needs.  See www.carersresource.org/

Wellspring

Is based in Starbeck. It provides psychological support to people of all ages who are in distress and promotes good mental health through education and training. See www.wellspringtherapy.co.uk/