On the 19th January this year we were all terribly shocked to hear the news of an accident in Glencoe involving a group of young people  who had such love for life and the outdoors.  The avalance killed four of the walkers, including Úna and Rachel with whom I went to medical school with and seriously injured another, Pam, who is making a remarkable recovery given the extent of her injuries. 

I feel so priveleged to have been able to call Úna a close friend - I'm not sure I would have passed finals as easily without her as my ward-buddy and housemate last year. She was also an effortlessly good runner and inspired me to ditch my laziness and get out running more than just a few times. Her enthusiasm for life and spending quality time with friends (be it organised fun or just numerous cups of tea) is a real inspiration to me and I want to try and live my life with the same degree of passion.

I have grown up walking in the mountains on countless holidays with my family and more recently with university friends. There is something so invigorating about a day in the mountains that makes you forget about all the stresses of your own life and refreshes you to go back to the real world of work/medicine etc. It's important that we should not shy away from enjoying the peace and happiness that mountains can provide. There are, of course, risks attached to such adventures but I believe our lives would be much less fulfilled by restricting our outdoor activities. 

The Glencoe Mountain Rescue provide an amazing and very necessary service. The dedicated volunteers often risk their own lives to provide the protection needed for those adventure-seekers wanting to enjoy the outdoors and mountains in the area. They were there on the afternoon of the 19th January searching for those who died, buried in the snow, and urgently transferred Pam for medical attention. We are very much indebted to their assistance. 

In the spirit of true organised fun there are a number of us who are getting involved in a Triathalon of Events over the summer to raise money for the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Service. There will be a Half Marathon in Edinburgh (which is highly appropriate given that Una loved living and running in the city) on 27th May, a 1 or 2 mile swim in Lake Windermere on 15th June and a 64 mile Virgin Cyclone cycle event in Northumberland on 29th June. I have signed up to the run and cycle ride but not the swim as I may drown if I try to swim further than about 400m!

Please donate to myself or the team as a whole if you would like to support this good cause or just as importantly - please come and cheer us on from the side-lines and/or with tea, cake and a hug afterwards! 

 

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