Iain Ross
Callum and 'The 500 Mile' Challenge
Fundraising for Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity
Story
*Happy New Year - Still going strong and thanks for helping me raise £7,500*
Letter from America (1987), I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (1988), I'm On My Way (1989) & Love Can Move Mountains (2009) - The Proclaimers.......
.......and now We’re Gonna Walk 500 Miles (5-18 Sept 2010)- Iain, Joanne, Jim, Douglas Billy, Greg & David!
And we've done it!! And what an experience. Glad to say we managed to exceed our 500 mile target by completing a whooping 556 miles plus in total approx 86,000ft of vertical ascent. Greg and I managed approx 21,000ft & 22,000ft each which is equivalent to climbing from base camp on Everest to its summit............twice!! Joanne & Jim did enough ascent in 1 week to do 'an Everest' too so we're all real chuffed!
And thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Now I'm back safely we've also had a 'We've Walked 500 Miles' Auction to wrap up our fundraising. Many thanks to Hilary Brooks and Dundee Rep cast of 'Sunshine on Leith', Stephen Greenhorn (scriptwrier of the 'Sunshine on Leith' Musical), the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, MacDonalds Hotels, the Marcliffe Hotel & Spa Aberdeen, the Malmaison Aberdeen, the Fairmont St.Andrews, the Balmoral Edinburgh, the Marriot Dalmahoy, Clydesdale Bank, Aon Insurance, Archerfield Links, Cruden Bay GC, Murcar GC, Panmure GC, Strahmore GC, Kirriemuir GC, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield, Medusa Hair Styling in Edinbugh, Hibs & Hearts football clubs, the Rendevous @ Nargile restuarant, His Majestys Theatre Aberdeen, Simpson's Hotel Aberdeen, the Dutch Mill Hotel, Kings Links Golf Centre & Deeside Activity Centre who all donated auction and raffle items to help with our fundraising.
And after the charities get Gift Aid from JustGiving and claim Gift Aid from off-line donations this means I'll have raised a whooping total of £9,152 with the Edinburgh Sick Children Hospital actually receiving £8,512 and the Angus Carers Autism Group £640
And it's not too late to still donate......
The story behind We're Gonna Walk 500 Miles Challenge:-
Most of you will know Sue and I have a very special reason for raising funds for the Edinburgh Sick Childrens Hospital after our oldest son, Callum, had life saving brain surgery there just after his first birthday to remove a blood clot from his brain.
Callum is now an active 11 year old and has just started P7. Thanks to the surgeons, doctors and aftercare of the nurses at the Sick Kids we've had an 10 additional years with Callum which we could not have dreamed of before he had his operation. To celebrate this we felt it was time to raise funds again for the Edinburgh Sick Childrens Hospital and for the Angus Carers Autism Group that have helped with support for Callum and his brother Fraser more recently.
Funds raised this time for the Sick Kids will go towards their latest big project to purchase new state-of-the-art 'Sat-Nav' Brain Surgery equipment and also to provide stimulation aids and toys for kids like Callum post operation in the Neurology ward. We also hope to raise funds for the hospital parents accommodation as this allows parents from distances away to be with their kids during extended hospital visits. Angus Carers funds raised will be used to provide vital restbite opportunities and events for those dealing with children with autism and other disabilities and especially for young carers who as kids have to deal with disabilities in close family relationships that are outwith their control.
We've previously done a ceilidh and both Sue and I with Gordon have abseiled off the Forth Rail Bridge so we thought I could do a walk this time, but with a difference. Taking literally from the Proclaimers song ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)', with the help of some friends, Joanne, Jim, Douglas, Billy & Greg & David (who are raising funds separately for their own charities) ‘We've Walked’ a combined 556 miles in and around Yosemite on parts of the John Muir Trail in California doing various peaks along the way.
Serious, I think so. I was so scared I lost 3 stone in preparation for the walks. Doh, I should just have done a sponsored diet and I’d have been done before I started walking!! Coincidently, I like Callum, wouldn't be around now if the Sick Kids Hospital hadn't saved my life 46 years ago so there's another good reason to support them.
So please sponsor me either for the dieting, the exercising I did in preparation, or for the walk itself. It doesn’t matter if you can help me raise funds for the Sick Kids Hospital to get their Sat-Nav Brain Surgery equipment.
The ‘We’re Gonna Walk 500 Miles’ Charity Challenge details
The challenges last September in California and Nevada for our team of 7 walkers started with a warm up day on arrival in Yosemite National Park walking to Taft Point, climbing Sentinel Dome (8,122ft) and onto Glacier Point for an overall view of Yosemite valley 3,500 ft below before descending to the valley floor to pack rucksacks ahead of starting the main challenge in earnest.
An early start the next day saw us drive through Yosemite National Park eastwards and round and down to Mammoth Mountain to start a 75 mile trek on the John Muir Trail of the renowned Scottish conservationalist from Devils Postpile National Monument (7,600ft) back to Yosemite over 5 days.
The trail passes Mount Ritter, Banner Peak, Mount Lyell and summits Donohue Pass at 11,056ft before descending vast Lyell Canyon into Toulomne Meadow and past Cathedral Peak and onto the Sunrise High Sierra camp. From there we made 2 excursions from the John Muir Trail to climb Clouds Rest (9,926 ft) and the iconic Half Dome (8,842ft) before walking out back into Yosemite Valley.
We then ‘rested’ by having a days break viewing the worlds largest and oldest Giant Sequoia trees at the Mariposa Grove by Wawona.
From Wawona Douglas, Joanne & Jim headed home via San Francisco whilst David, Billy, Greg & I headed back down the Sierra Nevada Mountain range to the very southern start point of the John Muir Trail where Grag and I walk in and climbed Mount Whitney, the highest summit in the contiguous 48 US states at 14,505ft.
After Mount Whitney we completed our exertions in nearby Death Valley walking up Telescope Peak (11,043ft) from Mahogany Flats to view the lowest and hottest part of the US below at Badwater (-282ft) from Death Valley’s highest peak in the cooler air 2 miles above the valley floor.
Quite a series of challenges successfully completed to hopefully raise as much funds as possible for the Sick Kids. It may have been 500+ miles but with the elevation gains and carrying all our camping kit and supplies it certainly felt like ‘500 hundred more’ too!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Sue and I hope you can support us in any way you can. If you want to donate specifically to the Angus Carers Autism Group (the other local charity I'm raising funds for) please send Sue and I cheques payable to 'Angus Carers Association (SCO26052)' All funds donated on-line go directly to the Sick Kids and off-line funds on this page are being split 4/5 to the Sick Kids and 1/5 to Angus Carers unless you indicate otherwise so please dig deep and donate now.
And it's true what the Proclaimers sing, 'Love Can Move Mountains'..........it certainly got me over our 4 huge peaks and it helped me lose 3 stone in weight too!! I Hope my loss in lbs will help the Sick Kids raise many more pounds and secure the purchase of their new Sat-Nav Brain Surgery equipment ASAP. Many thanks for your terrific help & support. Check out the pictures of the trip on my facebook site.
Cheers
Iain