Well we are back – and firstly a HUGE thank you to all of you who have made a donation to 500 Miles. (read more below) 

We certainly had an adventure but it wasn’t quite as planned …

1.       We arrived to the worst weather forecast for 10 years and immediately tore up our planned itinerary

2.       We picked up two of the worst hire cars ever driven

3.       We then drove 1300km north in one day from Bariloche to Las Leñas and  the only patch of fair weather in the Patagonian Andes

4.       We never had to buy more than 3 “new” tyres for any vehicle in any one day

5.       We were “forced” to eat road kill ( a large hare ) one night

6.       We didn’t see a volcano until our second week

7.       We eventually lost 3 or 4 days of climbing /skiing and drove for over 3500km , 3 times our anticipated distance , as we chased the good weather

But …

1.       We can’t wait to go back to Argentina and Chile – fantastic  countries and great people and of course great food and wine

2.       We  made some great friends , particularly Nicholas de la Cruz our Argentinian guide and dedicated Yerba Mate drinker ( look it up )

3.       We climbed 3 summits and  4 of our 6 volcanoes, namely Longquimay, Lliama, Villerrica and Osorno, a total of over 36,000ft but not without incident.

4.       We took 3 days and 3 attempts to climb Villerrica. Day 1 we were thwarted by high winds , Day 2 (and only 150m from the summit) an electrical storm forced a very quick retreat but Day 3 saw us on the summit of only one of 4 volcanoes in the world with an active lava lake in the Caldera.

5.       We summited Osorno, our last volcano  in rapidly  failing weather , and descended 5000ft of glaciated terrain on  skis in a total white out. Luckily we had taken our guide and he had a compass.

6.       And most importantly, including offline donations , we have raised nearly £5000 for our chosen charity 500 Miles thanks to your incredible generosity

A few images from the trip are attached and if anyone doubts that we were climbing real active volcanoes have a look at this link  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urZsIxvww3U 

 

 

 

 

On this trip we’ve decided to support the 500 Miles charity set up by lawyer Olivia Giles (www.500miles.co.uk). Olivia caught meningococcal septicemia and had to have her hands and feet amputated to save her life.

Having survived the illness ... just, she was fitted with prosthetics so she could brush her teeth and put on her clothes. She says on her web site:

“The first day I took a step on my prosthetic legs without holding onto anything was overwhelming. I’d been learning to walk with support from a frame or from physiotherapists — then one day I thought: “I can do this. Let me try!” I managed a couple of steps. I was euphoric — it felt like I was floating. I had to lie down and just lay there weeping. I realised I was going to be okay. I was going to walk out of hospital. Until I knew for sure that I would, I don’t think I had dared to hope for it, or acknowledge how important it was to me. I will never forget the profound relief and elation of that day. It was the beginning of a new life”.

In 2007 Olivia founded the charity 500 Miles, which supplies prosthetics or orthotic devices ~ which typically cost only £30 - £60 each ~ plus support,  for disabled people in Malawi, Zambia and Zanzibar.  They don’t have the support of the NHS and she helps give these people “the beginning of a new life” that she experienced.

See:  http://www.500miles.co.uk/index.php/patient-stories-2/kumayando-mushambatwa/

For the avoidance of doubt all funds raised go to 500 Miles and not towards the cost of the trip! Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.