Thanks for taking the time to visit my 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 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.

So please dig deep and donate now.

My aim is to climb past Everest Base Camp to Kalar Patar at 5545 meters, with the most spectacular views of Everest towering over me at 8846 metres….sounds easy as I sit here typing this on my comfortable sofa…. however with c 10 weeks left until departure the reality is hitting me that this is going to be far from easy!

I am currently embarking on a fitness schedule on the 10 week count down to this big adventure – mornings, evenings and weekends are going to be dedicated to the gym, running and hiking. My first training week end starts tomorrow with 4 days in the Lake District – my aim is set on climbing Scarfell Pike and Helvellyn (small beginnings!).

My departure date is 20^th November where we arrive in Khatmandu and then fly onto Lukla to commence the climb which is scheduled to take 11 days. We will pass through the most dramatic landscapes which will change as we continue to climb higher and higher. By the time we reach Lobouche the temperature will have dropped significantly and we will be walking among frozen rivers and an icy wilderness. We then make the trek to base camp itself in the dramatic location at the foot of the world’s highest peak.  Then it is on to the final highlight – surfacing at 4am to summit Kalar Patar with stunning views of Everest and the Khumbu Glacier cascading below.

Having peaked we then head back down  hiking all the way back to Lukla, marvelling in what we have achieved  and all the while with stunning views and fantastic scenery all around and looking forward to an Everest beer!

Still sounding easy isn’t it?! Well just a few facts for you : the temperature at night is likely to reach between  -15 to -20 degrees, the air at our highest point is approximately a third thinner  (altitude sickness is a distinct possibility), on some days we spend up to 10 hours hiking and the thought of 11 days of consecutive hiking is exhausting!

I am essentially doing this trip for two reasons – and in no order of priority - ‘Because it’s there!’ (to quote George Mallory) and also for Cancer Research.  Cancer research is highly emotive for me having lost both my father and a good friend (who was my age) to cancer and my step father is currently fighting against it now.  This money provides essential research to a disease that is likely to affect one in 3 of the UK population – the essential work that cancer research does is providing dignity to those that have died and hope for those who are currently suffering. 

Any support you can give to Cancer Research would be great and make each step for me a little bit more worthwhile to get to the lofty height of 5545metres!

Many thanks for your support!

Rachel

9^thSeptember 2009