Challenge Extra!!
Posted Darren - updated 22/12/08
IMPACT - Just like the picture on the left, our event will be like being caught between a rock and a hard place.
We are highly sensitive to the environmental impact our challenge could make, we are doing everything possible to reduce or off-set our carbon footprint responsibly and not just to make ourselves look credible. But that being said we have to travel to all the peaks in order to complete them!
There are many responsible walkers & hikers that do this each year. When I first thought of a UK Everest Challenge, my initial idea was to use public transport. I researched this at my own cost but alas even on local short trip to Bristol. It took a hour longer with delays and then missing a connection, it proved to be an unsatisfactory form of transport for this type of challenge and just as expensive per mile. My misfortune over the last few years with public transport has either been peppered with delays or over-crowded.
Trying to organise over 1,200 miles of public transport connections, kit preparation and travelling at peak times, would have posed a rather large logistics problem and impose a large drain on our already stretched planing and fundraising efforts. It's going to be difficult to be carbon neutral with an event of this type, unless we cycled the UK and swam the Irish Sea [now there's an idea for a 2011 event if ever I heard one!].
Both Bryn and I agree that the Three Peaks Challenge is not a route we wanted our event to follow. Yes we have to travel to the mountains and peaks, but we’ll be camping, enjoying the surroundings, pacing ourselves so we can take as many pictures, videos and enjoy the breath taking locations we’ll be in.
Compact
Being a small team, we'll not be encouraging people to compete against us nor join us. Again respect is the key, where possible I am adamant we can do our challenge without charging through country lanes late at night. Part of the challenge is also to spend at least six hours with a tent up each night on at least four of peaks base campsites. We intend to experience our surroundings, not just slip through unnoticed.
We'll also be training all over the UK, taking part in cross country events, half marathons and marathons - because we truly love the outdoors.
Awareness
Our website will be our online home over the next year. We intend to provide resources for better awareness of areas of outstanding beauty and national parks. We welcome any articles, thoughts, guides or links in the hope of providing a varied website that can inform and well as fundraise.
Further reading:
John Muir Trust - the Trust works to protect wild land through management in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland total over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) - including the Ben Nevis Estate.
Snowdonia Society - for over forty years is organisation has worked tirelessly protecting and enhancing the national park.
www.ourstolookafter.co.uk | www.lake-district.gov.uk | www.nationaltrust.org.uk
www.breconbeacons.org/environment | www.ni-environment.gov.uk
