7 Summits – A Double Header

Mt Aconcagua (21,955ft) - South America

Mt Elbrus (18,510ft) - Russia

Shane and I have planned our next expedition which is in the final stages of implementation. This next expedition is the next stage of our “7 Summits Challenge” 

We spoke on the phone a few nights ago, and we both had a chuckle and shook our heads on the challenge we have set ourselves.

In the end, we resolved that we have never done anything in our lives in halves, so why would we start now?

Our next expedition in March 2010 will involve climbing two of the 7 Summits Mountains in one expedition of 5 weeks. Our adventure will take us to Mendoza in South America to climb the 21,955 foot high Mt Aconcagua. We will then fly over to Caucasus in Russia to climb Mt Elbrus which stands 18,510 feet high. In 5 weeks, we will have climbed a vertical elevation of 40,465 feet.  

The climb of Aconcagua is remote and will take just over 3 weeks. Mules and horses will be used to carry equipment and supplies to our base camp. Given its height of just under 22,000 feet, acclimatisation will be important factor in a successful summit.

The climb of Mt Elbrus is different to Aconcagua. Given that it will be the start of the climbing season in April, the mountain will be covered with plenty of snow and ice. Crampons will be required for the accent to the summit. Given that we will already be well acclimatised from our accent of Aconcagua, we should be well adjusted to the effects of altitude.

On this expedition, we are supporting and raising funds for the Enough is Enough Charity Foundation in Australia, as well as the Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney Australia.  Both Shane and I love children and would do whatever we could to help them. Many of us are lucky to have avoided illness and injury as a child, as well the children in our immediate families……but many are not so lucky. Courageous children battle with illness or injury every day, but at least with all our support, it sends the message that they are not facing their battles alone and receive the best care. 

You can make donations to support the children at the following website:

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/corporatemonk  

The Enough is Enough charity and its cause has a personal attachment, as my sister who was aged 12 was knocked off her bike and killed by a drunk driver. Enough is Enough performs work in educating the public on the dangers of drink-driving, but they also offer counselling and support services to families that have had loved ones killed in road trauma incidents. They also have fantastic social projects to prevent schoolyard bullying, and to help juveniles in corrective facilities to rehabilitate and establish themselves back into the social community.

Please find out more about the Enough is Enough Charity Organisation at the following link:

http://www.enoughisenough.org.au

To make a donation to this worthwhile cause, please follow this link:

 http://www.enoughisenough.org.au/help/

After our 3-day summit of Mt Kilimanjaro up the Umbwe Route, we thought it necessary to continue to test our fitness and mental resolve. We are going to need all our fitness and mental resolve as we work our way up to climbing the mighty Mt Everest, which stands at a height of 8850m. Doing two high altitude mountains in the one trip will test our fitness and physiology in preparation to climb Mt Everest.

Our fitness training never stops, but it has started to intensify as we understand the magnitude of the challenge that lay ahead in the next 12 months. The great Sir Edmund Hillary said “It is not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves”. I would have to agree with that statement as each time Shane and I climb, it is not the mountain we are conquering, but we are challenging our own character and mental resolve. 

I believe that everyone has inside them the power and ability to achieve whatever they want in life and to fulfill their dreams. It may take some soul-searching and digging around inside, but believe me, the potential is there.  

'Mates on an Adventure of a Lifetime'