Friends take on Everest Basecamp challenge for Portsmouth charity Friends Fighting Cancer
‘People underestimate how dangerous this is, this is stupid!’
Two friends are swapping the Basecamp gym in Havant for Everest Basecamp as they set off on a gruelling 13-day trek to raise money for charity.
Lea Jackson, 58, from Hayling Island and Brannen Sime have travelled to Nepal to work their way up Mount Everest and reach Basecamp which sits at 5,364 metres. The duo are no strangers to challenges having already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and taken on multiple feats of endurance to raise money for local cancer charities.
They flew into Lukla Airport over the weekend, which is regarded as the world’s most dangerous airport due to its 500 metre long runway. Before they departed on October 9, The News visited Lea at Basecamp 2.0 in Havant, a gym that he co-owns.
He said: “This is a massive challenge, definitely the biggest one we have done so far. We did Kilimanjaro last year and I spoke to the person who has organised this challenge for us and he said if you look at Kilimanjaro as a sprint, then Everest is a marathon. That has hit home a little bit.”
One of the big risks that Lea and Brannen will try and avoid is altitude sickness.
“Once you get to around the 4,000 mark it can become a big issue,” Lea said, “You have to keep up with the water and food and stay on top of it and hope it doesn't kick in. I have seen other people affected by it when I have done other trips and it is not good so hopefully we will be okay. Fitness wise we have trained hard for this so we are ready.”
After reaching basecamp, there will still be further to go. A 4am start will see the friends head up a further 200 metres to Kala Patthar to witness the sunrise hitting the mountain which Lea has been told is an “unbelievable” sight to see.
The test of endurance and pushing their bodies to the limit is all to raise money for Friends Fighting Cancer. Lea started taking on challenges and fundraising after his dad was diagnosed with cancer around eight years ago
He said: “We have been doing all that we can to raise money for different charities ever since. We have done a lot of running challenges but the mountains is what we like to do. We started with the Welsh three peaks and kept building up from there. Then when we did Kilimanjaro we knew this the one that we wanted to do.
“Losing my dad to cancer was a massive part of my life. A few weeks ago I lost one of my closest friends Knightsie to cancer and we have got a lot of friends at the moment who are either suffering or have been through it, there is just so many and it has really hit home the last couple of months.
“I want to carry on doing these challenges all the time that I am fit and able to do it and raise money.”
Lea has undertaken a number of fundraising efforts for Friends Fight Cancer over the years.
“It is a massive local charity and they help in so many different ways in the area. We are more than happy to try and raise money for them,” He said.
Ray Argenti from the Portsmouth based charity is incredibly thankful for Lea’s efforts, but it has made him question his sanity.
He said: “We just want him back in one piece. People underestimate how dangerous this is, this is stupid! But he has trained and his efforts to ensure his safety has been second to none which is why we fully support this event.
“A massive thank you to everyone who has supported Lea, Brannen and our charity. We don't often get an opportunity to say it, and lots of people don’t do it for the thanks, but we are entirely grateful.”
To donate to Lea’s JustGiving page click here.