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Team Sykes's Everest Base Camp Trek
Overcoming the might of Mount Everest is one of the most demanding feats known to adventurers across the world. But that is exactly the challenge that climbers April and Richard Sykes have set themselves, all in aid of The Scottish Spina Bifida Association (SSBA).
The Scottish newlyweds, who will trek for 15 days from Lukla in Nepal to Everest Base Camp, decided to raise vital funds for SSBA after a family friend's baby was born with Spina Bifida. Richard and April have already raised a remarkable £2,715 and their fundraising efforts are not over yet.
Ahead of their challenge, we caught up with Richard to discuss the daunting trip and the barriers they will have to overcome in order to travel to Everest Base Camp.
Hi, Richard! Can you tell us a little more about your extraordinary journey?
April and I have both been into trekking for some time since we met in 2005. April took a bit of pushing at the start as she preferred high heels to hiking boots but she quickly got the bug! Three years ago we climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest free standing mountain in the world, which took us seven days.
We don't have any technical climbing skills but wanted to go as high as we could. We originally wanted to go to advanced base camp on Everest which is slightly further than Base Camp Everest, but you can only walk this from the Tibet side. The Tibet Visa system is more complicated than we anticipated so we decided to go through the Nepal route. This will involve a 15-day trek to Base Camp Everest while trying to ascend two peaks on the way.
What inspired you to undertake this amazing challenge in aid of SSBA?
We choose the SSBA as a friend from my work recently had a baby girl called Indie, who was born with Spina Bifida. I thought this would be a great cause as it was close to home and meant a bit more for the people I was collecting money from at our work. We wanted to collect money for charity as we regretted not doing it in the past for the Kiliminjaro trip.
We're both pretty fit already from going to the gym regularly and doing 10k runs but I have also been doing Mixed Martial Arts training for the past year, which is tremendous for fitness. I will also be working towards my first marathon this year, which means I will need to improve my fitness even more.
How demanding will this trek be? Is there any specific part that either concerns or excites you?
There is a little worry about the trek after doing Kilimanjaro. I suffered with altitude sickness from the second day until we descended. I had constant headaches, which painkillers had little effect on, and the whole thing got me down. April was not too bad with it until the summit day and she felt quite nauseous with it.
At the time I swore I would never do altitude again but you soon get over it and are ready for the next challenge. I am hoping with a longer ascent I will not suffer as much, but there is no training for altitude sickness and it can hit anyone at any time.
As for the positives, the scenery is going to be outstanding. I love taking photographs and Nepal will have some breathtaking views. We love our holidays, and we love sightseeing and discovering new experiences.
Is there anyone you would like to thank at this stage?
I would like to thank everyone for their kind donations so far. We have far exceeded what we thought we would get. Also my wife for giving me that little push into doing this!
Has Richard and April's story inspired you to take on a challenge of your own in aid of SSBA? Let us know if you have an idea - our fundraising team are here to offer you advice.
If you would like to donate you can do so by clicking HERE.
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