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Steve's 'Wainright Fells' Challenge |
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Steve raises £2178 to be shared between ME North East and The British Heart Foundation! Once again we express our thanks and congratulations to Steve on his remarkable achievement. Enjoy reading the regular updates he sent to Focus as he progressed. Summer 2005 It was back in 2002 that I first had the idea of raising money for ME North East by attempting to climb within one year all 214 fells listed by Wainright in his series “The Lakeland Fells”. Three years, an angioplasty (for heart disease) and a prostatectomy (for cancer) later, I was finally ready to go, on April 1st of all dates! I rang my daughter to tell her I was at that moment climbing Great Cockup, she thought it was an April Fool! Perhaps she has a point and I’m really pushing my luck, but no - Great Cockup is now in the bag. At the end of April and after two long weekends in the lakes, both blessed with good weather, I have 35 fells under my belt, which leaves me just 179 to go! I calculate that so far I've covered 83 miles and climbed 22,600 feet - almost the height of Everest - and apart from aching legs for a week after each trip, I’ve had no ill effects and have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. Will it last? Will the weather continue to be kind? Or will Great Cockup get its revenge? Next instalment in the next issue of this newsletter. Steve Larkin We are indebted to Steve for such a courageous attempt. To fight back from not just one but two major health problems is an achievement in itself - to take up the challenge to complete this mammoth task is commendable. Autumn 2005 When last in touch at the end of April, I had climbed 35 of the Lakeland fells, leaving 179 to complete my challenge for M.E. North-East and the British Heart Foundation. Now it's mid-August and I have 110 fells behind me. At least half of these I had never set foot on before, so there have been plenty of new experiences, most of them enjoyable, a few slightly nerve-racking. The worst by far was driving up the Hardknott Pass - I really don't recommend it! I've made the usual navigational errors, most spectacularly when I couldn't find Armboth Fell. How, you may well ask, do you lose a fell? Let's just say that my map-reading skills leave something to be desired! Anyway, I've managed to locate 110 fells so far, walking 328 miles and climbing almost 85,000 feet in the process. And most important of all, I'm looking forward to the remaining 104. Steve Larkin
Winter 2005 In my last update of mid-August I had climbed 110 fells leaving 104 to go. Now it is mid-November and I've managed 158 fells so I am almost three-quarters of the way through. I have been amazingly lucky with the weather though of course that may all change over the winter months (my deadline is March 31st 2006). I think the highlight this time has been fitting in four fells whilst watching the World Masters Fell-running Championships which were taking place on Lonscale Fell and Skiddaw - talk about inspirational. The best for scenery have been two stunning walks out of Wasdale in glorious weather. The worst, by a long way, was a walk from Troutbeck when the mist never lifted all day and, though I climbed three fells I never saw a thing! In each case it required detective work with map and guide-book to establish that where I was standing was indeed on top of a fell! I've also been busy fund-raising, mostly in my own village, where the response has been fantastic. I'm hoping to raise a substantial amount for both ME North-East and the British Heart Foundation - but first there's this little matter of 56 fells to climb! Steve Larkin Steve you’re a star!! We all wish you success on the last leg of your journey. May the weather be kind and the scenery uplifting to help you reach your goal. Spring 2006 Here is my almost final report. In my last update of mid-November I had climbed 158 fells and had 56 to go. Now it is the end of February and I have just one fell left, Blencathra, which from the outset I have been saving as the final fell. The plan is to go and climb it some time in the first half of March (March 31st is the deadline for the whole exercise to be completed) and then to celebrate with my wife Jen, an ME sufferer who these days needs a wheelchair to get about outside. We'll probably take a walk alongside Derwentwater and then open the bubbly! The whole exercise has been a fantastic experience. In a rough and ready way I calculate I've walked 630 miles and climbed 169,000 feet (Everest is 29,000). I've learned a lot about myself during the process and am certainly a lot fitter than I was this time last year. I've also been to a lot of places I'd never seen before - just over half the fells were completely new to me. So it's Blencathra in a fortnight's time, after which I must try and persuade the hundred or so people who have sponsored me to part with the money they promised twelve months ago! Steve Larkin With just Blencathra to go I feel we can say with confidence a huge WELL DONE to Steve. What a fantastic achievement. At ME North East we’re very proud of him and hope he and Jen enjoyed the bubbly. Sorry to hear Jen is continuing to battle against ME and hope the change in seasons and (hopefully) increased sunshine will help. Gathering in the dosh is also a daunting task (although difficult to measure against 630 miles and 169,000 feet). We’re sure your sponsors will be suitable impressed - we certainly are! Summer 2006 The last challenge, but not the least – I made my one remaining climb “Blencathra” in Mid-March in snow and ice, by far the worst conditions of the entire exercise. Sadly Jen’s ME wouldn’t allow her to travel to the lakes with me, but with a couple of friends for company my challenge is now complete. My quest made it to the local Press and we calculated in total I had journeyed 630 miles and 169,000 feet. What an amazing achievement. Steve had planned to undertake this challenge some 3 years ago, but angina and a cancer problem held him back. To overcome both serious personal challenges and then go on to successfully complete all 214 climbs within the timescale of one year shows this man has true grit. We think you’re amazing – thanks a million. Steve Larkin raised £2178 in total, shared between ME North East and the British Heart Foundation. Once again we express our thanks and congratulations to Steve on his remarkable achievement.
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