Epic Munro Mission To Honour 10th Anniversary Of War In Afghanistan Approaches Record Finish
Monday, September 12, 2011
This week will see the culmination of the DecAid Munro Mission: the 1,600 mile gruelling endurance experience of two impassioned students from the University of Exeter who aim to summit all 283 Scottish Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 ft) without motorized transport in just 49 days; the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 14 times in 7 consecutive weeks or the height of Big Ben + 1.5 miles every single hour for 49 days without a break.
Throughout the challenge, the team has been joined by bereaved families and friends of the fallen, as they dedicate each Munro to service men and women who have lost their lives in Afghanistan over the last ten years. Mr Adams, whose son Kyle died in Afghanistan in 2009, joined the team when they were in the Cairngorms and said “I really don’t have the words to describe how wonderful these young people are. I have such admiration for the enormity of their challenge.”
The team have been averaging at least 120 hour weeks meaning they are on the go for at least 17 hours a day. Their longest climb was 27 hours, along the Cuillin Ridge, summiting 11 Munros including ‘The Inaccessible Pinnacle’ - notorious as the most difficult of the Munros, requiring an arduous rock-climb and abseil to complete the ascent.
The Munro Mission is part of a year-long campaign organised by DecAid; the charity appeal which has been set up by people aged 25 and under to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan by donating all funds to the Service charities: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and The British Limbless Ex-Servicemen Association (BLESMA).
The Prime Minister David Cameron backs the DecAid campaign: “It is so important that, as a country, we fully recognise what our soldiers, sailors and airmen do on our behalf, the service they give to our country and the immense sacrifices they make every day of the week.”
DecAid receives further support from Michael Palin who “can think of no better cause to support than DecAid’s help for all those in the Armed Forces who’ve served in Afghanistan [over the last ten years], many of whom need help to rebuild their lives.”
Team member Alex Robinson (21), a third-year student at The University of Exeter, is set to become the youngest person ever to summit all 283 Munros in a single continuous attempt without motorised transport. His climbing partner, Tom O’Connell (24), also a student at the university and co-founder of DecAid: "This has been an incredible 6 weeks and by far the hardest thing I have put myself through physically and mentally but we have been completely overwhelmed by the huge amount of support and encouragement that we have received. Although we are now into the last week and the end is in sight there are still some very long days ahead. We will really have to push ourselves to the limit over the coming week in order to finish within 49 days but we are confident that this can be achieved."
