A WESTBURY man is preparing to complete a solo 112-mile trek across Everest in his kilt to raise money for the breast cancer charity, Coppafeel, next month.
Robert “Rab” Lundie, originally from Scotland, has plenty of experience completing tough expeditions in the past, having taken trips to Nepal six times with the military and also civilian groups, including in 2017, when a group of local residents joined him to complete the Westbury to Everest challenge.
This time, Rab, who is a major in the Royal Army Physical Training Corps based in Warminster, will complete a solo trek in the extreme cold and extreme weather dressed in a kilt, all to raise money for the charity Coppafeel, following his friend’s own experience with cancer.
He explained, “This solo trek is regarded by locals as the toughest trek in Nepal, the Everest High 3 Passes, due to most of the route being over 5,000m (16,500ft+), the high chances of serious altitude sickness, the extreme cold and weather at this altitude and the hardest part will be doing it alone and having no shoulder to cry on when the going gets extremely tough.
“I have been blessed with great health and a career that has allowed me to participate in, and/or lead many adventures to Nepal and across the world. I am at an age now where I have to take full advantage of my health, fitness and opportunities to adventure, so I wanted to challenge myself with a solo challenge across the high Himalayas.
“The distance and severe cold at extreme high altitude will absolutely challenge me mentally, physically and emotionally, and when the going gets tough, I’ll need to face the tough times and hardships alone.
“In addition to my personal challenge, I am going to hopefully raise much-needed funds for the amazing charity Coppafeel, which does amazing work in support of cancer awareness for young women and men by educating them on how to check their bodies. I have chosen this charity for an amazing friend, Cat, who faced her own extremely difficult battle recently. However, her fight, resilience and will to face cancer head-on was a true inspiration to all, especially me.
“Sadly, not everyone pulls through and we all, in some way, have been touched by cancer, so I’m combining my midlife crisis personal challenge with this amazing charity and hopefully we can all make a difference.
“This trek is normally done in three weeks, but I have two weeks to complete the first part, as I also aim to attempt a summit of Lobuche East at 6119m (20,075ft) in the third week. The more support on my journey the merrier. However, this is a remote region and connectivity is limited; therefore I will do my best to provide daily updates on my Facebook page.”
To donate to Rab’s efforts, visit https://shorturl.at/fiB79
To stay up to date with Rab’s journey, search The Kilted Climb For Cancer – Coppafeel on Facebook or visit https://shorturl.at/insD8
