Stephen Brown's Alpine Challenge blog
18 September 2015
Stephen Brown, senior partner at Dodds Brown LLP, is over the half-way point on his 11 day Tour de Mont Blanc Alpine walk, aiming to raise £5,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society and for Syrian Refugees through UNICEF.
If you have not donated yet, donations can be made to support Stephen by visiting his justgiving page https://www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Brown38, or via text by texting: MTBC55 £10 to 70070.
The Tour de Mont Blanc is a 120 mile circumnavigation of the Alps’ highest peak, with more than 35,000 feet of ascent and descent. Staying in mountain refuges, walkers must carry all their kit with them for the entire hike.
Stephen is blogging about his experience on his justgiving page and on Dodds Brown LinkedIn company page, but if you have missed them, his comments are below.
Day 1. Completed with just over 10 miles walked. This isn't going to be a walk in the park, its hard work but at least I had my shorts on and it wasn't pouring down! Fabulous scenery. Thank you for your donations, they are really appreciated and motivating.
Day 2 and 3. Couldn't have been more different from the first day; we have gone from sunshine to needing waterproofs and extra layers as the cold wind whipped around us! We did a lot of walking up on day 1 and 2, day 3's challenge wasn't walking up but battling the weather. Stunning scenery.
Day 4. Oh boy does my body know it’s doing this! The last couple of days couldn't have been more different; we have gone from sunshine to needing waterproofs and extra layers as the cold wind whipped around us! We did a lot of walking up the first few of days, now its dealing with the elements. Our accommodation has ranged from very comfortable to a dormitory with 1 loo for 50 people. How we take life's luxuries for granted ... All your donations are gratefully received, please dig deep as I will as I walk up and around today's challenge.
Day 5, 6 & 7. The last couple of days have been interesting; we had been forced back down to the lowlands due to the weather only to find that the following day we are able to climb again to get back on track and because the weather improved! The going sometimes seems only upward and at quite a steep incline! The scenery is spectacular (when you can see) and we are meeting people from across the globe, all walking for different reasons.
The waterproofs have come in handy, as has the fleece! The refuge accommodation is an eye opener however the chat and the enthusiasm from other walkers is a good motivator.
Thank for the donations that have been coming in. I would be grateful to anyone who can spare just a few pounds to get the fund raising a little closer to its target. Here are the links, dig deep! Thank you.
Day 8. Monsoon weather, 3 hours of climbing, getting changed in an old barn into dry clothes, no lunch as refuge was closed, no pictures as camera buried in my bag to keep dry, those things not in a dry bag were soaked. There has been heavy rain and sleet for hours, driving into the back-pack and through all the layers. Mid-afternoon the sun came out and it was a complete contrast to the rest of the day. Challenging, exasperating, hard-work, my body aches but I wouldn't have missed this experience. And I'm still looking forward to tomorrow!
Day 9 & 10. The weekend is ahead of us as is the finishing line! The last leg is supposed to be the most beautiful. 5 hours of upward walking in a mixture of weather is promised. The legs are tired and I’ve hurt my ankle so will take it steady; looking forward to a great days walking and a beer at the end of it!
All donations are gratefully received, if you haven't dug deep just yet, here is a reminder of the links: http://www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Brown38 or by text to: MTBC55 £10 to 70070. Thank You.
Day 11. Last day of walking! The weather is glorious, we couldn't have asked for better. We gave ourselves the luxury of a late start today as we don't have far to walk. That said the legs have cramped up so need to take it steady. Final photo call too, loads of great memories.
Day 11 - Update. The last day was gruelling; it took 6 hours to descend what should have taken 3 because of the serious cramps in my legs! Overall we walked for 10 hours when we thought we had an "easy" day ahead of us! Aching from top to toe, glad to get back home and my own bed!. Last pictures of the trip but now I’ve got a taste for this, I am already thinking of what I can do next.....
Thank you again for your support and donations; just in-case you haven't had time yet to make a donation, here are the links again! http://www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Brown38 or by text to MTBC55 £10 to 70070