Director of Operations Andy Thomson Completes 10 Peak Challenge.

If you have kept up with the news of MSL recently you will know that Andy Thomson, and Darren Pitt were involved in our MSL Mudders challenge, running, jogging, sliding and overcoming obstacle for 12 miles of gruelling terrain. Check more info here.

As if being covered from head to toe in mud was not enough for our illustrious director and engineer, Andy & Darren decided to undertake a further challenge. 20.1 miles of more gruelling terrain which finally rendered Andy’s knees useless, all money raised was for Crohns & Colitis UK.

Read on below for a great write up:

Perhaps as you were basking in the glory of Super Saturday or Sensational
Sunday, you clean forgot that, this weekend, an even greater Olympian challenge
was being executed with quiet determination in what turned out to be the dark
and satanic hills of the Lake District. Owing to sickness, family illness and
outright fear, our numbers were reduced to just nine plus our trusty guide, Nev.

Our illustrious driver, Audreas, deposited us at Buttermere in time to begin our
walk at a gloomy 7am on Saturday morning. For those of you interested in the
detail, we climbed Red Pike, High Stile, High Crag, Haystacks, Green Gable,
Great Gable, Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Great End, Esk Pike and Bowfell. For those
of you who are observant that makes 11 peaks, not 10 peaks! We were advised that we
were taking on a 17 mile trek but the GPS trail actually logs 20.1 miles,
probably because of the amount of zigzagging required on some of the ascents and
the length of the walkout to our bunk barn in Langdale. Therefore we feel that
the 13 hours 20 minutes logged for the walk by the first three to reach the bar
is a very reasonable time (in fact so was the 14 hours 30 mins logged by our last
man in, Tommo, whose badly swollen knees required emergency medical attention in
the form of several pints of beer after 8300 feet of vertical ascent).

You can take a look at the complete route taken here:

10-Peak-Challenge-Track

To show you just how much we put ourselves through, particularly those team
members who did not bring waterproof trousers, I attach pictures: before the
start at Buttermere (07.00); on top of summit 1, Red Pike in the mist (08.27);
on top of summit 6 (formerly 5), Green Gable (12.15) in the rain and on the
final summit, Bow Fell (18.37)…yes it took us until 20.20 to get down from
there for our pint. For those of you who require timed photographic evidence of
our reaching every summit, before you make your generous donations to our noble
cause, these can be supplied!

I’m pleased to say that yesterday we reached our target of £2000 but if you have
not already donated and feel that our travails merit a donation to the very
worthy cause of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, then please follow the link below.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/DESIGN-DISPLAY

Thanks to all of you who have already donated, it is much appreciated.

And some photographs of all involved.

collage