Walking out on a good job with nothing better lined up is perhaps a foolhardy undertaking, and certainly not something to do too often or without due consideration, especially when corporate belts are being tightened around the world.
To soften the blow of such foolhardiness, I am taking some time off to enjoy the outdoors and catch up with friends and family in the UK. A summer holiday, of sorts, of the kind of duration that kids take for granted and working adults wish to god they could get themselves. Nevertheless, I am hoping to make a bit more out of my few months off than just camping and hanging out in the sun (/rain), before the CV gets brushed up. This seems like an ideal opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and undertake a suitably challenging adventure, before settling comfortably into middle age, safe in the knowledge I have done something properly scary and difficult in the great outdoors.
My current plan is to cycle from London to Chamonix, leaving in a few weeks in late August, and then, after a training course near Mont Blanc, to climb the Matterhorn in Switzerland with a guide.
Some thanks for the idea is due to the legendary Swedish climber Goran Kropp, who achieved far more than my planned modest jaunt across Europe. His escapade was to cycle solo from Sweden to Everest base-camp, then solo climbed Everest, without all the usual Sherpa crowd to carry all the gear, then cycled home again. A true legend! My adventure is significantly more modest in scope and not entirely solo, but nevertheless, hopefully with a noble aim. For those who don’t know the Alps very well, the Matterhorn is the picture on many Swiss products, including, as those of you with a sweet tooth will know: Toblerone chocolate. The mountain is something of a rite of passage for would-be mountaineers, being sufficiently difficult that it cannot just be plodded up by the inexperienced, but not so technical as to be beyond the average punter with a reasonable level of outdoors experience: albeit with some hard training and an appropriate level of respect for the mountain. I.e. someone like me. Its also one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and I have long thought of climbing it one day.
I hope to raise some money for charity in doing this challenge, and who knows, if donations are sufficient, perhaps I can be persuaded to cycle back to the UK as well, on the return journey. Currently, unlike my swedish hero, I am planning to catch the train home after the climb.
The satisfaction of arriving in the Alps under my own steam, after a week on the road, is something I am looking forward to as much as the mountaineering, and on this tour de france there will be no doping scandals. I’m sure some local cheese and wine will definitely feature though, and help smooth the cogs, so to speak.
I hope to provide some entertainment during this mini-adventure in the form of blog updates, photos and the occasional video to you all, which is free for the taking. For those who are able though, I hope to persuade you to part with some of your hard-earned cash for some worthwhile charitable causes, for which more details will follow in due course.
The bike beckons, have a good weekend.
James
“It is not the mountain that we conquer but ourselves”
Edmund Hillary
