A COUPLE is set to scale over 5,000 metres to Everest Base Camp to fundraise for Irish Community Care in Merseyside.
Mount Everest in Nepal is the largest peak above sea level standing at 8,850 metres.
Emma Carruthers, a trustee for Irish Community Care, will leave Britain this Friday, April 21 with her husband James to trek up Everest to raise money for the 'vital' Irish service.
"Irish Community Care provides an amazing and really vital service across the whole of the North West of Britain," she told The Irish Post.
"They support people of Irish descent, the Irish Travelling community and the wider community as well, with core practical and emotional support to anyone struggling to maintain their mental wellbeing, those who are living with severe and enduring mental health issues, as well as improving the physical health and wellbeing of their clients.
"They also support people who want to return to live in Ireland - which can actually be practically difficult to do, as it's a massive decision and there's lots of issues around that as well.
"They do lots," she said. "The list is never ending really."
Emma and James will scale 5,000m to Everest Base Camp to raise money for Irish Community Care. (Picture: STR/AFP/Getty Images)As for their decision to climb Everest without any guides, Emma says she and her husband always wanted to go and decided to fundraise for ICC when she became a trustee.
"On the very same day I was welcomed onto the Board of Trustees of ICC, I asked them would it be ok with them if my husband James and I fundraised for them and embarked on our trip to Everest.
"My husband and I are really into trekking, walking - all that caper - so we thought it would a great opportunity to raise funds and the profile of ICC, to support the great work that they do.
"We've been training now for over nine months for this trip, we've been travelling and scaling mountains all across the UK and getting the miles in as well so we've done really long day walks as well.
"We've trained hard and we're ready to go now," she said.
The couple will leave from Manchester Airport this Friday, travelling to Kathmandu in Nepal.
Emma and James will raise the Irish Community Care flag once they reach the base camp at Everest. (Picture: ICC)From there, they will sort their trekking passes before flying into Lukla, the world's most dangerous airport because of its short runway, and then they will start their ascent.
"As soon as we touch that tarmac, we start our climb and ascend to base camp," Emma said.
The trek will take eight to 10 days to ascend, and seven days to come back down, and the couple will not be using a guide or a porter to carry their equipment.
"We spend a few days on our ascent up acclimatising in really remote areas, and we're trekking solo without the aid of a guide or porter, carrying all our own equipment, which weighs approximately 15kg which will feel three times as heavy at altitude," she says.
"Our ETA for basecamp is Tuesday, May 2, or Wednesday, May 3 when we're going to raise the Irish Community Care flag and take a picture," Emma added.
