Intrepid accountant raises thousands of pounds in honour of his late brother with Mount Everest base camp trek
An intrepid accountant had a 50th birthday with a difference – trekking to Mount Everest base camp to raise more than £3,700 in honour of his late brother.
Alex Howes, who works for the Clinical Research Network West Midlands (CRN WM), hosted by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, walked 130 kilometres to south base camp in Nepal and back.
In doing so, he reached a height of 5,364 metres – nearly three and a half miles.
He was raising money after his eldest brother Stuart died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 53, on September 6, 2021.
Having previously scaled 5,800 metres to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, last August when he raised £4,200, Alex is used to challenging walks, but admitted this 11-day trek topped them.
“The summit at Kilimanjaro was the hardest physical thing in my life – however, Everest base camp was harder,” said Alex, who lives in Stoke-on-Trent.
“It wasn’t as wintry or as snowy as I expected, although there was thick ice at the camp. It was eight days uphill but coming down was worse because it was really steep, and because I’d been walking for so long.”
Most mornings he would start walking at 8am but on two days he began at 6am and he would walk anything from eight to 14 hours a day.
Days three and six were ‘rest’ days when he acclimatised, which still involved walking for four hours.
Other challenges included avoiding eating meat, due to health and safety concerns, while it was so cold at night that a glass of water next to Alex’s bed froze.
“My birthday fell on one of the rest days and the ‘tea house’ (hotel) where we stayed the night provided me with a cake,” added Alex, who turned 50 on February 16.
“At night the weather was so cold. The altitude of the highest hotel was 5,200 metres and that was when my water froze.
"The air was so thin that I’d wake up gasping for breath and you’d be tired even bending down to tie your shoelaces.”
As if those challenges weren’t enough, Alex also had to watch out for the resident yaks (ox-like mammal), which have been known to literally boot walkers off the path.
Alex’s achievements are even more remarkable after he was partly paralysed at the age of 19, following a road accident.
A fall saw Alex land on the left hand side of his head, resulting in him being totally paralysed down the right hand side of his body.
He spent nearly 12 months in hospital, also receiving speech therapy and occupational health.
Half of the money – £1,852.50 – will go to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS (RWT) Charity to be spent at the Heart and Lung Centre at New Cross Hospital, while the other half will go to the British Heart Foundation.
Amanda Winwood, RWT charity development manager, said: “Alex chose an unusual way to celebrate his 50th birthday but his walk showed how dedicated he is to raise money in honour of his late brother Stuart.
“This outstanding contribution will provide much-needed funds to support patients at our Heart and Lung Centre and we’re very grateful for his efforts.”
People can still donate to Alex’s fundraiser at sponsorme.charitiestrust.org/event/955c7691-4b8b-4fe4-90ec-233b30651a1c
