Johnny's Journey Through the Himalayas for the USPCA
We were delighted to catch up with Johnny Doey who is taking on an incredible climbing challenge in the Himalayas! We asked him some questions about his upcoming trek and why raising money to support animal welfare was important to him.
What motivated you to take on this challenge and why did you choose to support the USPCA?
What motivated me was the challenge to push myself beyond my limits to test my physical and mental strength! After doing Basecamp 2 years ago and climbing Kilimanjaro I wanted to go beyond anything I have ever done before and I believe this will be my best climbing achievement yet!
I have been an animal lover my whole life and our dogs and cat are a massive part of our family life. We know the importance off the USPCA and the fantastic work they do to rescue animals and prevent suffering.
What type of training is aiding your preparation for the climb?
The training programme I am currently on involves loads of high intensity training in CFL (change for life) Gym, Kells. I've been doing lots of cardiovascular work including altitude training and mask work which will hopefully help my body acquire more blood cells to help the oxygen flow to muscles at high altitude and help with lung capacity.
Tell us about your journey! Which peaks are you planning to summit?
The expedition is 26 days in total. We will fly into Lukla (the most dangerous airport in the world) at 2800 meters and start our challenge. We will pass though the Himalayas, stopping overnight at various locations in teahouses on route to our first peak Lobuche East which is almost 6200 meters. All being well, we will be well acclimatised, stopping at certain altitudes for rest days to allow our body to suck in the thin air which hopefully will minimise altitude sickness on the climb to the summits. Then we make our way to Lobuche Basecamp and onwards to high camp where we will be sleeping in tents. Next we push forward to the summit which will be the biggest physical challenge as we will be using fixed ropes and ice hooks. This will take 13 days once it's accomplished and then we descend through the Himalayas to Mera Peak which is another 8 day trek. Mera Peak is 6500 meters (the same as lobuche) and we will climb to high camp then rest in our tents before pushing though the night to reach our final goal!
When all is accomplished we will make our final journey back to Lukla and catch our flight back to Kathmandu to start our journey back home!
What are you looking forward to most?
What am looking forward to the most , well the most important thing is getting the job done and returning home to my family safe and well is the main goal ! The whole experience off the local Nepalese culture is mind blowing, the mountains is what I love the most , walking though the himalayas is a gift that never stops giving every corner you walk around there is something else magical to see and the biggest excitement is the challenge off the ropes and ice hooks which I have never done before so this will be excitement ??
Are you feeling apprehensive about any part of the challenge?
That's a difficult question as I can say everything about it for me is an adrenaline rush! A well known world mountaineer Noel Hanna told me years ago, to 'go relax and enjoy'!
If you would like to donate in support of the incredible challenge that Johnny is taking on, you can donate via his JustGiving page.
