In 2007, British solider Jonathan La Galloudec was wounded in combat while serving in Iraq. The young man was hit in the spine by gunfire, and doctors told him that he would never walk again. Not taking no for an answer however, Jonathan continued to work hard, rehab from his injuries, and focused on getting his life back to normal. His hard work paid off, and while he remains partially paralyzed, he did learn to walk once more.Now, the former solider is making the trek to Everest Base Camp as part of an expedition to support the Help For Heroes organization, a non-proft dedicated to raising money to help servicemen and women who have suffered injuries in the line of duty. A few days back, Jonathan and his team began the trek, which will take him up to 5364 meters (17,600 ft.), the location of Base Camp on the world's tallest mountain. You can follow his progress by clicking here.
The expedition is sponsored by Energizer, who have pledged to donate £100,000 ($160,000) to the H4H organization, plus an addition £20,000 for reaching specific targets in Facebook likes. The overall goal is to raise £500,000 ($800,000) total. You can aid in that cause by going to the Everest Hero Diary page on Facebook and clicking the "Like" button.
According to the PR on this trek, since being wounded, Jonathan has struggled at times just to go for a walk in the rain, as the conditions made it difficult for him to get around. Considering that weather conditions in the Himalaya have been less than ideal lately, the young man could be having a rough go of it on this hike. Even in the best of conditions however, the trek can take its toll on those who aren't prepared. When I did it last year, I saw perfectly healthy people struggle with the altitude and steep climbs. Still, La Galloudec seems determined to reach his goal, and if everything goes as planned, he should be in EBC by November 22nd.
Learn more about Jonathan and this trek in the video below.
