Summiting Mental Health

"I CLIMB MOUNTAINS BECAUSE THEY REMIND ME THAT THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL, AND SO AM I"

My mission is to climb challenging mountains and trek tough trails to raise funds and awareness for mental health. I am fundraising for Beyond Blue, an Australian independent non-profit organisation which provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health.

Unfortunately 3 million Australians are currently suffering from mental health issues and need support. This is why I will be dedicating my future climbs around the world to help others that are still fighting their fight to raise awareness of how serious mental health is, as over 65,000 people attempt suicide each year.

Fundraising for this cause is extremely important to me as I have fought my own battles along the way, and witnessed many of my family members, work colleagues and closest friends fight demons in which they often keep a secret, with some losing their lives, and leaving many of us wondering what more we could have done to help them; so here I am.

I enjoy pushing myself and raising my goals higher each time one is achieved, therefore I will be self funding a trip to Nepal in November this year to attempt a mountain in the Himalayas called Island Peak; with the peak sitting at a whopping 6,189m.
This strenuous climb will require me to hike up to Everest Base Camp 5,364m as part of my acclimatisation process and I will then continue onwards and upwards to Island Peak base camp where I will be camping in a tent in freezing temperatures and using crampons, a harness and an ice axe to cross glaciers and crevasses in high altitude to hopefully lead me successfully to the summit on my 29th birthday.

In future, I will continue climbing more mountains and fighting mental health; these climbs are dedicated to my fellow fighters and the ones we have lost.

Previous mountain/trail adventures:
Banff national park
Volcano Acatenango, Guatemala 3,976m
Mt Sinai, Egypt 2,285m
Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa 5,895m
Mt Elbrus, Russia 5,642m
Laugavegur trail, Iceland

@summitingmh

#summitingmentalhealth