Five peaks in 5 days; $9000 raised
Eight keen South Canterbury residents have hiked the equivalent of Mt Everest 1.5 times, raising more than $9000 for mental health services.
Willie Stone, Steve Anderson, Josh Drummond, Rymi Sakimura, Becky Talbot, brothers Andrew and Hamish Norton, and Hamish Race completed back-to-back treks of Avalanche Peak (Arthur’s Pass), Alex Knob (Franz Josef), Dragonfly Peak (Wanaka), Ben Lomond (Queenstown), and Mt Ollivier in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park in five days, finishing on Tuesday.
‘‘It’s been amazing watching everyone grow and absolutely push themselves to the limit,’’ Stone said.
‘‘We’re all extremely proud of each other and what we’ve achieved, raising more money than we hoped for.’’
More than 30 people joined the group at the bottom of the final peak, all making it to Mueller Hut, a half-hour walk from the summit of Mt Ollivier. About seven made it to the top with them, including a 13-yearold boy who left his father and brother behind to conquer the last leg.
‘‘I’m extremely proud of the whole group and I’m just humbled by the support,’’ Stone said.
The hardest hike, Dragonfly Peak, took 14 hours total, he said.
‘‘The group just pushed so hard that day that when we came off that one, we were just so much stronger.
‘‘We got to the top and eight keas flew up to meet us. It was unreal.’’