Sons of charity
Epic bike odyssey
A Stirling motorcycle enthusiast has completed a four- month charity trip from South to North America, raising thousands of pounds for Deafblind Scotland.
After months in the saddle Wilson Hutchison finished his “Long Way Up” Pan American challenge with friends Raymond Danton, from Sydney, Australia, and Steve Mason, from Lenzie.
Their challenge was brought to an abrupt end when flood waters stopped them in their tracks just seven hours from their original final destination, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
However, while the final leg of their journey proved impossible, the trio covered 24,000 miles over the course of the trip, from Tierra Del Fuego in Southern Argentina to Coldfoot, Alaska.
Since departing from Glasgow on February 2, Wilson Hutchison and his friends have travelled through 15 countries on their motorbikes. Wilson and Raymond each opted to ride a 2014 BMW R1200GS Adventure, while Steve rode his 2009 BMW R1200GS SE.
As teenagers, the riders were avid bike enthusiasts. All three have worked in the corporate world since leaving school and are now in their 50s but it was a reunion in 2013 which gave rise to their big plans for the adventure of a lifetime.
The trio chose to use their journey to raise much-needed funds for Deafblind Scotland’s “Field of Dreams” project. This will provide a purpose- built centre of excellence for more than 1000 deafblind people from across Scotland. So far they have raised £5,700.
Wilson said: “We really appreciate the very kind contributions so many people have made to the Deafblind Scotland charity which has been at the heart of our adventure.
“What a journey it has been. I feel extremely proud and lucky to have been part of this amazing adventure with Raymond and Steve.”