| Sponsors Jack Wolfskin Store Grasmere are kitting out Kayleigh |
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WELL DONE, KAYLEIGH! CONGRATULATIONS FROM ALL AT WOLF-PAW.COM.  On top of the world The Jack Wolfskin Store Grasmere helped to kit out Kayleigh, an 11 year old, in her bid to climb Ben Nevis to raise money for two charities especially close to her heart - The Albinism Fellowship and Guide Dogs for The Blind. As outdoor enthusiasts, we all know how important our kit is in these situations, so we supplied Kayleigh with some of the necessary gear to keep her warm and dry for the ascent. Kayleigh herself has ocular-cutaneous albinism, with progressively failing vision and super-sensitivity of both eyes and skin to sunlight. The gift of various aids ( provided through fund-raising) to help at home and at school, prompted Kayleigh to embark on a campaign of her own to raise a total of £5000 to go to her chosen charities and help others like herself. Fund-raising began back in January and the high point - in many ways - has been her trek up Ben Nevis, guided by Dad & Uncle Joe. The Big Day After the months of training on the local fells with her family and friends, the BIG DAY finally came around and the party set off at 7.15am from the Youth Hostel in Glen Nevis. On the early stretches the path varied in gradient and texture, some more easy than others for someone like Kayleigh. Nearing the half-way point the path became very rocky, slippy and hard to negociate.  The half-way point "The half-way point was a waterfall which you had to cross with no bridge, but there were stepping stones. Then we got on to the zig-zag path which went up steadily all the way to the top. At about 3500ft we got into the snow line, the higher we climbed the deeper the snow got. At this point here was a heavy snow shower that lasted about half an hour. Just before the summit plateau there was quite a steep snow slope that was about 20m high. My Uncle Joe had to dig footsteps for me because I was slipping backwards. After that it was just a gradual climb to the summit."
Kayleigh says that they reached the summit around 12 noon, had a photo opportunity, took onboard some vital rations and made their way back down. She admits to being tired afterwards, but all that training obviously paid off, as she wasn't stiff the next day! The kit worked well - Kayleigh carried her own rucksack with 3litres of water and all her equipment and found the carry comfortable. Temperatures at the summit were well below those expected, below zero, with quite a wind chill, so some extra kit came into play. Kayleigh's parents are justifiably proud of their daughter's achievement and she has well exceeded her target of £5000.!
The Final Total WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT FOR KAYLEIGH This grand total has been split equally between Kayleigh's two chosen charities. Meanwhile, Kayleigh herself has received a Princess Diana memorial Award for which she was nominated by The Lakes School; some recognition for all her effort in achieving - and exceeding - her goal.
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