Godmanchester pub landlord and friend reach Everest base camp
Paul Dyer and Phillip Malley at Everest Base Camp - Credit: Archant
A CONVERSATION over a pint resulted in two pals embarking on a mammoth mission up the world’s tallest mountain.
Paul Dyer, landlord of the Exhibition in Godmanchester, and estate agent Phillip Malley, a partner with Gatehouse Estates, raised nearly £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support with their trek to Mount Everest Base Camp.
The pair set off for Kathmandu, Nepal, last month before a short flight to Lukla, known as one of the scariest airports in the world due to being perched on the side of a mountain.
Their route covered 60 miles, which at altitude proved tough going. “It was harder work than I had expected,” said Mr Malley, aged 36.
“What I did not fully appreciate with the trek, is there was an awful lot of up and down. One day we only walked 10 miles but it took six hours.
“We had done a lot of training but there’s no substitute for not being able to breathe at altitude.”
It took seven days to reach the base camp and, although the weather was largely kind to them, they encountered freezing temperatures, particularly at night.
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Mr Malley added: “The day after arriving at base camp we were up at 4.30am in the dark to climb a peak called Kala Patthar and watched the sunrise over Everest.
“With the wind chill it must have been -30 [degrees Celsius]. I took my gloves off to take a picture but then thought better of it.”
Mr Dyer said money was still coming in and they hoped to exceed £3,000 for Macmillan, his pub’s chosen charity.
Other fundraisers will be held throughout the year. “Most years we have done £8,000 but I’m hoping we can hit £10,000 this year,” added Mr Dyer.
