Ellen and I (Lacy) had a meeting with a man named Marc Lambert from the UK who had contacted Seeds of Hope prior to his trip to Peru -- Marc had big plans for an expedition in the Cordillera Blanca.
This meeting happened to take place during Ellen's first week on-site at Seeds of Hope, my last month in Peru and days before Marc's expedition. An exciting time for all involved.
To provide a bit of background, Marc and I had been in brief email correspondence several months before his departure to Huaraz. Marc had explained his expedition plans as well as his intentions to set up a Just Giving page, a well known fundraising platform in Europe. His goal was to raise funds to benefit a local NGO in the region where he would be climbing - he selected Seeds of Hope as a recipient.
Back to the cozy couches at Cafe Andino where Marc humbly explained the successes of his fundraiser to Ellen and myself. When he disclosed the details of his efforts, I nearly tipped over Ellen's tea. We had no expectations for our meeting -- just excitement and gratitude for Marc.
At that point, Marc had raised £1440.10 and his employer agreed to match the total amount upon completion of his fundraiser.
This donation is more than a day maker for Seeds of Hope -- it is the type of donation that can fund an entire nutrition program and sustain said program for another year; a reoccurring goal for our organization. These fund will also provide health and welfare items for our students and go towards overhead fees to keep the school in operation.
Marc's expedition details:
It has been an unsettling climbing season in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. We were relieved to learn that Marc and his team had a successful expedition. Their initial plans to summit Huascaran were altered as the risk of avalanches were high. Other mountaineering teams in the region had advised Marc's team that they risked being tent bound -- waiting for the mountain to become safe to climb.
Their team decided to take the advice and avoid the risk on Huascaran. Therefore, they travelled slightly further along the range to the Ishinca Valley, where a whole new set of challenges would await.
After a long yet enjoyable trek into the valley, they set up base camp at Ishinca, at a height of 4,100m. This would be their home for the next 14 days. From Ishinca, the whole team successfully acclimatised by climbing Mt Urus Este, at a height of 5,420m (17782ft), followed by the stunning climb of Ishinca at 5,530m (18,143ft).
Marc's previous altitude record was 4,800m -- he admits that this was quite the learning experience, but a fantastic one nonetheless.
Once again, weather forced the team to retreat to base camp, preventing them from setting up a high camp at 5,200m, thus making their final climb of Tocllaraju even more of a challenge. They departed their camp at 1am, climbed up the glacier and onto the mountain where they were faced with some rather steep sections of rock, ice and the some most extreme temperatures they had ever experienced.
The team climbed fast and moved well, but with rapidly approaching sunrise, the summit push was blocked by a huge crevasse with only an old wooden ladder providing a way across (pictured below). The team decided it was too unsafe to navigate and were forced to turn around at 20,000ft. This was still an unbelievable effort from all involved and for Marc personally.
Marc explained that the experience was a physical and mental challenge that will never leave him. The team returned safely from the mountains equipped with wild stories to tell.
Marc and a friend found some time before the climb to visit the school at Seeds of Hope where they met some of the children and volunteers. Lambert said:
"It was great to see them all, and to see the fantastic work they do at Seeds. The support from the UK for my expedition was mind blowing, and I'm delighted that we have been able to raise the amount so far."We cannot thank Marc and his supporters enough for their generosity. We promise to share stories, photos and success stories as they relate to Marc's admirable efforts.
Muchas Gracias Marc from everyone at Seeds of Hope!
Write-up by Profesora Lacy
photos provided by Marc Lambert
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