Irwin Holmes

Irwin is a relatively experienced walker and has been trekking througout the world for a number of years now. He writes:-

"Since some tentative steps were taken on Trostan (co Antrim Hills) many years ago my walking has taken me much further afield to some of the world’s most visually stunning locations. I have had the privilege of trekking the Inca trail in Peru, on the high Atlas Mountains in Morocco and in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas in Nepal. Closer to home I have walked the 100 mile West Highland Way, the 84 mile Wicklow Way not to mention a few hair raising climbs in the Austrian Alps.

It's hard to beat Camping at 12,000 ft in the Andes with 22,000 ft snow capped mountains around you or the views from the 15,000ft ‘Jebel McGoun’ the second highest mountain in North Africa. The Annapurna range and stunning views of Machhapuchhare (6993 m) viewed from 'Poon Hill' at sunrise was something else.

Scary moments
Fear and trepidation can be part of the buzz, pushing yourself when the going gets tough but there can be singularly scary moments, such as the time on the Annapurna trek when we came in contact with Maoist terrorists. I was next in line behind the guide complete with head torch in pitch darkness. We turned a corner and I was suddenly standing face to face with a young man holding a rifle. It turned out that he was on guard duty in case government forces would come.

Destination Kilimanjaro for autumn 2008
This is my big chance to fulfil a cherished ambition and at the same time do something really worthwhile. Most importantly I want to raise money for BCFC school in Kitale in Kenya. The connection with the school began several years ago when my daughter Hannah’s teacher went out as a missionary teacher to the tiny school. Then last year my other daughter Sara volunteered to go out as part of a group to help paint the school and I felt that I could help further by raising some funds."