John Wyllie

JOHN WYLLIE

Confronting a yak train on a rope bridge, some 100 metres above a gorge, in the Himalayas is not something you normally put on a retirement “bucket list”. A life of running, a passion for high places, and a friendship with a Nepalese neighbour resulted in just such a risky encounter in November 2019.

Exploding cliff faces, mesmeric scenery and temperature swings from minus 8 at night to the high 30s, in the midday sun, means that a trek to Everest Base Camp is like no other.

‘Grandad Does Everest Base Camp’ is the story of that trip and the longer journey of my life, from boarding school in Keswick, where an inspirational teacher set me on life`s course of a "fitness mentality."

A passion for the wilderness, in general, and high fells of Cumbria, in particular, remain as strong, today, as they were back in the schooldays of the 1960s. The daily training run for nearly 50 years has stood me in good stead…thus far!

My plan now is to return to Everest in 2023 when, in my 70s, I hope to make an attempt to reach the summit.

If you share my passions for fitness and the mountain passes, please do not hesitate to contact me and keep in touch via my Instagram account, “trekerjohn”.

Hope to see you at Ben Nevis in 2021!