Monday 5 July 2010

Stupid tortoises

By the time you read this, I will be dead.

Well, I won’t, but I always wanted to say that. Then again, if you are reading this for the first time sometime around 2060 I very well could be. Anyway, by the time you read this I will be on my knees under a back pack as heavy as myself and twice as big.

Today starts Hadrian’s Walk, where I will join the rest of the Dan Hughes cult in an attempt to walk across England.

It hit me yesterday how utterly stupid a man I am. I’m not fit, I’m not sporty, and I’m not entirely sure I’m in full possession of all my senses. Everything I am going to need for the next week is on my back. Unless you are a camel or a tortoise, that cannot be a good thing.

I don’t want to go, so why the idiocy? Why the happy-ending-less self abuse? Why leave my two ladies behind for a week?

It makes a difference, that’s why. Everyone that is going is each making a small difference, and as any good mathematician or corrupt banker will tell you, lots of small differences make a big difference.

It makes a big difference to families who have lost children. It helps them in a practical way when their worlds are at their lowest point. Every one of you who have donated, every one of you who has promoted the walk and the trust on blogs, twitter and facebook, every one of you who has encouraged the walkers as they prepare and fundraise, every one of you have helped us make those small differences.

Through this site you’ve raised just over £600, this is more than I expected, and I am grateful and delighted. Overall, the fundraising is currently at over £17,000 of the £20,000 target.

So this is, in effect, the last call to arms before I lose my legs, £600 is brilliant, but wouldn’t £650 be even better? If you find that you can help, please do so here.

It’s help we all hope we will never need, but some do.


8 comments:

River said...

You can do it xbox. Have faith. I have faith in you. Can you smuggle a few of your supplies into someone else's backpack? Then pretend ignorance of how they got there of course. Or you could leave half of it behind, just wear the same clothes for the whole trip....and beg food off everyone else....

Edith said...

We believe in you!!
..........................


You crazy fool! ;)

geeks in rome said...

best o' luck man. Don't wear new shoes or hiking boots. Best to just wear the shoes you walk in everyday. That is your best guarantee vs. blisters.

take lots of pix!!

darcie said...

you are right - all the little differences add up to making a big huge difference!
so proud of you guys - ALL of you!
You are going to do GREAT!
xoxo

Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] said...

I'm looking up plane tickets to come to your funeral. I hope I don't have to hit "purchase."

mammydiaries said...

Best of Luck, you're doing a wonderful thing. x

Unknown said...

Oh for goodness sake, its just a bit of a stroll in the country. Thats what happens when you live in a place where the nearest to a hill is your doorstep!

If its any consolation, the bigger the challenge the better the feeling or so so they say (ish)

Jeannette said...

Well done you made it(even if I did give you a bit of a fright in the pub!). Good to meet you today, safe journey home tomorrow and give your "girls" a big cuddle.