AN intrepid walker has just completed his third Herculean challenge, for the love of his dad.
Patrick Davies hiked 1,155km (717 miles) from Strasbourg to the Mediterranean to help fund a cure for dementia.
The gruelling trek was inspired by his dad, Roy, who was diagnosed with Alzheimers six years ago.
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Crossing the Vosges and Jura mountains and then the mighty Alps was the equivalent of scaling Ben Nevis - 33 times!
Patrick, 55, who grew up in Mobberley, said: “The walk was wonderful and probably the most challenging thing I’ve done.
“It felt harder than the Pyrenees last year.”
Last autumn, he trudged through snow and scaled treacherous mountains from Biarritz to Barcelona.
In 2021, he walked 1,400 miles around Britain.
So far, he has raised a total of £45,326 for Alzheimer’s Research UK, the latest one reached £6,482, with gift aid.
To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Patrick-davies11
“Dementia is an unforgiving disease,” said Patrick.
“There’s currently no cure.
“A couple of medical breakthroughs each year give hope that the disease will eventually be treatable or even cured.
"But there’s a long way to go.”
His dad was taken into hospital just as he started his trek and is now in full-time care.
“Happily, dad seems to be settling in well and the care home is nice, only five minutes’ drive away from mum,” said Patrick, who came home to support his family after a 25-year career in the Foreign Office.
“Having seen the disease close up, we need to do everything we can to fight back and stop it destroying so many lives.”
Patrick battled the elements, walking up to 33 miles one day, to reach his goal.
With painstaking precision, he planned every aspect of his solo mission with meticulous care.
To keep on track, he used the French equivalent of OS maps on his phone and mapped the route in advance every day using GPS.
The expedition took him to precarious spots.
“I had walking poles, which are essential in the mountains,” said Patrick.
“They saved me from a few slips on wet rocks and scree.
“I’m also more cautious when on my own.
“Although I’m normally a fast walker, I take tricky sections more slowly than I would if I was walking with other people, just to minimise the risk of an accident.
“You can’t eliminate every risk. But in the Alps, it wouldn’t be more than a few hours until other walkers found you, if you had an accident.
"Well, that's what I tell myself anyway!"
He slept in a tent and stayed in mountain refuges or privately owned hostels for walkers.
Patrick explained how he ate and washed clothes during the 41-day marathon.
“Both the refuges and gites offer evening meals which helps with carrying less weight, particularly when there aren’t any shops,” he said.
“When I camped, I had a small gas stove to cook food.
“I’d wash underwear every day and other clothes fairly frequently too.
“As I tended to arrive in my destination mid-afternoon, having started walking between 7am and 8am, whatever I’d washed would usually dry out overnight.
“If not, I’d hang the items from my backpack the next day.”
This formidable trekker is not giving up any time soon.
“I’m already thinking about what my next challenge might be!”
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