THE Kerry Four Peaks Challenge has come and gone for another year with last weekend seeing 17 local and non-local climbers take on the toughest peaks that the Kingdom has to offer over a gruelling two day period.
The climbs were more than just a physical challenge for those taking part, they were also part of a larger fundraising campaign by the group as they looked to raise some much needed funds for the ‘Kerry Hospice Foundation’.
It has proven to be a huge success with climbers having so far raised a huge €2,000 for the hospice, with more donations expected to to come in during the next few days and weeks.
Kevin Maguire was one of the main organisers behind the trek, which saw the group make the arduous climb up Carrauntuohil, Mt Brandon, Purple Mountain and Cahir Mountain.
“It was very good now,” said Kevin, talking recently to TraleeToday.ie. “We started off last Friday morning at about 7.30am and we went up Carrauntuohil first. There was about 17 of us, there were people from Dublin, Wexford, Limerick, Tipperary, all over the country really. We had someone who came over from America as well,” he continued.
“The weather was mixed on the way up [Carrauntuohil] but it cleared when we got to the top which was very nice, and after that we headed up Purple Mountain, just on the Gap of Dunloe. We had lovely weather for that too as well, it was beautiful.”
“We had an early start again on the Saturday morning as we headed up Cahir Mountain, and we were very tired at this point. Then after this, we headed over to Mount Brandon where an extra 12 people met us there. We had a few well earned pints then after all of it on Saturday evening I’ll tell you,” Kevin laughed.
Well earned indeed after four difficult climbs, but the climbers can rest up now and start planning for next year’s event, it’s only 51 weeks away after all.
Scroll down to see some photos from the weekend…
