After 18 hours, a North Vancouver man has done the improbable: completing an arduous trek up and down the Grouse Grind way too many times for a dear friend.
We spoke to John Gill last month about his plan to trek up and down the Grouse Grind 10 times carrying a 50-pound bag, all in honour of his late friend.
We got a little update from Gill, who said that the challenge is complete, but he’s a little worse for wear.
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A close friend of Gill’s, Namgya, passed away from cancer in Kathmandu, Nepal, last year. Earlier that year, Gill and Namgya climbed Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world.
Gill explained that before Namgya passed, he said his biggest fear was that his two daughters, Tashi and Yangkeela, wouldn’t be able to continue their education thanks to the high costs. So, Gill set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Namgya’s family, and thanks to his daring feat and the attention he received from it, he has surpassed his goal of $3,000.
He told Daily Hive,” The challenge is complete!!” but that his body felt it.
“I’m very sore and still struggling to walk around but so happy it’s done,” Gill said.
“It took 18 hours total and we’ve raised around $5,500, almost double my goal!”
Gill said he was taken aback by the generosity of complete strangers who donated or reached out after our first article.
“I know Namgya’s family really appreciates all the generosity, so a big thank you on their behalf, too.”
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