Cody scales new heights for charity
Running along Perth’s Kokoda Track is a long way from Russia’s Mt Elbrus, but the steps here will help Melville man Cody Hudson on his way to conquering the 5642m dormant volcano next month.
The 25-year-old last year embarked on his 7 Summits Project, which will see him climb the highest peak in each continent over four years to raise $250,000 for children’s education in Nepal.
He came up with the idea while on a trek in Nepal.
“One thing I didn’t realise until I was there was the extreme poverty the people live in,” Mr Hudson said.
“So I decided then and there that I wanted to do something to help and so the 7 Summits Project came about.”
Mr Hudson has teamed up with Save the Children to provide the tools for education in Nepal and break the cycle of poverty.
“I think if we can build the infrastructure, provide the training for teachers and supply all the materials they need, that will help them more than anything else in the long term,” he said.
He believes the need to help has grown since the disastrous 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit in April.
The European summit will be Mr Hudson’s third after climbing Australia’s Mt Kosciuszko and Africa’s Mt Kilimanjaro.
“The hardest thing will be the cold. It’s going to get down to -25 degrees Celcius, which is a bit different to Perth weather,” he said.
He climbed his first mountain in Switzerland as a 20-year-old, but believes he gets his adventurous spirit from his late grandfather, who was a rescue guide on Mt Cook.
“It’s kind of a meditation for me, going out trekking. You get into your own little mindset and you have no distractions, so it’s really relaxing,” he said.
His grueling training regime has included going up and down Jacob’s Ladder 50 times in one go or running along the Kokoda trail carrying a 17kg backpack.
Mr Hudson will start the trek up Mt Elbrus on July 2, accompanied only by a guide, with the climb expected to take eight days.
You can follow his journey or donate at www.7summitsproject.com.
