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Blind Liverpool army veteran is taking on huge Five Peaks climb with his nine-year-old son
6 hours ago
Blind Liverpool army veteran Craig Lundberg is taking on a huge climbing challenge for charity with his nine-year-old son Max.
The 39-year-old, who lost his sight when he was hit by rocket-propelled grenades while serving in Iraq, will tackle the Five Peaks with Max next month.
They’re planning to climb the peaks in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland over five consecutive days between July 4 and July 8.
In total the dad and lad pair, accompanied by friends who will support them as guide and driver, aim to complete around 16,000ft – just 1,000ft less than Everest base camp.
Craig says the idea for the challenge, which will raise money for Liverpool-based domestic abuse charity Centre 56, actually came from Max.
He explains:
“A couple of years ago I did Hadrian’s Wall with my oldest son Ben when he was nine to raise money for Alder Hey. When Max turned nine he asked me what we were going to do. He said he wanted to do Hadrian’s Wall too, but I didn’t want it to turn into a competition between two brothers, and I wanted them to have different experiences to talk about.
“I suggested the Three Peaks and he said yes, then when I was looking into it I saw the Five Peaks. I haven’t done the two in Ireland before, so I thought it would be a nice thing to do and he’ll definitely be one of the youngest ever to complete it.”
Along with friends Callum and Debbie Edge, they will travel to Ben Nevis on July 3, start the climb on July 4 which is Craig’s 40th birthday, then head to Scarfell Pike in the Lake District on July 5. From there it’s on to Snowdon in North Wales on July 6, then to Holyhead and over to Ireland.
They’ll drive up to Northern Ireland for Slieve Donard on July 7 and finally down to the Republic of Ireland to finish off with Carrauntoohil on July 8.
Craig, who lives with partner Nicola in Mossley Hill, is totally blind so Callum will be his guide on each of the peaks.
He said:
“Callum and Debbie have got a camper van so we’re going to be camping on the mountains so we can get up and get straight onto the climbs. Callum will come with us, and Debbie will be getting us from A to B and making sure we’re fed, so they’re a crucial part of our adventure.
“Callum and I have done quite a few other challenges together, including cycling Land’s End to John O’Groats and the Mallorca 312 ride, so we’re pretty much attuned to each other.
“Obviously I can’t see where my feet are, I’m holding on to the guide and feeling where his feet are going. He’s in front of me, I’ve got a hand on his backpack and we just communicate. When it comes to a tricky point, like a massive step down, he’ll say ‘sit on your bum’ or he’ll tell me which foot to lead with or where a good perch is to move my feet to.
“Going up isn’t too bad, it’s always coming down and jumping over the tributaries that are worse.”
Having previously climbed Kilimanjaro and Mount McKinley in Alaska, Craig is no novice, and he’s been training regularly with Max.
“He plays football and swims so he’s already pretty fit and we’ve done Park Run and I’ve had him on treadmill,” says Craig. “We walked the Sandstone Trail in Cheshire, 34 miles in two days, and we did a training weekend which was 37 miles in 4 days and about 12,000 feet of elevation.
“It’s as much to prepare him mentally as physically because just the hours of walking takes some getting used to.”
Once Craig and Max have completed their challenge, he still has the prospect of a third one with daughter Sofia when she’s nine in two years.
“We’ve done charity walks since she was about five but she’s a good swimmer, so she’s said she’d like to do that,” he says. “When the time comes I don’t know what she’s going to want to do but I leave it up to them, see what their interests are and as long as it’s challenging enough then I’ll say yes.”
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