He’s tackled fires most of his life and trekked to the very top of Africa — now Trevor Johnson is getting set to take on the “big one.”
In aid of a very special cause, Richmond Fire-Rescue battalion chief Johnson will fly to Nepal on Nov. 1, before jetting from Katmandu to Lukla to finally face Mt. Everest.
Having raised $14,000 for BC Children’s Hospital after scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2007, Johnson wants to beat the feat when he lives out his dream of scaling the Island Peak, 3,000 feet higher than Everest base camp’s 17,500 feet.
As part of the fundraising Summits of Hope trek, all the cash — every cent, with no administration costs — will go to BC Children’s Hospital’s Burn Unit.
“I’ve been planning this for more than a year now, and I’ve been giddy ever since,” said Johnston from Firehall No. 1.
“Kilimanjaro was one of the best experiences of my life and this will be a dream come true for me.
“It’s a great cause and I’ve been thinking about this for about 30 years.”
One of the reasons Johnson took on Kilimanjaro was to raise funds for the children’s unit that, for three months, cared for Madison, the tiny daughter of his best man Peter Hunter, who weighed in at just one pound.
And although he needed no more motivation this time around, Johnson was due on Thursday to pay a visit to some of the kids in the hospital’s burn unit, that will ultimately benefit from his efforts.
“What happened with (Madison) impacted me greatly, so I felt this was something I could do,” added Johnson.
In terms of preparing for the Everest trek, Johnson said he’s generally physically fit all year round, but explained how “there’s nothing around here to help you train for the altitude.”
Johnson is making the self-funded trek in support of the Summits of Hope, a made-in-Richmond non-profit organization, which donates funds to BC Children’s Hospital.
If you’d like to donate to the charity on behalf of Johnson, simply log onto www.summitsofhope.com/climberProfile/trevor_johnson.
Donations of $40 or more will generate a tax receipt and also a chance to have your own “prayer flag” flown during the climb to Everest’s base camp.
The News reported earlier this year how another Richmondite, 55-year-old mom-of-three Suzi Doggett, was also preparing for the same mission.
Readers can also donate on her behalf on the same website.
