Making an effort to support those less fortunate in life is a good way of paying some rent on our own good fortune, writes veteran mountaineer John G O'Dwyer
Life is filled with mysteries. Why do modest family cars need rev-counters? How are Liverpool champions of Europe when they haven't been champions of England for aeons, and why are washing machines apparently designed to consume one sock per pair? For sanity's sake I try hard to put such conundrums from my mind, but one question remains.
What drives countless thousands of otherwise sane people to a lifelong search for close encounters with mountain summits? After some soul searching I have come to the conclusion that it is mostly so we can tell others where we have been up to.
Now, Edmund Hillary was famously a man of few words - "We knocked off the bastard" was his succinct but perhaps not unexpected description of conquering Everest. Similarly George Mallory could only muster a not very insightful "Because it's there" in response to a question about his, ultimately fatal, obsession with reaching the roof of the world.
These days, however, there is less reticence in such matters. The other week, I came across a book recounting the experiences of a chap who conquered the highest point of each Irish county. In a similar vein, Bill Bryson completed about half of the Appalachian Trail and wrote a bestseller about his experiences. And when sports writer Rex Bellamy climbed Carrauntoohil, Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike, the distance covered was an impressive 239 pages. Give an outdoor man a memorable experience and apparently he cannot resist the lure of the word-processor. So if you'll bear with me, I'll tell you about the day I headed up the Galtee Mountains from the sylvan serenity of Aherlow.
Now the Galtees are handsome, gently sloped, hills where hillwalkers don't feel insignificant or out of place. In good company with the breeze at your back, time simply vanishes. And so before I knew it we were lunching by the shores of glaciated Lough Muskry.
Afterwards, the fun really started as we continued upwards by a steep, mist-shrouded gully. Now gullying is a curious business involving simultaneous mental and physical effort. Each tenuous hold on crumbly rock reminds us only too clearly of our own vulnerability and transience compared with the permanence around us. At the same time we are also left in no doubt that this is some of the best, adrenalin-enriched fun to be had on a mountainside.
Our eventual meeting with the summit came on an actual and psychological high. Here a golden burst of sunshine rewarded us with a view across the vast tablecloth of south Tipperary misting to the distant Knockmealdowns.
Afterwards, we retreated over Farbreaga Mountain and back down to Aherlow; all agreeing it had been a great day. And it wasn't just about the scenery, the exercise, or indeed the "climbers rush" we had experienced. You see, we had an altogether more altruistic motive. Our efforts were made in support of a worthy cause - in this case Tipperary Regional Youth Services.
Nowadays, from Kilimanjaro to Kerry to Kathmandu, charity challenges are offering another reason, above and beyond the adrenalin rush or the bragging rights, to reach out for high places. Indeed most of the world's best-known summits are not attempted these days with the single ambition described by Mallory, but are climbed as part of a complex set of motives bundled around support for a worthy cause. Of course, participating on a charity climb is primarily a way of paying some rent on our good fortune in life. But, it also offers us motivation to exercise, an opportunity to visit less frequented places, whether in Ireland or abroad, a bonding experience when lifelong friends are made and also a great way to obtain payback from pals who have been recruiting us into members' draws for years.
So why not consider devoting some spare time to supporting a worthy cause by participating on an uplifting charity climb? Someone else will arrange the travel, book your accommodation and organise a guide.
Remember, though, that the commitment required depends on the challenge involved and can be a major two-week expedition or just a short break in Ireland. Dragoon everyone you know into the fundraising effort - you will be surprised how well people respond to a worthy cause. Then, having worked a bit on your fitness, set out on a personal charity adventure, which nearly all participants will subsequently agree, turns out to be one of their most life-enhancing experiences.
So if you also would like to set about paying your first instalment on life's good fortune, it is important to get organised in good time. You could start right now by contacting one of the charities listed below. All are offering highly reputable challenges, where you can be sure of a well-organised adventure, with your efforts making a real difference for others who have drawn a shorter straw in the lottery of life.
And when you return you can take further mischievous pleasure from telling your envious friends about all the exhilarating summits you've been up to.
John G O'Dwyer leads hillwalking groups in Ireland and abroad