Former tour guide Matt Loughrey climbs Croagh Patrick, a peak in western Ireland, day in and day out to raise money for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a multinational charity, helping people hurt by the ailing economy.
"I've always been a fan of the outdoors," said Loughrey, 32. "I was very tired of the way the world was changing. People are on their faces in this country, and I wanted to do something in my own backyard."
He launched his routine more than 200 days ago and hasn't lost his zest for the project, called the Croagh Patrick 365 Challenge.
"You meet someone new every day," Loughrey told AOL News. "There's a chance of a conversation on the trial. You make friends. People come here from all over the world. It's a positive place."
At 2,507 feet tall, Croagh Patrick (pronounced like crow) isn't the tallest summit in Ireland, but it's popular with pilgrims because Saint Patrick, the country's patron saint, fasted for 40 days and nights on the mount, according to tradition.
With so many ascents under his belt, Loughrey said he knows the mountain like the back of his hand.
"I've explored everywhere I could possibly go," he said. Those routes include the slow, steady uphill walk on the seaside of the mountain -- also known as the Reek -- and a more physically demanding assault on the steeper north face.
But the conditions have become dicier since he started his journey in the pleasant summer months. Now Loughrey finds himself confronting icy terrain and blustery winds.
"I've found shelter and that's come in handy, because I've had to hunker down a couple times," the mountaineer said. "The wind can put you on your back. It can take you off your feet. That's the only thing that scares me."
His goal is to raise 100,000 euros for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and donations so far total 13,000 euros. Loughrey predicts that fundraising will take off as he gets closer to the 365th climb on June 5, part of an Irish holiday weekend.
If he succeeds, he said it would prove that ordinary people could be as helpful to charities as wealthy individuals.
"I certainly don't plan on being a millionaire, but I can be philanthropic with my time."
The self-imposed challenge started as a solitary pursuit, but Loughrey has acquired a following and often has partners join him on the trek. Word first spread through conversations at Campbell's pub in Murrisk. But momentum is picking up on his Facebook page now too, he said.
"When I started off I was always alone. It was growing very slowly. I was climbing slowly all the time. Then people in the village got to hear about what I was dong and they began telling other people."
On a typical day he hikes in the morning before returning home to run his online business selling motorcycle maintenance manuals.
Loughrey lives in Murrisk, a village near the base of the hill. "I've been in the shadow of the mountain all my life."
But it was only when he worked as a tour guide in 2005 that he became infatuated with the slopes of Croagh Patrick. That year, he climbed the mountain 40 times.
Photographs from his hikes are posted on his
website.
Print
