Stunning scenery on Inca trek (From News Shopper)

Stunning scenery on Inca trek

4:46pm Monday 10th September 2007 in Lewisham

Steve Trevillion, from Lewisham, has raised more than £2,700 for the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) by undertaking a gruelling trek along the Inca Trail.

The 55-year-old trekked for up to 11 hours each day to raise money for deaf children and their families.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is rated among the ten best trekking trails in the world due to its striking beauty, ancient Inca ruins and diverse ecological zones.

This route included very different terrain, from high desert plateau to tropical Andean rainforest.

The ultimate destination was Machu Picchu - the Lost City of the Incas - one of the world's most important archaeological finds.

Steve said: "Walking the Inca Trail was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I was not an experienced trekker so almost everything about it was new.

"Like everyone else in the group, I found the climb up to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 meters on the second day utterly exhausting but standing at the top near the snow line and looking down at the long climb up gave me an enormous sense of satisfaction and achievement.

"It was an emotional experience too, as it seemed to me that in order to complete the climb I had had to discover physical and mental resources that I did not know I had.

"As a result, I developed a new respect for my body as well as for the awe-inspiring works of nature all around us."

Helen Williams, NDCS head of events, said: "Every day in the UK three babies are born deaf and 90 per cent are born to hearing parents with little experience of deafness. The NDCS is the national charity dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and young people, and is funded almost entirely through public donations.

"None of our work would be possible without the commitment of people like Steve."

Steve is still raising the sponsorship needed for taking part and is appealing to kind-hearted people to support his fundraising efforts.

To pledge your support visit his fundraising page

The next Inca trek takes place in May 2008. You too could take part in that or any other NDCS challenge.

Why not sign up for an event now? To find out more call the challenge events team on 0870 774 2444 or visit the website