Friends scale mighty peak to help charity

Aug 5 2009 by Shona Mitchell, East Kilbride News

TWO local men have climbed the highest mountain in North Africa to raise funds for the Scottish Society for Autism.

Scott Wilson and Robert Young, both 29, have recently returned from their trip to Morocco, which saw them climb the 13,671ft , highest peak in the Atlas Mountains.

During the three-day hike, Scott and Robert trekked a total of 50 kilometres to the peak of Toubkal, where they enjoyed amazing panoramic views of the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert.

Scott, who lives in Westwood, and Robert who’s originally from Westwood but recently moved to London, decided to take part in the challenge to raise funds for the society as it’s a charity which is close to their hearts.

Scott’s eldest son Isaac, 6, is autistic and attends the autistic base at Castlefield Primary. His younger brother, four-year-old Jude, will be starting primary one at Castlefield this month.

Scott said: “We chose to do something for the Scottish Society for Autism as my son Isaac is autistic and we felt it was a good cause to fundraise for.

“Having two young children and a full-time job didn’t make preparing for it too easy and as I hadn’t done anything like it before it was a bit of a baptism of fire.

“However, I really enjoyed it as it was an amazing experience. I met some great people and saw some fantastic scenery.

“The last day was a bit gruelling as we were walking for 13 hours in total but, when we got to the last five minutes or so and the top was in sight, the sense of achievement was amazing.

“Once we were at the top the views were amazing. On one side were the Atlas Mountains and on the other was the Sahara Desert.

“I would love to do it again at some point – but I will be waiting until the blisters heal.”

Scott and Robert, who met almost 25 years ago when they started primary one at East Milton Primary, have already raised around £800 but anyone wishing to add to the total can do so by logging on to the website www.justgiving.com/literally-a-massive-hill