Most people think the famous climbing phrase "because it is there" was first uttered by Edmund Hillary when he and Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest in 1953. Sadly, it’s but an urban myth as actually George Leigh Mallory, three decades earlier, said it as he prepared to scale the world's highest peak.

 

Derek Gibbens (Lodge Elias de Derham No.586) has the mindset of Mallory and the drive of Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay.  Which is why he has arranged a six-day charity trek to Mount Toubkal scheduled for September 2025 to raise funds for the Wiltshire 2028 Festival.  Derek, who is currently on a trek in support of The Stars Appeal to the Lost City, Colombia, is inviting any Wiltshire Freemasons who have an adventurous spirit to register their interest in being a part of this incredible experience.

 

 

Trekking is great fun as well as being a fantastic way of seeing the majestic scenery that you miss when travelling by car, coach or train. Being close to nature gives you the opportunity to breathe in the mountain air, see the sights of ancient civilisation and enjoy the sounds of an environment unpoilt by urbanisation. 

 

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