SEATTLE, May 12, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Motivator and explorer, Andrew Hughes, who was scheduled to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse in May 2020, held an at home online-quarantine charity event, #AtHomeEverest this past weekend, in Seattle, WA to raise funds for the Seattle Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund inviting everyone to join him on this shared summit attempt. The event raised thousands for the growing $20 million funds to support nonprofits on the frontlines aiding communities critically impacted by the pandemic.
Supporters joined and engaged with Hughes from all the world on Instagram Live, @andrew_i_hughes. Andrew completed 5,683 rotations on the four front steps of his home climbing and descending 30 inches at a time to complete the original 28,414 ft. climb. The climb lasted almost 19 hours, ending at 2:51 a.m. in the morning, with Hughes in full summit suit.
He encouraged everyone to seek their own small daily summit around their house, climbing steps, mimicking the Mount Everest climb, and donating if they could to support those COVID-19 has hit most hardest. Additionally, climbers were encouraged to ask Hughes questions about climbing Everest and other mountains, ways to continue seeking their delayed dreams, and how to remain connected to one another during this time of disconnect.
"I was supposed to be attempting a rare back-to-back summit of Everest and Lhotse this May," Hughes says. "While Everest is postponed, this is a time to motivate one another, come together, and inspire positivity amidst these shared challenging times. It is a time to give what we can, to take care of each other, and to bring awareness to ways to help one another."
Andrew was slated to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse in May 2020. However, the expedition was postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This presented an opportunity to connect with others around the world and support the Seattle Foundation.
About Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes is a high-endurance athlete from Seattle, Washington. He pursued the path that checked all the boxes that aligned with a socially acceptable narrative of success - from his multiple degrees earned, to his career choices and relationships
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When failures found Hughes and the world he had constructed began to crumble, he found the foundations of the life he had built were based upon other people's dreams and not his own. Faced with a choice to embrace the uncomfortable and unknown, the mountains and outdoors allowed his questions to find answers and redirected his own dreams.
The mountains and climbing became where he began to rediscover himself. Hughes embraced the journey of redefining his relationship with discomfort, which altered his perspective of achievement and unified the fragmented aspects of himself.
Hughes has since spent years climbing some of the highest mountains in the world. He has known repeatedly the disconnect and uncertainty of surviving in hostile and deadly environments not meant for people to exist. He has suffered injury, failure, and near-death experiences – and yet he returns to the mountains because they are a reminder of the strength that can be developed within times of struggle and discomfort.
To interview or collaborate with Andrew Hughes, please visit: http://www.andrewihughes.com.
SOURCE Andrew Hughes
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