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GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - He may be blind, but the Georgian Carl de Kampos has never let this stand in the way of him enjoying life and experiencing adventure. His latest exploit was a hike up George Peak (1 370m) on Saturday 2 November together with a small group of supportive hikers.

Being an avid runner, De Kampos is very fit, but feared that he would hamper the other hikers' pace. As it turned out, he was among the faster members of the group who waited at the top for the others to finish.

Carl is used to running jeep tracks in the forest, and enjoyed the challenge of the climb. 

"It was a mentally testing terrain. Along certain sections we had to climb on all fours and there was one spot where they told me to keep to one side as there was a steep cliff," he says.

While hiking, he held lightly onto the backpack of the guide in front of him. He also has a trekking pole to secure his balance when going down large dips and drops.

"I have always wanted to climb George Peak as I enjoy the outdoors and do a lot of running, tandem cycling and horse-riding," he said. 

"I met a guy, through a friend, who agreed to take me on an easy hike and test me on some rock scrambling, and then agreed to take me up George Peak. We chose to use the shortest and steepest route, straight up the mountain, and then to descend around the back way, which was less steep. I have done some hiking before, especially as a teenager with my parents, but I must say this was quite a tough hike. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Carl de Kampos could not enjoy the view, but he could feel the openness and experience the sounds of nature at the top of George Peak.

Watch a video below.

"The descent felt pretty long, but was actually pretty enjoyable. Summiting was a wonderful feeling. Although I could not appreciate the view, just being up there surrounded by openness, and also enjoying the smells and sounds and feel of nature is always something special to me. Also the camaraderie of fellow hikers supporting each other reminds me of when I ran the Comrades Marathon."

Over boulders on the way up.

Stroke survivor also summits
Another brave hiker who summited George Peak with the group had had a stroke about a year and a half ago. Rodney Fenn, who will be 73 in December was left slightly paralysed on the left side, but this did not deter him from taking up the challenge of climbing to this height. 

A friend of his, June McGahey (70), joined him for the climb. Says McGahey, "I had to try and chase Rodney up George Peak! His left leg didn't help too much on the hike and yet he got to the top. Doing this with Rodney and Carl was amazing."

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