Rob Ferguson and Lucy Aspden’s hiking adventures to Mount Everest were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, so they climbed stairs instead. 

And I’m off! 2,528 times up the stairs to climb the height of the world’s tallest mountain. Today I’m tackling #EverydayEverest with @TeamTENZING ???? @TelegraphTravel pic.twitter.com/M7nddH7K8n

— Lucy Aspden (@Lucy_Aspden) April 9, 2020

The two climbed the stairs in their individual London homes to simulate what it would be like to climb all the way to the top of Mount Everest. The two climbed 6,506 times up and down the stairs for 24 hours and 30 minutes to cover the equivalent of a hike up-and-down Everest.

“The views certainly weren’t as nice as Nepal,” said Ferguson to USA Today. Ferguson and Aspden both live streamed their journeys on Zoom and used the climb to promote social distancing and stay-at-home orders while raising money for frontline workers. (RELATED: Seattle Cop Fired After Bill Of Rights Video Goes Viral)

 

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This month I was meant to be on an expedition to Nepal with @tenzing with an amazing team and @jamlingtenzing . Unfortunately we have postponed the trip until later but….. – No Everest. No Problem! – Tomorrow myself and some of the team members will be climbing from sea level to the summit of #Everest in 24 hrs on our stairs!! – Now normally I would give myself at least 24 and a half hours but I’m feeling confident ???????? – Seriously though, even though we are indoors this is. It going to be a walk in the park..because it’s indoors ???? so please please tune in and show some support as the team will be using this opportunity to raise some money for @thermbf to help sick doctors get back on their feet and back to work! – Stay tuned to find out how you can donate and also to cheer us on! Check out @tenzing account for details as well through the day – #adventure #adventuretime #adventures #stayhome #outdoors #outdooradventures #indooradventures #mountains #mountainlife #everest #nepal #mountainadventures #hiking #hikingadventures #tenzing #arcteryx #arcteryxpiccadillypodcast

A post shared by Rob Ferguson FRGS (@robferg_frgs) on Apr 8, 2020 at 4:18am PDT

Ferguson did the climb barefoot so he did not disturb his neighbors during the night. “I had quite a few blisters,” he said. Ferguson climbed the stairs for those 24 hours straight, only stopping every so often to drink water and have a snack.

“Medical professionals don’t have the option to stop and quit,” Ferguson said to USA Today. “Every expedition I’ve been on, no matter how difficult, I had the option to quit. Nobody is saying you’ve got to carry on. But emergency workers are physically exhausted and mentally drained. They don’t say, ‘That’s it, I’m done.’ They don’t have that choice. So I kept telling myself, they are the reason I’m doing this. And I thought of my family and community rooting for me. You’re never truly alone.” 

11:45pm last night I finished the toughest challenge of my life, to prove lockdown doesn’t have to put an end to our adventurous side. One day we will travel again & I’ll be doing this for real, but for now I need a lie down. Thanks for watching! @TelegraphTravel #EverydayEverest pic.twitter.com/hSJI45d5Jm

— Lucy Aspden (@Lucy_Aspden) April 10, 2020

Ferguson used a painting of a rainbow from his neighbor as inspiration and a source of nature during his climb. “The view did not change the whole climb, but I found inspiration from unique places,” he said.