A man who had to flee a ferocious natural disaster in Greenland is now taking on the Seven Summits and encouraging novices to get hiking.
Peter Watson has not been put off heading on adventures despite getting caught up in a ferocious wildfire in a place you'd more typically associate with freezing temperatures and snow.
Hailing from Hackney in East London, Peter was 100km into a solo hike through part of Artic Greenland when he spotted plumes of smoke rising up from the valley he was walking into.
Along with a fellow hiker he had met along the way, Peter continued along the path until the heavy smoke swirling up from the fire became thicker and thicker.
Realising that the intensity was only growing and their path was blocked by a wall of heat, the duo decided to climb up and out of the valley onto a plateau.
It was only at the top that they realised how bad a predicament they were in.
He told the Mirror: "The valley below was worse than the one we’d just climbed out of. We were now trapped on three sides by either the fire or thick smoke.
"On the fourth side, to our rear, was a bank of tall mountains that we weren’t prepared to scale. It dawned on me that it was no longer a matter of how to complete the trek, but of how to escape safely."
After deciding to wait it out for an hour, within just 15 minutes the smoke around them "became so thick that we both started to cough."
The pair hit the emergency SOS button on their satellite phone and were soon lifted out of the raging grasp of the fire to safety by a rescue helicopter.
The fire was not a freak event in the region back in 2019, when historically high temperatures in the region caused large stretches of the Artic to break into flames. However, Peter would have been forgiven for being put off big adventures. Instead, it whet his appetite for a challenge.
Having visited over 90 countries across all seven continents, Peter is currently attempting to be one of what is estimated to be no more than around 500 individuals to have climbed the world’s seven summits – the highest mountain on every continent including, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest.
He is four down with three to go, with Everest and Denali still to do.
"Now it's the more technical stuff," Peter said, freshly back from a three hour incline session on a treadmill, carried out while wearing a weights vest.
"Denali is very cold and independent. There are no support crews, so you have to look after yourself a bit.
"I am not worried, but that's not a reflection of my bravado or bravery. Everest is out of your control, to an extent."
As much as Peter is the kind of hiker who likes to challenge themselves, he is also an advocate for people of all abilities and levels of enthusiasm getting out into nature whenever possible.
For him this meant climbing to the top of all the 41 mountains in the Yorkshire Dales National Park during the coronavirus lockdowns.
For others that might mean doing a several miles circuit of their town, a gentle weekend hike with pals or a longer but leisurely holiday through the hills.
These gentler forms of rambling are currently enjoying a boom in popularity thanks to the soft-hiking trend, which encourages people to soak up nature without any pressure to walk far, steeply or quickly.
It coincides with the launch of Highlander Adventure hiking festivals.
"Highlander take out a lot of the logistical planning (of a big hike), but you feel like you're doing something wild," Peter explained.
Participants have to meet at a certain point with a tent, sleeping equipment and cooking gear.
They then set out across a trail lasting several days but not overly ladened down by heavy packs as helpers are waiting at checkpoints to hand out food and water along the way.
"It's a hiking festival, not a race. There is no pressure to get to the checkpoint. You fall instep with people of a similar pace," Peter said.
"If you've only done day hiking before, this is the perfect intro. It takes the stress our of a lot of the things you might be worried about such as carrying huge weights, and getting lost."
For people who may have never taken on a big hike before, Peter recommends finding some uneven terrain or hills to walk on through apps like Ordinance Survey or Greenspace, or to workout on inclined treadmills or stair machines at the gym.
"If you've never done a single's day hiking, you should get some of it in before hand," he suggests of those eyeing up a multi-day walk.
"The best prep is always hiking. The way to train for hiking is hiking."
The next Highlander Adventure trek is to the Lake District, where participants can sign up to a five day, 100km trek or a three day 50km route. You can find out more on highlanderadventure.com.
