A Scottish man has completed the challenge of climbing all 282 of Scotland's Munros in honour of his late father, saying he "finished what Dad started."
Paul Choat, 40, from Longniddry, took on the challenge after his father, David, died from motor neurone disease (MND) just 15 peaks short of completing the challenge himself. David had reached 267 of Scotland's 282 peaks over 3,000ft before his condition made it impossible to continue.
A Family Mission
"Hill walking was my Mum and Dad's passion," Mr Choat said. "To start with, it was just kind of a casual hobby and then as they started climbing more, my dad got quite into the idea of trying to see if he could do them all."
He added: "I think they always thought that they'd have plenty of time once he'd retired to kind of get the last ones done, and then it was not long after retirement that he was diagnosed with MND, so couldn't finish the last 15 that he had left."
Mr Choat, his three siblings, and their mother completed the remaining 15 on David's behalf, finishing just two months before he died in 2021.
Continuing the Challenge
The property maintenance company director then decided to continue and complete all 282 himself, raising money for My Name'5 Doddie Foundation in his father's memory. He completed his challenge in just under five years, and the family's efforts have now raised more than £117,000 for MND research.
Reflecting on the challenge, Mr Choat admitted there were moments of doubt. He said: "There were a few days where the weather turned out to be worse than the forecast, and you get to a point where you feel a bit miserable about being soaked through and blown this way and that, and definitely questioning whether it's worth carrying on."
He added: "But every time I had one of those moments, I would just stop for a couple of minutes and have a wee think about it, and then decide that it was best to keep going. I think having Dad in my mind was usually what kind of kept me going when things got pretty tough."
Facing Fears and Finding Purpose
During the challenge, Mr Choat confronted his fear of heights on exposed ridges and endured a 13-hour expedition through Fisherfield during a heatwave, while another fundraising challenge saw him tackle Scotland's four most northerly Munros in less than 24 hours.
Although it began as something he wanted to do for his father, Mr Choat said it eventually became something he wanted to do for himself as well. He said: "I think overcoming things that I wouldn't have done otherwise, putting myself in situations that I wasn't comfortable with, but pushing myself, and the benefits from that – it became more apparent the more I did that I was getting a lot more out of it than I kind of ever thought I would."
Looking back, Mr Choat said climbing all 282 of Scotland's tallest mountains was never something he ever saw himself doing. He said that when he was a child, he was "dragged up" two Munros with his father, but it was never really on his radar until after his father's diagnosis.
The Final Climb
Mr Choat saved Schiehallion, near Aberfeldy, for his final climb, hoping it would allow several generations of his family to be involved. He was joined by family and friends, including his six-year-old daughter Skye, who completed her first Munro alongside him. Heavy rain soaked the group during last month's climb, but Skye continued to the summit with Mr Choat and her mother Becca.
After powering through what he described as a tough walk, the family cracked open a bottle of champagne at the top and hurried back down the mountain cold and wet. Skye said it was "good" to see her father complete his challenge, and she enjoyed "everything" about her first Munro – even the wind and rain.
A Moment of Relief
Looking back at his accomplishment, Mr Choat said he feels a "bit of relief." He added: "I doubted myself a few times and I almost felt a bit of a weight of wanting to do it for Dad – so there was a wee bit of pressure that I put on myself. I think once we reached the final summit, there was a little bit of relief, but also kind of was just really pleased for Dad and for myself. Obviously, it was kind of a full circle moment, especially with Skye being there on her first Munro."
He added: "I kind of felt like I was able to finish what Dad started. Since then it's been quite nice to kind of just sit back in there and kind of soak it all in a wee bit."
Raising Awareness
Speaking more about his mission to raise money and awareness for MND, Mr Choat said he believes awareness and research have moved forward significantly since his father's diagnosis, but is determined to continue fundraising. He said: "I feel like it's our duty to an extent because we're able to do these things and raise a bit of money at the same time to help those who can't. I think it's important to do what we can because when Dad was diagnosed there wasn't really any (treatment) at all – it's a case of getting your diagnosis, and that's that."
He added: "Not much has changed since then. Research is moving forwards, but there's not really any huge developments in terms of treatments yet. It feels like we're getting closer, but there's more to do. It just inspires us to keep going really and do what we can."
