This entry on the Aquapac blog is from James Moore, who is turning a life-changing event for his daughter, himself, and his family into an admirable fundraising hike through the Lake District.
On Saturday 12th September, I’ll shoulder my rucksack and begin a 10-day trek through the Lake District for Jessica’s Journey – From Tubes to Vocals. I’m not an athlete. This isn’t a race.
And I’m certainly not doing it because I think spending 10 days walking around the Lakes with everything on my back is going to be easy. I’m doing it because of my daughter, Jessica.
Why Jessica’s journey exists
Jessica became critically ill and spent 15 days in PICU at the Great North Children’s Hospital. She eventually came home, but for our family, the journey didn’t simply end when we walked out of the hospital.
Jessica was later diagnosed with bronchiectasis, and everything our family experienced changed the way I looked at life, health, and what really matters.
That’s where Jessica’s Journey began. I wanted to take an incredibly difficult experience and turn it into something positive and something that could help the place that cared for Jessica when she needed it most. So I started fundraising for Ward 12 PICU at the Great North Children’s Hospital.
I could have simply set up a fundraiser and asked people to donate, but I wanted to do something that genuinely challenged me, something people could follow, experience with me, and hopefully remember.
Eventually, that idea became a 10-day trek through the Lake District.
From an idea to a very real rucksack
A few months ago, saying “I’m going to spend 10 days trekking through the Lakes” sounded exciting.
Now, with departure only days away, it feels very different.
The preparation has meant route planning, maps, food, water, camping equipment, clothing, emergency planning, power, navigation and, perhaps most importantly, working out exactly how much I can realistically carry on my back for 10 days.
There have been changes of plan, equipment problems, things that haven’t worked.
And plenty of moments when I’ve wondered: “What on earth have I signed myself up for?”
But, bit by bit, it has all come together. The rucksack is real, the maps are real, the equipment is packed, and on Saturday 12th September, there’s no more planning this from home. I have to start walking.
Why Aquapac is part of the journey
One thing I’ve learned during the preparation is that sometimes the smallest pieces of kit can become some of the most important. My phone won’t just be there for taking photographs.
It will carry offline maps, emergency contacts and the tools I need to document Jessica’s Journey and keep everyone following the fundraiser updated while I’m out on the trail.
I’ll also be carrying physical maps and navigation equipment.
And in Lake District weather, keeping those things protected from water genuinely matters.
That’s where Aquapac has become part of Jessica’s Journey.
Aquapac has supported the trek with a large waterproof floating phone case and a large waterproof map case, two things I’ll be relying on throughout the journey and need to be able to trust when the weather turns.
But their support hasn’t stopped at equipment; Aquapac has also created the code: TREK10JJ
The code is now live on eligible non-sale Aquapac products, and purchases made using the code will help generate a contribution towards the Jessica’s Journey fundraiser. So there are now two ways you can support the journey:
Donate directly to Jessica’s Journey or use TREK10JJ when purchasing eligible Aquapac products.
Either way, you’re helping turn Jessica’s story into something positive.
Support Jessica’s journey
If you’d like to support the fundraiser directly, you can donate here. You can follow the final countdown and the trek itself on Facebook or TikTok.
Thank you to everybody who has donated, shared the fundraiser, followed the journey, offered advice, supplied equipment or simply got behind what I’m trying to do. And thank you to Aquapac for becoming part of Jessica’s Journey.
Every mile has a purpose.