Eight-year-old mountaineer prepares for ’emotional’ climbs in Africa

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Louise Thomas

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An eight-year-old mountaineer from Cumbria is taking on an “emotional” expedition up the three highest peaks in north Africa with his mother to be “closer to his grandad in heaven”.

Frankie McMillan has been regularly climbing mountains with mother Basia, 40, since he was a toddler, and he became the youngest Briton to climb Mount Olympus in Greece last year.

Frankie has scaled more than 500 mountains and hills, including summiting Scafell Pike – the tallest peak in England – at the age of four, and completing all 214 Wainwrights in the Lake District.

He told the PA news agency he was “really excited” to take on his latest challenge – a five-day journey up five mountains in north Africa in late October, on the anniversary of the death of his paternal grandfather, Andrew McMillan.

The challenge includes climbing the region’s three highest peaks – Ras Ouanoukrim, Toubkal West and Toubkal.

Frankie said: “There’s only two things I like doing – climbing mountains and helping other people, and that’s why I’m really looking forward to this trek.”

The mountaineering mother and son feel prepared for the epic challenge after they reached Everest base camp in April.

Ms McMillan told PA: “That sort of puts my mind at ease because I was very, very nervous about high altitudes going to Everest base camp, but now, because we’ve been higher, I am sort of hoping that we should be alright.

“I’m not as nervous as before as I know Frankie will be able to do it, so it’s more excitement than nervousness.”

Frankie said that when he gets to the top of the 4,160m-high Toubkal (13,500ft), he is going to “wave to my grandad”, because he did not get the chance to say goodbye in person.

He added that after his grandfather died, he went “up a mountain and let a balloon go”, and that during his African adventure he will be even closer to him.

Ms McMillan added: “I told Frankie that grandad is going to the stars, to heaven, and then we will be closer to him to wave goodbye and send him a kiss, and now we’ll be even higher, so it will be even closer to him to have a little chat.”

Frankie and Ms McMillan, a mountain guide, are raising money for Anthony Nolan, a UK stem cell charity, in memory of Mr McMillan, who died of myeloma, a form of blood cancer.

She said Frankie’s umbilical cord was donated to the Anthony Nolan charity when he was born, but the family did not expect cancer would “circle back” and “touch” them.

“If someone was able to help our dad in time, maybe he would still be here, so we are hoping that if we raise money, we would be able to maybe save someone else’s grandad and help another child to make memories with them,” Ms McMillan said.

“This (challenge) is definitely more emotional than the other ones.”

The pair did not tell Ms McMillan’s husband “for ages” of their plan to wave to his father from the African mountaintop.

“We wanted to give something back and cheer him up. It made him very happy,” Ms McMillan said.

To donate to Frankie’s fundraiser, visit justgiving.com/page/frankie-mcmillan-toubkal .