Blood, Sweat, Toil and Rats

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Putney's Domnic Frost shares his climb up Mount Kenya despite suffering from Diabetes

At 04.30 hrs GMT Jen and I reached point Lennana, 4,985 metres or 16,355 feet above the continent of Africa. We had reached the top after four days of trekking through humidity, searing heat, freezing cold and heavy rain.


Dom at the peak of Mt Kenya

The view from the top was breath-taking. We could see the vast valleys that surround the mountain and the glacier which over millions of years had carved the landscape. The savanna extended far into the distance and the greenery glistened in the rising sun. Seeing a sunrise while on top of Africa’s second highest mountain will stay with me for the rest of my life.

It’s difficult to put into words how I felt as I climbed the final ten metres over the highest via ferrata in the world to the summit. I was tired and in a sense of disbelief because of what we were about to accomplish.

This all started with a chat in Putney after a few glasses of wine. The journey had taken us to the peaks of Wales, France and Scotland, and now it was finally the time to reach our goal. At this point I felt the emotions building up, and I was trying desperately to hold back the tears. But as I touched the peak with the sun rising and seeing Jen in her element taking photos and wondering around the peak with her usual cheery curiosity, I couldn’t hold them back.

Through my mind the voices of the past kept coming back to me. The negative words about how a diabetic can’t do these adventurous challenges. How the fear of a hypo or high and all the logistical challenges of a five day mountain climb would put so many off. In this moment I thought once again about what we had accomplished. We are close to delivering £5,000 to Diabetes UK to help find a cure for this illness and support millions suffering with diabetes, who need more than medical breakthroughs and equipment but psychological support. From the bottom of our hearts Jen and I are incredibly grateful for the support and all the donations which have been made.

Those that will benefit from this money, will have one person to thank and that’s Jen. If it wasn’t for her this whole project would not have happened. Those who will benefit from our small contribution now, would not be receiving it if it wasn’t for her. And let’s not forget that she choose to take on a mountain not many people summit and had to go through the physical and mental hardship of this trek while having to keep an eye on a very average diabetic.

Click here to read Dom's 'Climbers log'.

June 21, 2017