Tanzania – 2025
In early 2025, Lee had the opportunity to attempt a long-held ambition, to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro with his daughter Harriet. Despite ongoing problems with is prosthetic fit, he jumped at the chance. Harriet and Lee would be raising money for Rock2Recovery, a mental health charity that works with not just military veterans, but members of the blue light services and their families.
As the departure to Tanzania approached, Lee struggled with training. The issues with his stump and prosthetic meant that he could only walk 400 meters. Then just 2 weeks before leaving for Africa, he received a new, better fitting socket and after a test climb of Pen-y-Fan in south Wales, Lee and Harriet set off with the rest of the Rock2Recovery team.
“Just Get to the Start”
Lee’s mantra had been throughout, ‘Just get to the start line and just see what happens”. After 6 days of acclimatization walks, through torrential rain and gaining hight every time, the rock2Recovery team made it to base camp, Barafu camp at 4,673m.
Then at just before midnight and half an hour before the rest of the team, Lee set off on his summit attempt. The initial climb went well then at about 5,200m a combination of altitude sickness and an underlying chest infection, severely restricted Lee’s breathing. But with a will of iron, grit, determination and a lot of help from the amazing local guides, Lee made it to Stella Point just as the sun rose. He then trudged the last hour with the Harriet and the rest of the Team and made it to Uhuru Peak at 5,895m, the highest point in the whole of Africa. They had done it. Harriet with pneumonia, (she’s her father’s daughter).
That still left the climb back down to Barafu camp, which was extremely challenging, not only because of a badly damaged stump, but worsening breathing problems. Once at Barafu camp, it was decided that the only option to get off the mountain safely was by helicopter, along with Harriet due to pneumonia. With the help of IV steroid and a dose of antibiotics, Harriet and Lee were released from hospital. Lee’s damaged stump meant that he couldn’t wear a prosthetic for 2 weeks, which he spent on crutches and in a wheelchair. But as Lee said, ‘This wheelchair is temporary, the memory of summiting Kilimanjaro with my daughter Harriet will last a lifetime.”