An eight-year-old mountaineer from Cumbria has said he is “over the moon” to have reached Everest base camp after going out with his mother to raise charity funds.
Frankie McMillan has been climbing mountains with his mother Basia since he was a toddler,, and this year he embarked on his biggest task yet: being the youngest Briton to climb Mount Olympus in Greece.
Frankie has climbed over 500 summits and hills, including Scafell Pike at age four
Frankie has climbed over 500 summits and hills, including Scafell Pike at age four and all 214 Wainwrights in the Lake District.
After reaching Everest base camp on April 9, Frankie told the PA news agency: “I felt so proud of myself. I was over the moon.”
His mother, Ms McMillan, 40, said: “It was just such a rewarding experience. It was a very proud moment. Frankie was very proud of himself but I was even more proud because I was proud not of myself but of him.”
“I was watching him touching the base camp rock and seeing him making his dreams come true.”
“It wasn’t only for me, it was supporting my son in fulfilling his dreams, which … there is no price for that, it was just priceless,” she told PA.
Ms. McMillan, a mountain guide, stated that Frankie was “absolutely fine” during the climb, but she experienced repeated headaches near the end of the trek, which was “hard in parts.”
“He managed all the way all by himself; if anything, I think he was stronger than me,” she went on to say.
“We kept encouraging each other and bouncing from each other, so every time I was struggling, Frankie would encourage me and when he was struggling, I would encourage him.”
Other mountaineers were “so welcoming and so encouraging,” she claimed, adding, “Every time we mentioned where we were going, no one could believe it.”
“All the other people passing by were stopping and taking photos and videos of Frankie and having chats, and when we got to the top, they were cheering for him and clapping, which was so rewarding,” she said.
He aims to become the youngest person in the world to climb on the top of Everest
Frankie previously told PA: “I would like to beat the record to be the youngest person in the world to ever go to the top of Everest.
“It’s always been my dream and we want to just at least get to base camp. I know it’s not the top, but one day we’ll be there.”
When asked if reaching base camp had increased Frankie’s determination to summit the mountain, he replied, “It has a lot.” I didn’t anticipate it would be this much fun. “It was amazing.”
“Frankie already made a plan on how to get to the top of Everest,” his mother added.
“We went to base camp, which proved that Frankie still wants to go higher, and I don’t think anything is stopping him now.”
While in Kathmandu, Ms McMillan stated, “I don’t know how we’ll be able to go back home.”
“He’ll be going to school, and I can envision the conversations he’ll have there: ‘What did you do during your halftime break? “I just climbed to Everest base camp.”
The duo set up a JustGiving website and raised almost £1,800 for the children’s charity Make-A-Wish UK.