Jack conquers his fears, fog and Mt Snowdon

Unpredictable mountain weather and a rough climb have given a young fundraiser from Northam one of his toughest challenges yet.

In mid July, Jack Hopkins, aged nine and his family set out to climb the 3,559 foot peak of Mount Snowdon in Wales to raise funds for the Tony Hudgell Foundation.

The Appledore Primary School pupil is well known for his fundraising and has already raised more than £15,000 for the foundation, which helps children affected by physical, emotional, or psychological abuse.

Jack was joined for his Snowdon trek by mum Katie Roberts, her parents and Anna Marchant, the niece of well-known mountaineer Sir Chris Bonnington. He was kitted out for the challenge by Berghaus and Mountain Fuel Sports Nutrition.

Above: Preparing to set out. Credit: Katie Roberts

The eight-and-a-half mile hike up Snowdon is not easy at any time of year, though usually July should be a good month for it – but the mountain had other ideas!

What began as a beautiful sunny day turned into miserable cold conditions with strong winds and heavy fog when the party were 45 minutes from the summit.

Mum Katie said the group set off on the Pyg track up the mountain that morning, with a super-excited Jack happily scrambling over boulders and enjoying the experience.

Above: Jack enjoying the trek up Snowdon. Credit: Katie Roberts

She continued: “Everything was going really well with spectacular views until the fog came in and things became a bit precarious.

“Jack has a fear of heights and started to get a bit worried as you could hardly see the path. That final slog took all our willpower to put one foot in front of the other, but Jack overcame his fears and marched on through, staying close to one of us and making sure he wasn’t close to any edges.”

Above: Some of Jack’s group making their way up towards the summit of Mt Snowdon as fog and chill winds began to move in. Credit: Katie Roberts

Katie said she wasn’t sure if Jack would climb up to the precarious summit cairn in such conditions, but he decided he needed that picture for proof and up he went.

Above: Nine-year-old Northam fundraiser Jack Hopkins on the summit of Mt Snowdon. Credit: Katie Roberts

The poor weather made it extremely cold and the group opted to take the safer Llanberis path for their descent.

Katie added: “Jack took the whole challenge in his stride and at one point exclaimed ‘this is awesome’ – I’m really not sure he had any idea of what to expect on the day!”

So far Jack has raised just over £2,800 from his Snowdon challenge, but you can still make a donation if you wish at www.justgiving.com/page/jacksnowdon24.