We've a mountain to climb (From Daily Echo)

We've a mountain to climb

A BASINGSTOKE soldier is part of a team attempting to set various world records by assisting amputee soldiers up Mount Kilimanjaro.

We've a mountain to climb

Lance Corporal Danny Hyland, from 7 Rifles, based in Reading, will help the six amputee soldiers reach the summit of the African mountain next February.

The 40-year-old will be raising money for Pilgrim Bandits, which supports forces’ amputees, and the Rifles’ own regimental charity, Care for Casualties.

Lance Cpl Hyland trains new soldiers at the Reading base but said he knows how hard it is when colleagues are injured, having previously fought in Afghanistan.

He added: “This is something to give back to those lads. It’s about looking out for each other. We’re there to assist in any way we can. That’s the British soldiers’ way – to look out for each other.

“The real challenge will be the altitude. We are all fit enough to do it. We’re looking forward to getting up there, but it will be a challenge.

“My hat goes off to the injured soldiers. It’s a struggle for able-bodied people to do it. I’m full of admiration for them. They are brave souls.”

One of the amputees joining the team is 26-year-old Lance Cpl Ricky Hatton who was injured when a bomb exploded in Afghanistan in January 2010.

Lance Cpl Hatton, from Southport, has since been treated at Headley Court, and was in a wheelchair for the first year, before having his right leg amputated below the knee in February.

He said: “There’s always someone worse off. I have made friends for life at Headley Court and we’re all in the same boat and help each other. We are brothers.

“I’ve lost a lot of good friends, and my mates up there would love to be in my position now. I have to do this for them and for myself. I have a bright future ahead of me.”

As for climbing the 19,340 feet up the mountain, he said: “It’s not worth doing if it’s easy. We’ve been wounded and have got back up again, and we face challenges every day.

“It sends a message out to everyone else. You have one shot in life so make the most of it.”

This week, the team heard a presentation from Rhys Jones, managing director of RJ7 Expeditions, who will take the team up Kilimanjaro.

He explained that reaching the summit will involve a final climb of seven hours in the dark, and added: “It’s properly cold and can be minus 15. There’s not quite enough oxygen around and hands and feet aren’t getting the proper circulation, so it feels even colder. You don’t move fast enough to generate heat. But as soon as the sun comes up you feel energised.”

The team head off on February 15 and, if successful, they will set a number of world records for severely injured climbers reaching the summit of a mountain at the same time.