A KEEN walker went up in the world when he scaled a massive mountain to raise money for charity.

Graham Howarth, 33, of Colne Road, Burnley, climbed 19,340ft to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and managed to collect £350 for the SuperScan Appeal.

It was Graham's first experience at walking abroad and he took up the challenge with 15 people from all round the country, ranging from management consultants to a former SAS soldier.

He heard about the expedition, which was organised by Worldwide Travel, on the BBC Holiday programme. "Mentally, it was very demanding to keep going at that altitude," Graham said. "It took us six days to climb because you could only take 10 to 15 steps and then you would collapse and need a five minute break before carrying on.

"The breaths you were taking didn't have enough oxygen, so everything was a struggle. It was like a slow motion movie.

"At the top we got some magnificent views. It's an ice cap with glaciers and is quite exposed and very cold. The water in our bottles had frozen. But we had as much trouble with the heat as with the cold and lower down we encountered an alpine desert.

"One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the Hyakutake comet from 15,500ft. It was very very clear and you could even see the tail."

He added: "Africa is a tremendous place. I would have expected some sort of gift shop but there was nothing like that and it was totally unspoiled by tourism."

Graham has now set his sights on the highest peak in Europe - Mount Elbrus in Russia.

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