It isn’t easy to clinch and set records in the world of mountaineering, and even if you do, it is likely to be broken in a relatively short period, perhaps a year or two. But this kid’s achievement is likely to stay for a long time. It was set in a climb in Morocco. A six-year-old kid from Ireland amazingly reached Northern Africa’s zenith. At its highest point, Morocco’s Mount Toubkal reaches 13,671 feet, and to reach the top is quite a daunting challenge for any climber, veterans included. Just imagine the impact of the feat when Joshua Davidson, who comes from Killarney, Ireland conquered extreme heights against the perils of an ongoing snowstorm. He went with his mom, Lyndsey, and his buddy, Lucky Flynn, beginning with a 4-hour trek to the shelter. It took them more than two days to reach the mountain’s coveted zenith.
His mother recounts the moment when they surpassed 9,800 feet and started to feel the effects of thin air and its altitude on their bodies. They strived on the next morning, and some places were quite steep, mostly comprised of ice slopes, and they used crampons for a prehensile grip. Some slopes graded dangerously at forty degrees. Climbing at such heights is very dangerous, and in their case, the oxygen level had dropped to 12%. They would steadily climb on and finally reach the top of the great mountain after more than 48 hours. Joshua was so happy to have surprised himself and had to be told to slow his pace on the way down. It took them six hours to reach their base.
Their achievement has been submitted to the Guinness Book of Records for evaluation and official documentation, but that’s just a formality. The real deal is in the experience itself, and the fact that such a young child achieved it just doubles our sense of wonder.