A Summit for Mike: A Mother-Daughter Journey up Mount Toubkal

Annette Lee, a Personal Trainer, doesn’t consider herself an experienced hiker. But, inspired by her friend’s achievements and hiking stories from her daughter, she decided to trek North Africa’s highest peak to raise funds and awareness for blood cancer.

Here’s Annette’s story.

This all started with Mike Peters, frontman of the rock band The Alarm. I’d been training Mike, a dear client and friend of mine, for some time. He’d been battling blood cancer for 29 years and co-founded — along with his wife Jules (also my close friend and fitness buddy), and James Chippendale from the U.S. — the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a charity that helps, supports, and provides services for people across the world with blood cancer.

A keen hiker himself, Mike had trekked Everest Base Camp and Kilimanjaro (among many others) to raise awareness and funds for the foundation.

Unfortunately, Mike’s leukaemia had mutated into a very rare blood cancer twelve months ago. He’d been receiving pioneering treatment for it at The Christie Hospital in Manchester.

Listening to Mike’s and my daughter Becki’s hiking stories (Becki is a keen hiker with her own bucket list), I decided that Mount Toubkal would provide a challenge for Becki and me to fundraise for the Love Hope Strength Foundation.

After researching various trips and reading tonnes of reviews, I selected Skyhook and the Atlas Vertical team to help us complete our challenge.

Arriving in Marrakech, we were immediately immersed in a wonderfully cultural experience. From the pick-up to the drop-off, everything was amazing and so well organised.

Summit day was unforgettable! The climb started at 4:00 AM in the dark with head torches, freezing temperatures, and high winds. Becki was feeling unwell, not due to anything on the trip, and I started to wonder if we would make it to the summit.

All our fundraising efforts were in my mind, and thoughts of Mike, who had very sadly and suddenly passed away two weeks earlier.

Our wonderful guides, Abdul and Yusef, were key to helping us push through. They were absolutely amazing — so kind, caring, and encouraging. We kept going and thankfully reached the summit. I really don't think we would have gotten there without them.

Standing on the summit after the tough ascent was an unforgettable moment. I was saying grateful words for having made it. But also remembering the life of an incredible man, Mike Peters, and the wonderful charity he co-founded to help those with blood cancer.

It was a very poignant moment in my life that will always stay with me.

For anyone who’s thinking of doing this trip, it’s fantastic! I can't recommend it enough for those seeking a challenge in their hiking experience.

Skyhook and Atlas Vertical look after you every step of the way, and everything is so well organised. Although the elements on the day were tough, getting to the summit and seeing the views was amazing!

Annette and Becki booked the Hike Mount Toubkal (4,167m) trip through Skyhook.