Just 16 months after major knee surgery 81 year-old David Snowdon Jones was back on the hills of Snowdonia - 79 years after his first visit to the summit.
David talks about his love for walking, climbing and his charity work.
I FIRST met David Snowdon Jones when I joined the Free Press as a trainee reporter four years ago.
His zest for life and happy go lucky personality makes him a person that many want to be around.
Since our first meeting, I have followed David through his ups and down including two major operations on his foot and knee, his right leg is now worth £26,500!
“I am determined to get up Snowdonia again,” said David after his knee operation.
It was a statement I hoped would come true... and it did, on Saturday October 1, David, along with a large group of friends and family made it up to the top of Snowdon.
The walk was on the Llanberis Path (five miles to the summit of Mount Snowdon 1,085m high) - the highest point in England and Wales.
“It was hard going,” said David.
“Coming down was tough on the old knee.
“But it feels much better now after the walk than it did before.”
The first of his two major operations was three and a half years ago when he underwent surgery on his foot.
The operation was a success, with a cost of £11,500 to his insurance company.
The second was in 2010, an operation on his knee - which cost £15,000.
“This is why I am so proud and pleased that I made it up that mountain again,” said David.
“I was joined by my children, grandchildren and many friends who have walked up the mountain with me over the years.
“It was a lovely day, the weather was very kind to us.”
David’s first trip up Snowdon was aged 12, when he was a member of the 1st Greenfield Scout Group.
“I remember it as clear as yesterday,” he said.
“I have worked out that I have climbed Snowdon more than 300 times since then.
"I have always loved the mountains.
"The seaside would attract most children, but it did nothing for me at all.
"I remember a trip to Switzerland as a child and seeing the Swiss mountains.
"I knew then that I would be walking mountains for the rest of my life.”
David is well known for his marathon walks, and mountainous (excuse the pun) goals he has set himself over the years.
Including a challenge with another favourite mountain of his - Moel Famau.
During a walk up Snowdon to mark David’s 65th birthday, he told his sons he was going to set himself a new target.
"I told them I would walk up Moel Famau 500 times before my 70th birthday," he said.
"I actually did 500 by the time I had reached 68."
So David set himself another challenge - to do another 500 walks, to reach 1,000 by his 70th birthday.
That he easily achieved - in fact he did it 1,001 times because on the last occasion he left his spectacles at the summit and had to go back to get them!
That challenge passed, he set himself another - 1,500 walks by the time he hit 80!
In September 2007, 12 years later and at the age of 77, David had completed his 1,500 climb of Moel Famau.
“It was a very emotional occasion after 12 years of up and down the hill," he said.
All of David’s other walks have also been held for a purpose - to raise money for charity.
David, who has run the Cherry Pie Inn at Melin-y-Wern for the past 24 years, has raised money for many different causes, including muscular dystrophy and lung cancer.
But it wasn't until a meeting with world famous entertainer - Roy Castle in the 1990s that his charity work really took off.
Roy - a non-smoking entertainer and charity worker who died from lung cancer in 1994 - and David became close friends.
In 1990 The Lung Cancer Fund was founded by Professor Ray Donnelly to raise awareness of the problem of lung cancer.
Roy spent much of the last year of his life helping to raise millions of pounds for the appeal.
After his death his heroic contribution was recognised by changing the name of the charity to The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
Since Roy's death David has continued to raise money for this foundation.
“I decided then to raise money for his foundation out of respect for a very special person,” said David.
“I have great respect for a man who ended his life still flying the flag for the cause.”
David said he has met so many people through his charitable work, and the most important thing he has learned is to always say 'thank you'.
"I have met so many fascinating people," he added.
David's charitable actions have not gone unnoticed, in July 2002, he was presented by Prince Charles with the award of MBE for services to charity in North East Wales.