Spencer West has no legs, so he walked on his hands. All the way up Mt. Kilimanjaro! Word came last night that West has reached Uhuru Peak in Tanzania, the highest altitude in Africa. From his blog:
The moment the summit was within sight... it was incredible. We looked around - me, David and Alex - and realized that, after seven grueling days of relentless climbing, after 20,000 feet of our blood, sweat and tears (and, let's face it, vomit) we had actually made it. We were at the top. The summit sign seemed almost like a mirage.
Then it sunk in. We made it. To the top of the mountain. The mountain that I promised to the world I would climb. The bleeding fingers and blisters were all worth it. I looked at the guys, my two buddies who dreamed up this crazy plan with me, and realized we actually finished what we started.
Then we had a really manly moment, collapsed into a heap, and shed a tear (or two, but don't tell my mom). There we were: me and my two best friends in the entire world, sitting together at the top of Africa, the continent that had taught us so much about compassion, humility and the power of we.
His climb was not only a personal accomplishment, but it raised funds for West's charity, Free The Children. Link -via The Daily What
His announcement can be heard in a video from the BBC. Link
Newest 3 Comments
His legs are really behind that rock.
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Cool for him. Too bad he didn't do it last year before they replaced the sign. The new sign looks like it belongs on any random interstate exit in the US.
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He seems to have kept a very positive attitude during the teleporter malfunction.
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