Paraplegic Athlete Chris Waddell Prepares For Kilimanjaro

Way back in last November I wrote about Chris Waddell, who is a paraplegic climber preparing to make an attempt on Kilimanjaro. At the time, he was scheduled to go in March of this year, but that attempt had to be postponed until the fall, and now he's gearing up to finally make his bid to become the first person to summit the mountain under his own power, but without the use of his legs.

It looks like the Outside Blog will be following Chris' Kili climb, and they've posted a brief story, which includes a video, on their site about his preparation. Chris and his team went to Tanzania in June to scout the mountain and test out a specially designed, self-powered vehicle that will hopefully carry him to the top. They also tested a winch system that will assist in the process as well. Check out the video below to see how Waddell will make go up the highest mountain in Africa, which stands at 19,340 feet.

This is such a cool and inspiring story, and it should be fun to follow the adventure. I can tell you from having been to Kili that the rocks that he'll face as he gets closer to the top are no small obstacle, and it will be an unbelievable challenge. But Chris is an amazing athlete, and he is determined to see the summit. Lets hope he gets there! Check out Chris' blog for more info and updates.