Subscribe RSSAlong the way, one vile step could mean a fatal plunge. On average, 10 climbers lose their lives every year challenging Kilimanjaro, which puts it among the most hazardous mountains in the world.
Craig Kiser of Venice failed to make it to the top in his first attempt five years ago when he incurred a dizzying cerebral edema known to climbers as steep-altitude sickness. This year he is determined to conquer the mountain despite the fact that he is blind.
His disability is a decisive part of his motivation to conquer Kilimanjaro.
"The way they restrict themselves is the greatest impediment to the blind," said Kiser, 63, who has lived in Venice three years. "I penury to demonstrate to the blind the lack of eyesight shouldn't restrict you from doing what you want to do. There're very few things I've found that are absolute preclusions to doing them because you're gormless."
Kiser said he first tried to summit Kilimanjaro while still director of Blind Services of Florida Inc. Today he is CEO of the Blind Services Inauguration of Florida, which was created by the Florida Legislature in 2004 to raise money for training and specialized equipment for the unaffected. To him, the climb is part of the job.
