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American Morning

Disabled Group to Climb Kilimanjaro

Aired August 14, 2001 - 09:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: : Get ready to be inspired. These are no ordinary athletes -- they're extraordinary. Five of them are blind, one is a cancer survivor whose arm has been amputated, one is deaf. They're preparing to climb one of the highest mountains in the world together, and they are our guests this morning.

It would be a challenge for any athlete to do this. Seven disabled hikers plan to begin their trek up Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, two weeks from today. Volunteer guides will help along the way. We are joined live from New York this morning by four members of this incredible group: Thomas Cobb, Eddie Montanez, Ivonne Mosquera and Julius Wilson. They're all members of the Achilles Track Club.

Lady and gentlemen, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

GROUP: Good morning.

KAGAN: We'll get to the disabled part of the story in a second, but first, I think anybody who hears about a group climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the question is why -- why would you want to do that?

Eddie, I'm going to start with you because with a last name like Montanez, you have it in your last name. You can't help yourself, can you?

(LAUGHTER)

EDDIE MONTANEZ, ACHILLES TRACK CLUB: Well, I was born in Puerto Rico but I didn't climb any mountains. You see, it's a challenge. When they told me about the opportunity to do this. I just wanted to go and participate. And I think it's -- I've never done anything like this before. So, why not?

KAGAN: Very good. I think the obvious question is how the disability will play into it to hinder you guys, but I want to turn it around and ask what do you bring to it? I would think especially the sight-impaired climbers, you're going to have a whole different experience than sighted climbers would have.

Ivonne, why don't you address that?

IVONNE MOSQUERA, ACHILLES TRACK CLUB: I think it's going to be interesting because we'll focus a lot on taking in the environment, what's around us, using our other senses. Balance definitely plays a major role in following our guides and judging how far we need to stretch our legs. Distance -- when do you move to the next rock. So you know, the smaller things that you tend not to really pay attention to.

KAGAN: Julius, as I understand it, you are also are blind. A lot of people go on this to see things, and they would ask, well, why would you go on a trek like this if you're not going to see things?

JULIUS WILSON, ACHILLES TRACK CLUB: Well, you really don't see with your eyes. You actually see with your mind. See, we're not actually blind. You know, you see with your mind, you focus with your eyes. So what we are is out of focus. So it's all a mental thing for us. It's really absorbing what's around you.

You can take the wind, you can take the sights, you can take the feel, you can take the climate. So we see it quite well, we just see it differently than you do.

KAGAN: Thomas, let's bring you in here. As we mentioned, you're an amputee and a cancer survivor. After battling and surviving cancer, I would imagine climbing a mountain isn't as difficult a task as a lot of us would think.

THOMAS COBB, ACHILLES TRACK CLUB: No, that's true, and good morning.

KAGAN: Good morning.

COBB: I think our team, you know, we have a lot of abilities and disabilities here, but what's unique about our team is together we're a whole and we're ready for the challenges and we're looking forward to it.

KAGAN: Ivonne, now let's bring you back in. Let's talk about some of the challenges. Of course, it's an incredible challenge unto itself to climb this mountain, but what are some of the special things you're having to take into account, and how you'll be doing it differently than climbers who might be sighted or are not disabled?

MOSQUERA: Well, what I've noticed from our practice hikes is actually that hiking down is quite challenging for me.

KAGAN: Really, the going down is harder than going up?

MOSQUERA: Yes, the going down. The going up, we'll be actually holding onto ropes that are attached to our guide's backpacks, so we'll need to figure out, you know, what distance between us and the guide's backpacks works best, and it's going to be different for each us. I talked a little bit about balance, but again, on the hike down -- you know, where you sighted people can jump from one rock to the other, you can decide what you want to jump over or not -- some of that, I found out I had to do, you know, actually squatting from one rock down to the next rock. Sometimes a little bit of nervousness and not being sure of the distance between different things. Squeezing through trees. You know, finding out that, oh, look, there's a tree net to your left and you can actually hold onto it to hoist yourself up or down. So we'll look for whatever we can use, basically.

KAGAN: I bet when you do that, your quads speak to you quite loudly, don't they?

MOSQUERA: Yes, but our hill repeats have worked on our quads quite well.

KAGAN: Well, Eddie, tell me about some of the training you've been doing for this. You guys are not doing this lightly. There's been a lot of preparation -- not just in trying to figure out how to work with your guides, but just physical preparation.

MONTANEZ: We've been training, doing hills, repeats, with the Achilles. Adrienne (ph) is the coach and she's been really working us really hard on Tuesday nights -- that's when we meet in the park. And we do quite a bit of hill repeats.

One of the trainers, Fabian, he's coming with us and he's been working -- he also has climbed Kilimanjaro, I think, several months ago, so he knows what kind of things we need to be doing to prepare for this trip. So he's been working us really hard, like, for quads and push-ups and sit-ups and -- let me tell you, the next day we feel it well, I feel it.

KAGAN: I bet. The mountain climb is going to be the vacation (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with all this preparation.

And, Julius, let's wrap it up with you. Of the people who tried to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, only 25 to 30 percent make it to the top. When you guys make it to the top, what are you dreaming of doing?

WILSON: Actually, I really just want to take the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and really just hug it and realize that we actually did it. Whether all of us make it or not, it's just -- everyone makes it, whether you make to the top or not, because really we're all a link in a plug that's going to push it to the top, so we're all one unit. Whether one of us make it or all of us make it, it's one solid team and we're just going to put it together.

KAGAN: And a challenge for all of us to learn. It's about the journey, isn't it?

WILSON: Exactly.

KAGAN: Journey, not the destination. We all have that lesson to learn. Well, congratulations to all four of you. We wish you well.

I'm going to extend the invitation right now -- when you get back down, come back and pay us a visit. We'd love to hear about your journey.

Thank you so much. Safe travels.

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