My name is Mike Armstrong and this is my story of how I became a part of a team of blind hikers determined to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The eight of us and our seventeen sighted guides broke three world records In June of 2009. To my great surprise we received local, national, and international notoriety for our efforts and inspired millions. These were amazing experiences in and of themselves; but what I learned about myself was priceless.

The challenges that we all faced prior to the climb were numerous and at times seemed insurmountable. Our fundraising goal was five-hundred-thousand dollars for a school for the blind (Foundation for Blind Children) in Phoenix. The cost of the trip alone was going to be nearly one-hundred-thirty-thousand dollars. Many of us including myself had not done any hiking after the loss of our sight and did not have any of the equipment necessary to make this type of a climb. In the end we were able to overcome these challenges and have the experience of a life time.

Many people have asked me “Why would a blind person want to climb a mountain when they can’t see the view”. The main reasons for making this climb were to raise awareness and funds for the Foundation for Blind  Children and to inspire as many people as we could. My hope is to show the world that the only true handicap that any of us have is the lack of belief in oneself. I found that the adventure and the feeling of accomplishment felt upon completion was incredible and awe inspiring. I believe that all of us were given a priceless gift.

I have been asked why the twenty-five of us succeeded where more than half have failed. I think there were a few reasons we were able to summit. First we had a great expedition leader in Kevin Cherilla. He made sure that we were properly prepared for all aspects of the climb. Then our team mentality made us know that someone always had our back. This was made quite apparent when we were at the summit and the sighted guides were still calling out the terrain to their blind team mates, even though they could barely breath. Lastly, the motivation given to us through  doing something great for a worthy cause gave us the extra impetus we needed to succeed.

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