Pa. climbers will take on Kilimanjaro for charity

Since he was a teenager, Berks County school principal Brad Hart has been going blind slowly, and within five years it's likely he'll have no sight.

Today, he leaves for a trip to Africa, where he hopes to catch the sight of a lifetime and help others in his predicament along the way.

The 38-year-old, his older brother, and a childhood friend plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, an eight-day trek that ends with a six-hour ascent through darkness, capped by a sunrise at the 19,340-foot summit.

Hart, who has always loved watching sunrises and sunsets, also is making the trip to raise money for eye surgeries for children in Guatemala.

He and his brother Brian, 40, an engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation who still lives in the Pittsburgh area where they grew up, and friend Kirk Parry, 41, a rancher in Wyoming, have brought in $37,000 so far.

"That's my driving passion right now: being able to save sight for other children," said Brad Hart, father of four children ages 5 to 11.

Hart, principal of Whitfield Elementary School in the Wilson School District, learned of his eye disorder during a physical when he was a wrestler in junior high school.

He has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disorder that affects the retina and that affects about 1 in 4,000 people in the United States.

Over the years, Hart said, his peripheral vision has decreased to less than five degrees, and he suffers from night blindness. He has difficulty making out the facial features of someone sitting across the table.

It's also difficult for him to make out the path in front of him.

So the climb up Africa's highest mountain, with its rain forest, moorland, alpine desert, and finally rocky and icy terrain, will be particularly difficult for him.

"Every step I take is a challenging step, but we've come up with some techniques to help," he said.

His brother plans to wear reflective stickers on the back of his clothes, and the men will use headlamps to help Hart find his way. Brian Hart and Parry also will call out cues, as the three practiced during climbs in Colorado about a month ago.

They call out, for example: "Step up. Step left. Step over. Tree root."

Hart also talked with Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind climber to reach the top of Mount Everest, a feat he accomplished in 2001.

Weihenmayer advised Hart to put his hand on one of his fellow climbers on the way down, have each of his cohorts wear a bell on a wrist so it will be easier to track them, and keep his hands flexible on his climbing poles to make quick adjustments.

The men are taking one of the slower routes to the summit to account for the extra time it may take Hart, but also because it will increase the chance of reaching the top.

Hart said support from his church members and school had buoyed him. Members of West Lawn United Methodist plan a 24-hour-a-day prayer vigil for Hart during the climb. His students ran a bake sale to raise money, and parents orchestrated a campaign of their own.

He has been training for the trip for six months, including hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He and his brother have practiced together every other weekend. This will be Hart's first major climb.

His brother and Parry have had more experience: They scaled Mount Rainier in Washington last summer and came up with the idea of the Kilimanjaro trip after learning about the sight-charity climb.

The money raised will go to Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, which is organizing Climb for Sight 2009. No other climbers on the trip have vision problems. Donations can be made through the trio's Web site: act-2009.blogspot.com.

Hart hopes to stay in touch with family members by phone during the climb, and they will post updates on the Web site, he said.

About 25,000 climbers attempt the Kilimanjaro ascent every year.

Hart said 30 to 50 percent make it, and he plans to be one of them. Parry doesn't doubt it. He's inspired by his friend's willpower: "You can just see the determination in every step."