8-year-old CA explorer attempts to climb Africa's highest peak

Photos

8-year-old CA explorer attempts to climb Africa's highest peak

see larger image

uploaded by Sharon Raiford Bush

While most kids his age are spending their summer vacation kicking it at day camp, riding bicycles around their neighborhood or exploring adventures in their own backyard, an eight-year-old Californian has his sights set on a much larger picture.

Little Tyler Armstrong, a resident of Yorba Linda, is currently undergoing extensive training in preparation for an unforgettable trip abroad, where he will attempt on July 1 to become the second youngster to ever climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak on the continent of Africa.

In 2006, Jordan Romero, successfully tackled Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 10. Three years later, the Big Bear Lake, CA, native pulled himself up into the record books by becoming the youngest human to ever climb the seven continents' highest mountains.

Ascending Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano that towers the sky at 19,341 feet above sea level, will be a risky trek for the snaggletoothed Tyler and his adult companions due to the mountain's breathtaking elevation, frigid temperatures and unpredictable gusts of wind.

Even the most experienced trekkers suffer from altitude sickness, shortness of breath, pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, hypothermia and severe headaches.

But none of the negative predictive values seems to faze Tyler as his concerted efforts to venture into world record books will also help raise awareness for a killer muscle disease that affects one in every 3,600 boys.

To read the entire news article at Examiner.com, follow this link.