Kilimanjaro climbers uplifted by success

North Country Times, San Diego, aturday, October 1, 2011 9:00 am

The pack of local hikers that hit the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro this month has returned from Africa with a new confidence and a will to continue raising money for stem-cell research.

"We are definitely capable of doing more than we think we are able to do," said Brad Arens. A 57-year-old climber from Vista, he started training in January to climb the 19,340-foot mountain with the group, Summit 4 Stem Cells.

Their achievement was not quite a miracle, but it certainly wasn't easy. Arens and two other climbers in the group have Parkinson's disease, a neurological condition that impairs movement, causing trembling, involuntary muscle stiffness and imbalance among the symptoms.