Granby01033

Hemingway wrote about it. Chris Waddell climbed it.

When he was a kid, Chris Waddell an amazing athlete. Just amazing. Versatile. Skilled. Gifted. As an adult, he's a paraplegic and handsome enough to have been named to one of People Magazine's annual lists of Most Beautiful People.

A lot of people, not to mention athletes, would struggled from able-bodied to disabled. Chris, however, seemed to consider the transition as just another obstacle to overcome. A year after he wrecked his back in a skiing accident, he returned to the slopes on a monoski. Soon after that, he went on to set a record for medaling in the Paralympics. His has been a remarkable career.

His latest achievement: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro--that's right, all 20,000 feet of Mount Kilimanjaro--with a sort of four-wheel cycle. "Named Bomba, a one-of-a-kind, 4-wheel handcycle propelled entirely be arm power. The unique handcycle steers 2 ways, via traditional hand bars and through a special pedal that sits under the chest. The One-Off provides impressive traction and control with wheels capable of maneuvering over foot-tall obstacles," says Chris's website One Revolution.

Chris was named won of the World's 50 Most Beautiful People

As a teenager, I babysat Chris and his brother Matt (an endeavor, to say the least) and umpired Chris's Little League games (one of the worst moments of my life came in a game Chris played).  I'm glad to have known him then and proud of his Granby roots.

Sandra Constantine has a nice article on Chris's mountain-climbing:

Waddell started the nonprofit One Revolution Foundation to draw attention to the capabilities of handicapped people.

“I felt my reach was never great enough,” Waddell said during a recent telephone interview from his home in Park City, Utah.

Ascending Mount Kilimanjaro is something people can identify with more than two disabled athletes competing against each other, he explained.

He trained for two years to make the ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is considered a “walkable” mountain. Ascending it does not require the use of crampons, which are climbing irons used on the feet to climb on ice and snow.

The training was more of a mental effort than a physical one, the 41-year-old athlete said. To prepare, he made trips to mountains in America’s west, including Crested Butte in Colorado. The preparation was grueling.

“I put in a lot of time, a lot of sweat and a lot of pain,” Waddell said.

Waddell, who said he does not have a spiritual or religious practice, credits the support of friends and family for his accomplishments.

After he had his skiing accident, Waddell said he came to a crossroads and decided not to let his disability interfere with what he wanted to accomplish in life.

“It is not a matter of what happens to us. It’s a matter of what we do with it,” Waddell said.

His trip up Kilimanjaro started at the gate, where hikers register in Moishi. The trek of about 25 miles up the mountain took six days. Coming down took only a day and a half.

--Mb