From ABC News in Australia:A visually-impaired woman from Toowoomba in southeast Queensland will attempt to set a world record this month when she climbs Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.
Janet Etchells, 43, is one of five blind Australians and three blind South Africans taking part in the 'High Sight Expedition'.
The 200-kilometre return trek is expected to take seven days.
Ms Etchells says it will be a new record if all eight visually-impaired climbers make it to the top."There isn't actually a previous ratified record," she said.
"An attempt was made in 2002 of five people but not all of them made it, so this is actually setting the benchmark."
Ms Etchells says Mt Kilimanjaro has a well-worn track but it will be tough work summiting Africa's highest peak.
"The interesting thing about Kilimanjaro is there's about a 60 degree difference in temperature from the bottom to the top," she said.
"We'll start off in temperatures similar to what we're experiencing here in town at the moment and at the top of it, it can get to minus 30 [degrees Celsius].
"It starts off in rain forest, very similar I believe to around the mountains at Cunningham's Gap and places like that, and the top of it's snow-capped."
The Australian members of the team fly out on Sunday night to Johannesburg where they will meet the South African climbers.
Ms Etchells will be climbing with her sighted-guide, Janet Wilson, also from Toowoomba.
"Each vision-impaired person has a sighted-guide because obviously I can't take my guide dog with me," Ms Etchells said.
"We've done a lot of training over the last five or six months including altitude simulation training and general fitness training. I think a lot of it is mental as well."
She says she is determined to make it to the top.
"I've always liked a challenge," she said.
"I've also always liked to prove to the world that just because you can't see doesn't mean you can't do anything.
"People seem to have an idea that I should be sitting at home in the dark weaving baskets or something whereas it's far from the case."
