North Shore resident to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro

North Shore resident Craig Hammon has been trekking up the White Mountains of New Hampshire for decades, and he’s about to take on the mountaineering challenge of his lifetime: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.Hammon, of Essex and formerly of Hamilton, plans to ascend Africa’s highest peak (19,340 feet), beginning Sept. 29, and expects the climb up and down will take six days. Kilimanjaro is the world’s tallest freestanding mountain and is composed of three inactive volcanoes.It’s more than just an adventure for Hammon – it’s a mission to raise money for Cure International, the non-profit organization for which he serves as vice president. Cure International supports children’s hospitals in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi and specifically funds life-changing surgeries for children with physical disabilities.Hammon has about $70,000 more to go in donations to reach his goal of $301,000.”I have a particular heart and passion for Africa, so the ability to help these children appealed to me? I can raise a significant amount of money for these children,” Hammon said.Over 6,700 children have already received life-changing surgeries at Cure hospitals this year. Most of them suffer from club feet, cleft lip or cleft palate, hydrocephalus or spina bifida. Scoliosis, kyphosis and burn contractures are also common.Hammon, 62, climbed the White Mountains in the 1960s and ’70s and since then, his only ascent has been up Mount Chocorua in New Hampshire with his children.”I am not a mountain climber and don’t have much experience at all, which is why people may think I’m crazy,” he said of his Kilimanjaro attempt.A co-worker who is an avid climber first approached him about his idea.”I told him ‘I’m old and overweight and I can’t do this.’ And he said ‘Yes you can. It’s the power of positive thought.'”Since agreeing to climb, which he will attempt with Layton Shoemaker, vice president of major gifts for Cure International, Craig has been spending about an hour a day at the gym, biking, running, and lifting weights. He has also been doing some light hiking outdoors with a pack. Since he has started this regimen, he has lost 20 pounds and he hopes to shed a few more pounds before the climb in about five weeks.”I’m not getting any younger,” said Hammon. “I’m just clinging to the idea that it is all positive thought.”To learn more about Cure International, visit the organization’s Web site at www.cureinternational.org.