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Man Climbed Mount Kilamanjaro

Man Climbed Mount Kilamanjaro - Friday, November 21, 2008 at 5:26PM EST

Friday, Nov 21, 2008 @ 05:26pm EST

This week the today show dared to climb to the top of Africa 's Mount Kilamanjaro .

They didn't make it, but there's one man around here who has.

John Pooley lives in East Stroudsburg .

He talked with us about the climb of his life.

"It's something I believe that stays with most people for the rest of their lives. It has with me," says Pooley.

In 1963, Pooley helped lead a group of 60 to the top of Mount Kilamanjaro in East Africa .

That's more than 19 thousand feet high.

Pooley says, "It's a great feeling of exhilaration. You're on the roof of Africa . This is highest mountain in Africa and it's one of the highest one outside of the range of the Himalayas ."

Pooley was an instructor for the Outward Bound program.

It trained young leaders about the challenges of the environment.

At some points in the climb, he says there was a fine line between life and death.

"It depends very much upon the leadership as to whether in fact you survive or you don't," says Pooley.

You saw how difficult the climb is this week.

The Today Show crew had to stop before reaching the top.

The show was drawing attention to environmental problems and climate change.

Pooley says recent pictures of ice at the peak are different from his journey.

He says, "It's sad of course to see the pristine nature of a wilderness environment like this should have been so may i say contaminated."

But that doesn't tarnish Pooley's memories.

This room is filled with keepsakes from his time in Africa .

Lasting reminders of that trip to the top.

Pooley made that journey when he was 32-years old.

He's a former professor at East Stroudsburg University.