Yorba Linda Boy, 9, Breaks Record With Aconcagua Mountain Climb
YORBA LINDA (CBSLA.com) — A nine-year-old Yorba Linda boy has become the youngest person to ever crest Argentina's Aconcagua mountain.
Tyler Armstrong got a hero's welcome on Tuesday night, a week after completing his historic trek.
The fourth-grader set the world record when he stood at the top of the mountain, at 22,841 feet, on Christmas Eve.
He was accompanied by his dad, Kevin Armstrong, who couldn't be more proud about his son's three-week expedition - one so treacherous Peruvian authorities required Tyler to get a special permit. The legal age to make the trek is 14.
"Sometimes it was at bit scary. Because there was ice, and then water going down the ice," Tyler told KCAL9's Stacey Butler.
It wasn't their first climb, however. Tyler also summited Mount Kilimanjaro when he was eight.
His motivation is to find a cure for the progressive muscle wasting disease called Duchenne, which impacts one in 3,500 boys. Few live past the age of 18.
"I can walk but they can't so I wanted to help them so they can do what I can do," he explained.
Tyler's father, meanwhile, is beaming with pride.
"I'm proud of Tyler for having accomplished his goals and I'm proud of him for having set a record. But what I'm most proud of him is that he has a big heart and he really does it for others," Kevin Armstrong said.
Tyler said what he would most like in 2014 is for everyone to donate money to help find a cure for Duchenne. He hopes to raise $1 for every step he climbs.
"I want one day for the boys with Duchenne to hike with me," he said.
For information on how you can help, visit TopWithTyler.com.
