New heights

ATOP MOUNT FUJI, Japan -- Having conquered Japan's highest peak, American paraplegic mountain climber Keegan Reilly said Thursday he is already setting his sights on bigger -- and higher -- goals.

Next up, Mount Rainier. After that, maybe the highest mountain in South America.

"I want to show people what I am able to do," Reilly, 22, said from the top of the 12,385-foot Mount Fuji. "Maybe it will inspire them."

Reilly, who lost use of his legs in a car accident when he was 16, reached the top of Fuji Thursday after a four-day climb. He finished a full day earlier than he had planned, but had to deal with several unexpected obstacles.

Just after setting out with his eight man support team on Monday, a ranger stopped him and told him he was not allowed to use his four-wheeled, arm-crank driven climbing apparatus on the trail. It took eight hours to persuade the ranger to relent.

"I thought it was over," Reilly said.

Then, the steering column on his custom-made mountain bike broke. The trail itself even seemed against him. Covered with loose gravel, pumice and volcanic ash and pebbles, the path offered Reilly little traction.

"I'm very, very tired," the Alaska-native who studies at Oregon State University said as he cranked the contraption to the edge of Fuji's steep crater. "But I feel very privileged to be here."

After a round of cheers, he pulled up next to a small wooden Shinto shrine by the crater's edge and accepted congratulations from his team, which included his three brothers and an uncle.

"We are a very close family," said elder brother Levi. "That's part of what this makes this so special."

Reilly turns a crank to propel his arm-powered "Scarab" climbing apparatus, which is made of titanium tubing. The $35,000 machine is designed to roll over boulders and even climb steps.

John Nelson, Reilly's uncle, said they were equipped for contingencies just in case.

"We were ready for an even harder climb," Nelson said.

Although Reilly was believed to be the first paraplegic to climb Mount Fuji, climbers without the use of their legs have reached summits such as Rainier and Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Reilly said he chose Mount Fuji, one of the most-climbed mountains in the world, because he wanted to climb a mountain outside the United States.

Reilly also aims to scale Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America at 22,835-feet.

"I hope to climb one mountain every year," Reilly said.