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This story was written by CBS News correspondent Karen Brown. Brown first profiled paraplegic mountain climber Chris Waddell in a Sept. 20 story for the "CBS Evening News" and CBSNews.com. We've been posting his blogs and our own, following his summit attempt.

Chris Waddell has made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro – as it has never been done before. Senior producer John Mondello and I were some of the first to speak to him. He sounded exhausted but contented. He said the view from the 19,340-foot summit was incredible.

It took him three days and about 22 hours of pedaling to push through the last three miles. The dense scree and sand at the top of the mountain made the going extremely difficult and slow – all at about a 45 degree angle. Chris said that he was moving about a yard a minute at one point; it was that difficult.

His friend Bob More tells me "the final 3000 feet up …were hard to walk up, never mind ride." He also said that "there were hundreds of moments that anyone else would have said, 'Forget it.' Chris just kept going."

I asked Chris what kept him going and he said that it wasn't just about him. He said that so many had poured themselves into the project, that he didn't want to let them down, so when he wanted to quit he didn't.

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Chris Waddell was the subject of a recent "CBS Evening News" story. He's attempting to become the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. His latest blog was submitted Sept. 28, 2009.

Writing from 18-thousand feet on what promises to be a pretty chilly evening.

Left at 6am with a variety of expectations. Consensus had us staying at Hans-Meyer. That looked optimistic after our first adventure on the winch. The first quarter mile took about an hour and a half. Soon thereafter we moved to the boards and picked up the pace considerably. I decided to push on past Hans-Meyer at just past 12:30.

Some of the terrain that I rode on the boards absolutely amazed me. I had thoughts of sleeping in the crater. Then we started the push past Gilman’s Point. As I rode the boards, my front wheels became light – something I thought I would only experience on slick rock.

As I covered the last 50 yards in at least a half hour, I had the vague thought that this must be what it is like to drown within reach of shore.

The day's end mocked me as I attempted to reach it in two to four foot increments.

Bob, Nate and I are snuggled into our tent 18-thousand feet.

The line of sun long departed up and the temperature is dropping, the wind rising and we are optimistic for a summit push tomorrow.
Waddell Summit Update, 9/25
Waddell Summit Update, 9/23
Waddell Summit Update, 9/21 Late
See Karen Brown's profile of Chris Waddell
Read Karen Brown's profile of Chris Waddell

Chris Waddell was the subject of a recent CBS Evening News story. He's attempting to become the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. His blog below was submitted Sept. 23, 2009.

We've dubbed the new vehicle Kubwa, which means huge or really huge in Swahili depending on inflection. I'd hoped to call it son of a bomba, but no one else seemed to see the humor as much as I did, and "huge" really seems appropriate for this vehicle with its wheels straight out of a monster truck rally.

We've just left Mobility Care, which will manufacture our donated wheelchairs. After the climb we'll meet the first three wheelchair recipients. To me, this is as exciting as our climb of Kili, for which we're now driving to the Marangu Hotel for an early morning start.

Waddell's Summit Update, Late 9/21
Waddell's Summit Update 9/21
See Karen Brown's profile of Chris Waddell
Read Karen Brown's Blog

I don't think that I'm a typical wheelchair user. It's funny that my life didn't take an obvious turn after my accident--whatever that means. I realize that I'm a participant in not taking an obvious path, but I'm also the product of some great opportunities.

Many people aided me from doctors, nurses, family, friends, and total strangers. We just never know what twists and turns our lives will take. With our Mobilty Care relationship and with the climb and documentary film I hope that we can provide some twists and turns for people who'd long ago assumed an obvious straight path.

As I lay in bed last night unable to sleep with anticipation, I wondered how I could find that quiet place that would allow me to rest, to relax, and to nod off.

I wondered if it was a person, a memory, maybe just counting backwards from 1000 by 3's. Nothing soothed the disquiet, until I thought, I need help. Ease finally came.

As my friend Nate, our doctor on the trip, and resident Kubwa said, "If you
don't ask for help, we don't have a purpose."

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Chris Waddell was the subject of a recent CBS Evening News story. He's attempting to become the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. His blog below was submitted late Sept. 21, 2009.

So it’s finally happening.

We arrived today after 29 hours of traveling. Two stops, fairly easy. I’m excited, nervous and my world has shrunk from grand dreams to those elements essential to traveling to Africa, reaching the 19,340-foot summit, documenting it and donating wheelchairs and a handcycle.

It feels strange when months of preparation and dreams boil down to one moment or at least one finite period of time that holds the key for the future. Kilimanjaro is the linchpin. After two years of work, this is the beginning, or hopefully the beginning.

Each night, the magnitude of that thought has yanked me from sleep. My chest tightens as I consider the altitude. All of my old demons, worries and fears want their due. Facing those insecurities might be as good reasons as any to climb the mountain.

Waddell's Summit Update 9/21
See Karen Brown's profile of Chris Waddell
Read Karen Brown's Blog

As an organization, we’ve set goals to change the landscape for people with disabilities, and to give opportunities to people who don’t have many, but there’s also a personal journey for me that I’ve had difficulty articulating.

During the lead up to the climb, I’ve tried to drop my shield when telling the story - something that makes me feel more vulnerable yet honest too. In the past, I had hidden behind the persona that I’d created by leaving the hospital for Middlebury two months after my accident and by winning a fair number of races during my career.

While I enjoyed the persona of overcoming all odds, it’s not entirely true. This project has been a struggle physically, emotionally, financially, and in almost every other way. I don’t like to be vulnerable. I’d love to know that I’ve prepared in such a way that nothing can derail me. I don’t. I think we have a really good shot, but this journey about achieving a level of honesty that let’s me enjoy the moment. I don’t want to hide behind some persona - my mountain is to try not to.

Please follow us as we climb. We start our ascent on September 24th and will hopefully summit on the 28th. We should be back down on the 30th .

We really appreciate all of your support. It will be heartening to know that you are on our side when it’s cold and dark on the mountain - actually it’s heartening when it’s warm and sunny before I leave.

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Chris Waddell was the subject of a recent CBS Evening News story. He's attempting to become the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. His blog below was submitted Sept. 21, 2009.

We're here. Everything arrived but the rigs and Dave Penney's gear, which should arrive tomorrow evening on the next flight from Amsterdam. Not having the rigs will make things more challenging, but that's why we built in a couple of days before the climb.

It was really nice to get on the plane after the frenetic pace of getting ready, but the inactivity was difficult too. Movies, books and sleep were not quite enough to rest my fitful mind which is continually working out mountain scenarios. I know that part of my personal goal is to quiet my mind, but it's more difficult when there's no physical action. Ah, the lessons begin before the mountain.

The team is tremendous as always. Director Amanda Stoddard, director of photography Patrick Reddish, cinematographer Mike Stoner, and multiple media manager Ryan Gass are excited, prepared, and capturing footage along the way.

See Karen Brown's profile of Chris Waddell
Read Karen Brown's Blog

For security reasons they weren't able to catch Bob More, in flip flops, giving me a piggyback down the stairs from the plane to Tarmac. Bob, who was a fraternity brother and is the President of the One Rev board, and Nate Bryan, who ski raced with me at Middlebury and is our doctor, are new additions to the team. Along with Expedition Manager Dave Penney, it's a great group that has weathered the day and a half of travel from U.S. Mountain West to slightly sub-equatorial Tanzania.

The air was a soft, smooth 80 degrees as we disembarked into a deep darkness absent of street lights or almost any other lights.

I'm writing in the Rover as we drive from the remote airport to the busy city of Arusha. Meeting our drivers, Peter and Kihigo, with hugs and handshakes felt like a homecoming after our previous two trips. The more people we get to know, the more connected we are to Africa and
Tanzaia.

I hope for quality rest before the street corner preacher with the speakers, I'm sure he'll still be there, starts his sermon at about 5am tomorrow morning. From the big, deep dark sky, to the friends, the Rovers and even that early morning preacher, we're feeling comfortable and ready.

Karen Brown is a correspondent for CBS News, and blogged about Chris Waddell - as he attempts the first paraplegic summit of Kilimanjaro

The count down is on. Chris Waddell has arrived Kenya, without his gear, but safe and sound.

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A new report (PDF) today from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo revealed that big banks – including the recipients of billions in taxpayer-funded bailouts – paid their employees massive bonuses regardless of how the banks performed.

Correspondent Kelly Wallace is covering the story for tonight's "CBS Evening News". Earlier today, she discussed the report and previewed tonight's story in a conversation with CBSNews.com editor-in-chief Dan Farber.

The most striking thing about the race is how loud it is. Ear-splitting, popping engines pull up to the starting line, and you have to yell to be heard above the din. The men, seated on their sputtering vehicles, are outfitted in helmets and boots and in some cases, knee pads and neck braces. This is a small town - about 200 residents - and close to 25 percent of the town will be racing today. Everyone knows everyone, if they're not blood relatives.

The race starts and they circle the baseball diamond on a dirt track, going 50, 60 miles per hour, and the air becomes cloudy with dust. Now your eyes hurt and your ears ring but you can't stop laughing, because the sight of 50 grown men folded into their John Deere lawnmowers and hurtling themselves at top speed through the park is something you've never seen before.

CBS News and USA Today have launched a week-long series "Children of the Recession," which looks at the impact on children from the nation's economic woes. Complete coverage for the series is at the Children of the Recession page.

A new CBS News poll poll found nearly four-in-ten parents say the recession is affecting the lives of their children. Nearly a-third of parents say the recession has had a lot of impact on their family. And at some point over the past six months, 60 percent of parents have had to tell their kids they might not have as much money to spend as they used to. Two-thirds of parents believe children lacking health insurance is a very serious problem.

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Katie's off today. I'm Maggie Rodriguez.

It was a major catalyst for our independence from Britain: the tea party in Boston harbor 235 years ago. And it seems Americans have been grumbling about their paying taxes ever since ... just not quite like this.

A grassroots campaign that started in Seattle just two months ago has spread across the internet at cyber-speed. The result: hundreds of rallies in all 50 states today. These tea parties -- an acronym for Taxed Enough Already -- gave taxpayers a chance to voice their outrage over what they see as out of control government spending with so much of their money handed out in the stimulus package.

On this final day to file our tax returns, the cry is not "taxation without representation" -- but like in that first tea party in Boston, many Americans today are fed up. They want politicians to hear them and they want to send a message to bailed out companies that the party's over.