Brian Hart of Washington has one goal these days: helping his brother see a sunrise over Mount Kilimanjaro before he goes blind.

The 39-year-old civil engineer for the state Department of Transportation and father of two has been endurance training for months in preparation for the early August climb of the tallest peak in Africa.

"This is all about my brother," he explained.

His younger brother, Brad Hart, suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disorder that eventually causes blindness. The younger Mr. Hart, a school principal in Reading, was diagnosed at the age of 14 and is nearly blind, with just five percent of his vision left. Doctors have told him he will likely lose his eyesight within the next several years.

The eight-day climb will be a challenge for 38-year-old Brad Hart, especially the last leg, which requires 20 continuous hours of climbing, including about six hours in the dark. Beginning the final ascent at midnight is the only way to be assured of seeing a sunrise at the summit.

Mr. Hart will be completely sightless during the night climb, because loss of night vision was one of the first symptoms he experienced early on. He will have to rely on verbal cues and assistance from his brother to make it.

Sunrises over Mt. Kilimanjaro are famous. Climbers experience the sweltering desert temperatures from the arid plains of northeast Tanzania, as well as arctic-like conditions as they near the top of the 19,340 foot mountain.

One of the largest inactive volcanoes of its kind in the world, Mt. Kilimanjaro, near the Kenya border, has a certain mystique and became well-known as the setting for Ernest Hemingway's 1936 short story, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro."

An experienced mountain climber, hiker and outdoorsman, Brian Hart can't wait to climb it and experience the sunrise with his brother.

"Climbing [mountains], you see the most amazing sites with the sunrises and sunsets," he said. "He will have that in his memory forever."

The Hart brothers will be making the climb with their friend Kirk Parry of Buffalo, Wyo. The three grew up together in the Greensburg area before being separated by their jobs.

They came up with the idea for the climb in January, after Brian Hart and Mr. Parry climbed Mt. Rainier in Washington and heard about the annual "Climb for Sight" fundraiser to combat childhood blindness.

Sponsored by the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of Pennsylvania, a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing avoidable blindness in developing countries, the climb raises funds and awareness.

Each participant is asked to raise $10,000, and so far, Brian Hart said his three-man group has raised about $21,000.

Though some climbs require intense technical training to traverse glacier-covered peaks and other obstacles, Mt. Kilimanjaro is considered a non-technical climb that tests endurance.

"His sheer determination and will alone" will help propel Brad Hart up the mountain, Brian Hart said.

Still, the Harts and Mr. Parry have been meeting at least once a month for intense training sessions.

They also train individually on local mountain ranges, and in Brian Hart's case, by racing up the 36 flights of steps at the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning with a 40-pound pack strapped on his back.

The team also practiced together recently by blindfolding themselves to determine how best to be in synch with each other.

"We really want to try to get in tune with his needs," Brian Hart said of his brother.

Next month, they plan to travel to Denver to practice scaling the Rocky Mountains to acclimate to high-altitude climbing.

Brian Hart said he's proud of his brother's determination and dedication to training.

"It's just amazing to see how he can get along on a trail," he said.

The men have been maintaining a blog, which will be updated as they climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, at www.act-2009.blogspot.com.

To donate to the optometric organization, visit www.voshpa.org.