An American mountaineer who lost the use of his legs in a car accident seven years ago resumed his slow but steady ascent of Mount Fuji on Tuesday, after a nearly disastrous first day on Japan's highest mountain.

Keegan Reilly, using a custom-made device resembling a three-wheeled mountain bike, began pulling himself up the slopes of the 3,776-meter (12,385-foot) peak early Monday.

The 22-year-old soon ran into problems _ a safety ranger on the trail stopped him and the eight members of his support team.

``First, he said we had to stop because bad weather was expected,'' said Gardener Robinson of Outdoor Japan, one of the climb's sponsors. ``Then he told us that we had to stop the climb because mountain bikes aren't allowed on the trail.''

But the team persuaded the ranger to let them continue, and have since moved faster than planned. Reilly, who lives in Portland, Oregon, had reached 2,799 meters (9,330 feet) by Tuesday morning and was expected to put in another 150 meters (500 feet) before calling it a day.

Weather and strength permitting, Reilly and his team hope to reach the summit on Thursday, roughly two days earlier than expected.

Reilly, originally from Soldotna, Alaska, turns a crank to propel his arm-powered, three-wheeled contraption, made of titanium tubing. The US$35,000 machine is designed to roll over boulders and even climb steps.

He set off Monday morning from an elevation of about 5,460 feet (1,656 meters), and climbed about 900 feet (273 meters) before camping on the rocky trail in a sleeping bag beneath a starry sky.

More than 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year during the July-August climbing season, making it one of the most-climbed peaks in the world.

Since losing his legs in a 1996 car accident, Reilly has also climbed Colorado's Mount Elbert at 4,379 meters (14,435 feet) and California's Mount Shasta at 4,296 meters (14,162 feet).

Close

Today's Top News		Top Lifestyle News
+Need for stable yuan stressed ( 2003-09-02) +Media shakeup: Publish what readers want - or perish ( 2003-09-02) +200,000 troops to go, upgrade on battle tech ( 2003-09-02) +Flood forces 100,000 to evacuate ( 2003-09-02) +Beijing courts announce major changes ( 2003-09-02)		+Paraplegic climber scales Japan's Mount Fuji using only arms ( 2003-09-02) +Cholera closes fish stalls at Hong Kong supermarket chain ( 2003-09-02) +Chinese scientists to start expedition to North Pole ( 2003-09-02) +Chinese tigers fly to Africa for wilderness training ( 2003-09-02) +Little big man ( 2003-09-02)