SoCal Boy Climbs North America's Highest Peak To Raise Funds For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

As with most boys in his age, Tyler Armstrong loves to climb. But unlike most boys his age, the teenager loves to climb mountains.

This past summer, Armstrong summited Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America. It is also known to be one of the most challenging mountains to climb because of its isolation.

At 13, he has already conquered five of the seven great summits of the world — a feat for even the most seasoned mountain climber. At the age of 9, Armstrong was the youngest person to have summited Mount Aconcagua. He was the second youngest to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 8.

What makes the Yorba Linda native's mission to climb each of the seven summits — the tallest mountain on each continent — special is that he's doing to raise awareness and funds for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that affects around 300,000 boys worldwide each year, according to medical experts.

Those affected by the disease often don't live past their 20s. And there is no cure for the disease.

Armstrong became interested in raising funds for Duchenne after meeting with boys who have the disease. Those boys were tired easily and couldn't be as active as him.

Armstrong said he was able to empathize with these kids after a hard day of climbing one day.

"In one day we went from 12,500 feet to higher than 18,000 feet and my legs were so tired," he said on his fundraising website. "I know what the kids with Duchenne feel when their legs don’t do what they want them to do."

Armstrong summited Denali in Alaska on June 23, 2016, but the video of his journey was only released Friday by GoPro to coincide with Denali National Park and Preserve's 100th birthday, which is Sunday.

Armstrong wants to raise $1 million for Duchenne muscular dystrophy by the time he summited all seven mountains. He has set up a fundraising website, climbtocureduchenne.org, to document each of his climbs and to raise awareness for the disease.

Photo courtesy of GoPro.