CNN iReport

(Garmisch-Partenkirchen) While traveling in Germany with my wife and daughter, I encountered an unexpected opportunity to share an inspiring story with the iReport community and the world. After returning from a day hike in the beautiful mountains of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we stopped into the world famous ski-jump center for lunch. Trying (and failing) to overcome the language barrier to order, a young German who sitting at the next table working hard at his laptop came quickly to our aid. Only after he was joined by a companion did we notice they were wearing identical jackets and seemed to be part of a team. Curious, I asked what they were doing. "Didn't you see the vehicles outside?", one man replied. "No." I said. And he began to tell me about their amazing adventure. Unknowingly, I had encountered the 2008 World Aids Awareness Expedition. This team of 18 individuals (including athletes and support personnel) has set out to climb the highest peaks of 20 nations from Norway to South Africa, a distance of more than 24,000 kilometers, in nine weeks, in time to complete their mission on December 1st, 2008 which is World AIDS Day. At each summit, the team unfurls a banner showing the estimated number (what they refer to as the "dark number", because the often quoted number of diagnosed infections under-represents actual cases) of AIDS infected persons in the country whose peak has been conquered. The symbolism is easy to describe, and inspires hope that there is a better future. They hope that we have reached the summit of these numbers and are on the downward slope. At the time of our meeting, the team was on the mountain, the Zugspitze, which was shrouded in clouds. Known as "Cape 2 Cape" this expedition is part of a greater effort to place banners on all the highest peaks in the world and to bring awareness to this cause. The most difficult challenges likely still await them, both physically and emotionally, as they travel through Africa, the continent most affected by the AIDS crisis. On their adventure, they are living in vans provided by Volkswagen which bear the logo of the expedition and the organizations that have given their sponsorship to this meaningful cause. You can take part in this adventure in your country, by climbing the highest mountain in your nation. They keep a map of "yet to be conquered" peaks and will provide you with a banner to unfurl after an easy registration process. On Friday, 24 October, the team will be in Vatican City and hope to have an audience with the Pope, whose contraversial policies against contraception are widely thought to have a detrimental impact on the AIDS infection rate, especially in African Nations. If you see these heroes on the road, please stop and talk with them. Then go and talk about their cause to all the people you know. For more information please go to the following websites: http://www.waae.de http://c2c.kyoceramita.eu/ http://www.joachim-franz.com/ Keep climbing guys!