Atlanta man hikes Mount Kilimanjaro fundraising for Piedmont Park

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - This month, an Atlanta man summited Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

“It was awesome. That summit day is hard, no way around it. Big sense of accomplishment,” said Settlage, who returned to Atlanta in mid-July.

David Settlage, of Midtown, made the 8-day trek as part of a fundraising effort to support Piedmont Park.

At more than 19,000 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

Settlage has raised more than $20,000 for the Piedmont Park Conservancy.

The online fundraiser is running through the end of July.

Settlage makes a point to regularly walk at Piedmont Park. He said it was important for him to give back as part of his effort to hike Kilimanjaro.

“I come to this park every day. I bring my dog every day. My family enjoys it. And it just seemed like the right thing to do. This place is amazing and I wanted to do my small part of just keeping it that way,” Settlage said in an interview this week with CBS46.

His trip was 100% self-funded so all proceeds from the fundraiser go to the park. He initially set a goal of $10,000 – but quickly, the community helped him surpass that goal.

Settlage said the money will go towards making Piedmont Park more safe, clean, green, and accessible to everyone.

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