Owensboro, Ky. — A Kentucky man is hiking the highest mountain in Africa, which is over 19,000 feet above sea level, all for a noble cause.

Brandon Cox is a hiking fanatic, and often pursues his passion almost every day, carrying his backpack full of necessities along the way.

Cox said, “I got a water straw. You can drink just about anything in case you ever get lost.”

In October, Cox is taking his passion across to Africa to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, a mountain that will take almost a week to hike.

Cox said, “It’s a big hill. It’s one of the seven summits, the highest point in Africa. We’ll cover about 40 miles of ground.”

The mountain reaches nearly 20,000 feet above sea level, while Bowling Green sits just over 500 feet above sea level. Cox is training for the African altitude by hiking Kentucky’s hills, repeatedly.

Cox said, “Repetition, a big hike, a big climb is putting one foot in front of the other. As far as what I’m doing here in Kentucky, I am hitting local trails as often as I can.”

He also hikes other mountains in the United States to acclimate himself to higher elevations.

Cox said, “I’ll climb a couple of 14,000-foot peaks outside of Denver in the Rocky Mountain National Park area.”

But, this is not for a simple vacation. Cox is doing all of this, out of love, by raising $12,000 for childhood cancer research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Cox said, “I don’t touch a penny of it. All donations are directly made to St. Jude. I’ve raised $20 here, $30 there.”

Right now, he is knocking at the door of $7,000.

Cox said on his donor page for St. Jude, “As a St. Jude hero, I have chosen to climb for a reason bigger than myself, raising awareness and funds for the kids and families at St. Jude.”