NORTH COUNTY --- Two developmentally disabled men from Vista and Oceanside will get a second chance to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, 16 years after their first attempt was filmed for an award-winning television documentary that inspired thousands.

Special Olympians Garry Stubblefield of Vista and Steve Hickey of Oceanside were set to be surprised with news of the return trip Friday evening, during a reunion with several other mentally challenged athletes who were part of a team that set out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1990.

The team's efforts were the subject of an Emmy-winning film, "Let Me Be Brave," that aired on CBS. The film shows the athletes, who do not see themselves as handicapped, proving that they can reach literal and figurative heights that others never imagined.

Of the 12 Special Olympic athletes who attempted the 1990 trek, only five successfully reached the top of Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. The rest in the group made it nearly to the summit before they were forced to turn back after a major snowstorm sapped their supplies.

Now the seven who didn't complete the journey are being given a second chance by a group called World T.E.A.M. Sports, whose founder, Jim Benson, also sponsored the first trip. The acronym stands for "The Exceptional Athlete Matters."

Benson is a former board member for California Special Olympics.

The North County men have continued to shine since their 1990 journey, local Special Olympics officials said. Hickey, 41, was married May 14 and is employed by Tag Collision in San Marcos. Stubblefield, 43, is a valued employee at DJO Inc. (formerly djOrtho) in Vista.

Neither Stubblefield nor Hickey could be reached for comment Friday.

Kathy Griffin, who served as Stubblefield's coach on the 1990 trek, planned to be at Friday's reunion to surprise him with news of the return trip that will take place in January, after the athletes undergo months of training and conditioning.

"Gary is going to be overwhelmed," Griffin said. "He still lectures on his experience at Kilimanjaro -- still takes around the film and talks to various groups. Even though he didn't reach the top, he is probably one of the most motivational athletes you could meet. He just has a wonderful spirit."

Griffin said that for the 22 coaches and 12 athletes who participated in the 1990 trip, the experience was life-changing -- but the desire to reach the summit has lingered.

"It has been everybody's dream to go back," she said, adding that several of the coaches have done so over the past decade.

Roxane Thompson, the area director for Special Olympics North San Diego, said Stubblefield and Hickey were already thrilled at participating in this weekend's reunion, which will include a hike up Mt. San Jacinto in Riverside County set for today.

The two North County men will likely be over the moon about the chance to return to Africa, she said.

"What a joyful experience," said Thompson. "We're all very excited."

For more information on the trip or how to help out, call Special Olympics at (760) 941-7272.

Contact Melanie Marshall at (760) 631-6625 or mmarshall@nctimes.com.