NBC's Ann Curry stops short of Kilimanjaro summit, heads back down

NEW YORK — The "Today" show's Ann Curry didn't make it to the top of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro.

Altitude sickness and forbidding weather forced the NBC morning show's crew to stop about 3,000 feet short of the 19,000-foot summit. They were climbing to draw attention to environmental problems, and hoped to hit the top for today's show.

Curry reported to her "Today" show colleagues Thursday that she was heading back down.

Said Curry: "Here's the bottom line: I just did not want to live with any one of us having any kind of serious injury just to get us live from the top of this mountain. It just wasn't worth it."

She described it as an unanimous decision by the five-person crew.

Said anchor Matt Lauer: "We're all proud of you and the team."