Blind man to thru-hike with talking GPS and no dog.

[Panzer1]

This year I met a SOBO in PA who didn't have any legs from the knees down. So, if he can hike the entire trail without legs, I guess a blind guy with 2 good legs should do well enough.

Good luck to all those who are on the trail.

Panzer

[Appalachian Tater]

To feel the air rise from the valley below; to listen to the sounds and smell the breeze; to experience many of the things that the sighted may not fully appreciate.

And most importantly, to urinate over the edge of the cliff into the void.

[Lone Wolf]

there is no void. it's only a 12 foot drop

[Tin Man]

And most importantly, to urinate over the edge of the cliff into the void.

Nice.....NOT

[minnesotasmith]

with this guy? Anyone know?

[Tin Man]

He postponed until March 2009.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31855

[DiverDan]

Hello,

I exchanged some email with Mike recently, and he has had to put off his
start until March 2009. He is still most definitely planning on hiking the
AT. I sincerely hope he does, and I hope to join him for a few days when he
passes through my part of the country. I won't be much help to him as I am
also totally blind, but I'm sure he would appreciate the company.

I've just read most of this thread and am pretty stunned by all the
misinformation, assumptions, and yes, even some bigotry. Firstly, it seems
that a lot of people think that "being" blind is as if you were to just close
your eyes one day and all those fears and lack of ability stay with you for
ever. It doesn't really work that way. Just like anything, you eventually
learn to deal with it. Think of it this way, if I grabbed a guy off the
street, who had never even been in an airplane before, and I stuck him in the
pilot's seat of an aircraft two miles out from the end of the runway, I bet
he would be pretty scared, and would probably crash the plane. However, if
he received, say forty years of training on piloting an aircraft, he would
probably become pretty competent at it. Being blind is no different. I've
been blind for over 30 years, I have managed to pick up a thing or two during
that time. Take a sighted person and put a blindfold on them and chances are
that they wouldn't manage to walk ten steps down the trail. Take a blind
person who has been doing that for 30 or 40 years, and they will do just
fine. Don't put all your fears and doubts on someone else just because you
can't imagine how they do something.

Secondly, some of you seem to think that Mike expects the GPS system to keep
him dead center in the trail, guiding every foot step. GPS isn't that
accurate, nor are the recorded points on the trail. However, you seem to
ignore the fact that he will also be carrying a 3 pound supercomputer with
him, his brain! It will be his brain, his feet, his trekking poles that will
give him the information about the next step, the GPS will just be telling
him he is in the correct general location and heading in the correct
direction.

Much has been made about specific "dangerous" areas of the
trail. Guess what, he won't be using the GPS to tell him that there is a
ledge six inches in front of him. He will use the GPS to tell him that he is
approaching, a hundred yards, from that difficult area. At that point, he
will become much more careful with every step.

those of you who implied that Bill Irwin was lead by the hand, that his guide
dog placed every step for him, or that he had people with him most of the way
have probably not read his book, and most certainly haven't spoken with him
as I have. Bill did hike with people along the way, just like most people do
at some point along the trail. He also spent days at a time, hiking alone.
He started the hike completely solo and went days before he met anyone.

As for those of you who say Mike is being irresponsible and could cause a
rescuer to have to risk their life to save him, why is that any different
than any other person who chooses to hike, rock climb, mountaineer, skydive,
or any other inherently dangerous activity? As far as I am concerned, stupid
people should have a tax put on them because they do stupid things that cause
others to pay for their stupidity. Mike isn't being wreckless, he knows what
the risks are. He, believe it or not, has mechanisms to compensate for his
blindness. He can mitigate much of the risk.

The same people who are saying he can't do it were the same people who told
Erik Weihenmayer he'd never climb El Cap, Denali, Everest, or any of the
other seven summits. You are the same people who told me I would never make
a solo skydive. 320 jumps later I am here to say you were wrong. There are
always people willing to say "you can't", "he can't", "I can't". And for the
most part, there will be those of us out there proving you wrong, again and
again.

I don't expect to change anyone's mind here. Those of you who think it is
impossible or wreckless will continue to do so until you are proven wrong.
And then, once you are proven wrong, you will try to make caveates, like, "He
got some verbal help at this particular point or that particular point."

To be honest, my personal feeling is that those of you who object the most,
are probably afraid to imagine that a blind person could do it. If you found
it so difficult, and you can see, do you feel that it diminishes your
accomplishment because someone else did it with their eyes closed? I have
yet to meet a person who didn't tell me that a blind person couldn't do their
particular job for this or that reason, in many cases they were wrong. I
guess no one wants to think that their job can be done with their eyes
closed. The sad thing is that it doesn't diminish the sighted person's
accomplishment, it does show that blindness isn't the hindrance that most
people believe it to be.

Instead of training that laser beam of negativity toward Mike, why don't you
take some of that energy and figure out how those obstacles you point out,
can be overcome. It's easy to say this or that can't be done, it takes
effort to figure out how it can be done.

[Lone Wolf]

it's a stunt

[Tin Man]

Instead of training that laser beam of negativity toward Mike, why don't you
take some of that energy and figure out how those obstacles you point out,
can be overcome. It's easy to say this or that can't be done, it takes
effort to figure out how it can be done.

I contacted Mike and started the following thread, so we could learn more about his hike. He has not been back to tell us more.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31855

[FallGirl]

Very interesting read. If he does make it (which I really hope he does), he'll be a millionaire; think of all the money he'd make as the spokesperson for that GPS company.

[DiverDan]

it's a stunt

Of course it's a stunt. The first time anyone does something, it's a stunt.
The first time someone said they were going to hike the AT end-to-end in one season was pulling a stunt.
What's wrong with that?

[Tin Man]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

stunt2 /stʌnt/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[stuhnt]Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation,
–noun 1.a performance displaying a person's skill or dexterity, as in athletics; feat: an acrobatic stunt. 2.any remarkable feat performed chiefly to attract attention: The kidnapping was said to be a publicity stunt.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stunt


All thru-hiking is a stunt

[climberdave]

Well, I must admit that Mike is in for an uphill battle, but where there is a will there is a way. My favorite quote:

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"
Isaac Newton

I admire his determination.

That is all...

[Jester2000]

I have yet to meet a person who didn't tell me that a blind person couldn't do their particular job for this or that reason, in many cases they were wrong.

Seriously, you have yet to meet someone who didn't tell you that a blind person couldn't do their particular job?

Every person you meet tells you that a blind person couldn't do their job?!? You've got to start traveling in different circles.

I've read through these posts, and while there's a fairly large amount of negativity, there's also quite a bit of genuine concern. And honestly, the person in question hasn't been thru-hiking for the past 40 years, so reading about others' concerns would, I think, be helpful to someone planning this kind of hike. Not for us to come up with solutions, I think, because as you've pointed out, we don't know what Mike's capabilities are. He does, and I'm sure he'll come up with the solutions. But, and here's the salient point -- you can't come up with solutions if you're unaware of the problems.

For the record, a blind person could probably do my job very well, once he knew the layout of the receiving room in which I work.

But I used to volunteer to read to the blind, and I think that might pose a challenge for the sightless.

[Programbo]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This stunt2 /stʌnt/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[stuhnt]Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation,
–noun 1.a performance displaying a person's skill or dexterity, as in athletics; feat: an acrobatic stunt. 2.any remarkable feat performed chiefly to attract attention: The kidnapping was said to be a publicity stunt.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stunt
All thru-hiking is a stunt

I`ll disagree..I think we are looking at #2 here as the word applies to a thru-hike and it clearly states "performed chiefly to attract attention".... Therefore announcing a sub-40 day challenge or a blind hike may be a "stunt" but just a normal thru wouldn`t be

[Tin Man]

I`ll disagree..I think we are looking at #2 here as the word applies to a thru-hike and it clearly states "performed chiefly to attract attention".... Therefore announcing a sub-40 day challenge or a blind hike may be a "stunt" but just a normal thru wouldn`t be

Disagree with what? I quoted the definition of stunt and said all thru's are stunts. Maybe a few exceptional thrus fall under definition #2, but normal thrus fall under #1 with a some elements of #2.

[ChinMusic]

To be honest, my personal feeling is that those of you who object the most,
are probably afraid to imagine that a blind person could do it. If you found
it so difficult, and you can see, do you feel that it diminishes your
accomplishment because someone else did it with their eyes closed? I have
yet to meet a person who didn't tell me that a blind person couldn't do their
particular job for this or that reason, in many cases they were wrong. I
guess no one wants to think that their job can be done with their eyes
closed. The sad thing is that it doesn't diminish the sighted person's
accomplishment, it does show that blindness isn't the hindrance that most
people believe it to be.

Sounds like that chip on your shoulder is quite heavy. I am sighted and healthy but still realize that there are things well beyond my scope. It's called being a realist.

[CrumbSnatcher]

The next person who successfully thru-hikes the AT without help, will be the FIRST PERSON to thru-hike the AT without help.

enough said.

[CrumbSnatcher]

IMO i.d still take the dog for companionship. good luck,and enjoy on your journey...,

[minnesotasmith]

This year I met a SOBO in PA who didn't have any legs from the knees down. So, if he can hike the entire trail without legs, I guess a blind guy with 2 good legs should do well enough.

Good luck to all those who are on the trail.

Panzer

Those are totally different disabilities.