Blind Musician, Adventurer, and Martial Arts Instructor
We had an awesome ride today. It was far more challenging than what we originally expected due to heavy headwinds. In all we made it 99.2 miles surpassing our original goal by 12 miles. We ran into a little bit of road construction but Scoob was able to maneuver us through the obstacles like a pro. Everyone is sore, […]
I have found a new passion for riding. After competing in the 2010 Adventure Team Challenge (a Colorado adventure race), I have felt compelled to get involved in both road and mountain biking. To this end, in July of last year I bought my first tandem road bike. After a few minor mishaps I have […]
I am embarking on a new goal (2012 Paralympic Judo Team). As a Martial Artist/Sensei I have felt a strong desire to compete. I have participated in tournaments in the forms/Kata division, but that is non-combative. Standard sparring (Kumite) is rarely open to a blind competitor due to the possibility of injury. After investigating the options […]
Well… I made it! The final number of miles hiked on the AZT was 782. It took me a bit longer than we had originally planned with a total of 57 days from start to finish. The 45 days of actual hiking gave us an average of 17 miles a day. Thanks to the help […]
First of all, thank you for the prayers, well wishes and for your donations to the Foundation for Blind Children. The last four weeks have been incredible. Yancey, Ben and I have experienced an amazing adventure. The Arizona Trail does not disappoint ones expectations. Now as I sit here writing this all I can think […]
Well, we are heading out for the Arizona Trail Trek this Friday April 1st. No, this is not an April’s Fools Joke. April 2nd is our first day on the trail. This is going to be an amazing experience! We have trained hard and I believe we are ready. I would like to put out […]
I participated in another amazing hike on October 9th and 10th of 2010. This time it was a Rim to Rim to Rim hike across the Grand Canyon. This hike-a-thon was to benefit the Foundation for Blind Children. This forty-eight mile trek was a truly incredible experience, challenging my mind, body and will to succeed.
After our Kilimanjaro climb in 2009 everyone was asking, “What’s next?” There were several ideas suggested like; swimming to Alcatraz, climbing another of the seven summits, hiking the Arizona Trail, climbing Mount Whitney and several of us mentioned the Grand Canyon. After much deliberation it was decided that the next FBC hike-a-thon would be a rim to rim trek from the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This made the most sense because we have one of the world’s seven natural wonders right here in our home state. The date was set for 10/10/10.
Now are you wondering about that extra rim to rim I mentioned earlier? Well my team is in training for an eight hundred mile hike in April of 2011. The hike will run from the Mexico border to the Utah border on The Arizona Trail. We felt that hiking that extra twenty-four miles would give us a good idea of what to expect from our upcoming forty day trek across Arizona. We were not disappointed.
On June 25, 26 and 27 I was a competitor in the 2010 Adventure Team Challenge. The first time I had ever heard of this race was just three weeks prior to the event. This is when I was asked to be on a team. Although I had never been Mountain Biking or White Water Rafting, I decided to take the challenge and go for it. I must say that it was one of the most gratifying events I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.