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, even Ben’s right foot is a little tender. But we are looking forward to tearing it up tomorrow!!

On September 25, 2012 I am starting my first long distance ride. The event is called The Blind Ride and is a 390 mile bike-a-thon. The five day trip crosses Arizona starting at the I-10 highway and New Mexico border then finishes where Highway 8 meets the California border. This fundraising event is to benefit the Foundation for Blind Children’s Braille Program.

At present my team for the Blind Ride consists of Ben Cane, Scoob Schmidt, Doug Bowden and myself. We are still working out some of the details for our support team. Ben has been on several of my previous endeavors including Kilimanjaro, the Grand Canyon and the Arizona Trail. Scoob is an avid mountain biker and competes in races throughout Arizona. Doug is a passionate Road Biker and participates in road biking events around the world.

The Blind Ride is going to be an incredible experience. If you would like to help me with this cause you can go to seeitourway.org to donate. Please feel free to follow our progress here at blindmotivation.com

Sensei Phil Brier & Mike Armstrong

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 in Martial Arts based sports for the blind, I have found there is a Blind Judo division on an international scale. With my experience in Jujitsu I feel that this might be something I can participate in.

Although Jujitsu has many of the throws used in Judo, I knew that if I wanted to compete I would have to find a Judoka coach. Ben Cane (one of my students) was the first person to talk to me about competing in Judo. Ben has had an interest inJudo for several years himself, so I asked him to help me search for a Judo instructor. This eventually led me to Sensei Phil Brier. Upon speaking to Sensei Phil I immediately knew that I had found a truly passionate Judoka. Our forty minute phone conversation ended up leading to a two hour meeting later that same night at my dojo. Our mutual love of martial arts made us immediate friends. I was impressed with his knowledge and experience in competition Judo. I am excited to say that I have found my new Sensei/coach.

My first night in Sensei Phil’s class was incredible. His dojo (the Mizu No Michi club) is about fifteen minutes from my house. Unfortunately my last class ended at 6:15 and Judo class starts at 6:30. After finishing teaching my Karate classes I hurried to get ready for Judo. Ben was waiting for me as I ran out of the house. The second I closed the truck door Ben was off. I had informed Sensei Phil at our meeting that I would be a bit late, but we would get there as soon as possible.

As Ben and I entered the dojo, I put on my fresh new white belt. The last time I wore a white belt was twenty five years ago. I must say it felt kind of good to start a new.

Over the next two hours we covered the fundamentals of Judo. The differences are fascinating. I have a second degree black belt in Aiki Jujitsu, but Judos method is quite different. I was partnered up with a green belt named Dave. We started with some ground fighting from a back to back position. Dave also trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so we had a blast. This is when I learned that we are not aloud to use leg locks. Oops. As Dave and I were rolling around, Dave went onto his back and put his legs up to put me in the guard. This position is where a student wraps their legs around their opponent from the bottom. This can shut down many attacks from the person on top. As Dave lifted up his legs to trap me, I grabbed his right leg and proceeded to put him in a leg lock. After a short struggle, he tapped out and said nice leg lock. This is when Sensei Phil informed me that it was an illegal move in Judo. With an embarrassed smile, I apologized. The remainder of the class was dedicated to some ground techniques and hip throws (ogoshi).

I have now been to three classes and I believe that it has not only helped me in Judo, but also given me a better understanding of my Jujitsu. Only time will tell how I will progress in this sport. I have a lot of ground to make up if I am going to make next years Paralympic team, but Sensei Phil believes that it is possible. I am not afraid of hard work.

My plan is to train hard, listen to my teacher and Practice-Practice-Practice!

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 of some incredible guides and with some awesome logistical support I have now become the first blind man to hike the Arizona Trail in its entirety. I could not have made this hike without the assistance I received from The Foundation for Blind Children, friends and family. Also knowing that the hike was benefiting some visually impaired kids gave me the additional impetus I needed to succeed. We raised just under $22,000 for the FBC. Thanks to everyone who donated. You Rock!

There were ten guides and four people that ran logistics I need to recognize and thank from the bottom of my heart. Ben Cane and Yancey Herriage were instrumental in this journey being successful. Ben and I spent hours working out the logistics and itinerary. Ben also spent days working on the website and made sure anything involving a computer was taken care of. Yancey really came through with our food from Wal-Mart and picked up the GPS that made life so much easier. He also loaned his SUV to run over 500 miles of logistical support. The three of us hiked the first 582 miles together.

The only reason they didn’t make the entire hike was due to time constraints (partially from my injury). The forth man with us on this team was Yancey’s father Anthony Herriage (Sarge). Not only did Sarge do an excellent job of meeting us in the evenings where possible, but he also met us with water throughout the day when needed. He sometimes would hike as much as ten miles to meet up with us.

After Ben, Yancey and Anthony had to get back to their jobs, I was fortunate enough to have some amazing people step up to help me finish. My father in law Dave Dicob did an excellent job of logistics. He took care of me and my teams through to the Grand Canyon. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much. Shane Martinez (a bass player from one of my old bands) guided me for 35 miles. Bob Pelikan guided me through the worst weather of my hike. We spent two of our three days together pushing through rain, sleet, and snow for about 40 of the 65 miles we hiked together. Ben jumped back in to guide me another 60 miles. Cat Isfan led me across the Grand Canyon for a total of 21 miles with me then he turned around and hiked back the next day (Awesome). Doug Myster hiked with us to Phantom Ranch and took some great footage of the canyon. Marc Ashton and Tobin Ernst guided me the next 25 miles while Tobin’s father Forest ran logistics. Then the last three days Tom Edwards and Gina Bowman guided me over 60 miles while Barb Edwards ran logistics and basically took great care of us.

Thank you all again. There is no way I could have done it without you.

This adventure would not have been possible without the love and support of my family. Being away from Tori and the kids was one of the hardest parts of my journey. Hearing their love and support over the phone helped me push through some of the more difficult days.

The Arizona Trail was a truly amazing experience. My friends and I were blessed to get to move through some of the most beautiful country in Arizona. When I first thought about the AZT I imagined a whole lot of desert with a bit of forest here and there. This was far from the reality we faced. I was stunned by the sights described to me. I could hear the awe in my guide’s voices as they described the ever changing terrain.

One of many things that lifted my spirit was the amount and different types of trees we encountered. There is far more forest in Arizona than I ever imagined. The Arizona Trail takes you through several mountain ranges. You start off with a 3,500 foot ascent of Miller Peak. This brought us in to some snow at an elevation over 9,000 feet. The next major mountain we hit was Mount Wrightson at a bit over 8,000 feet. Then Rincon (day nine) a gnarly hike to 8,400 feet giving a breathtaking view of the lights of Tucson. Then you still have Mt. Lemon, Four Peaks, Mount Peely, Mazatzals, the Mogollon Rim, The Grand Canyon, Sabino Canyon and Mount Humphreys. These are just a few of hundreds of hills, valleys, canyons and mountains we hiked on, over, around or through on the AZT.

I absolutely recommend to any outdoor enthusiast to check out some or all of the AZT passages. You will be challenged at times, but you will not be disappointed. One does not have to see the view to appreciate the magic found in our amazing state. You can quite literally find any kind of landscape that touches your soul.

The big question everyone has been asking is what’s next? There are several adventures in my future. The next big challenge facing me is writing. I have started my autobiography. This endeavor will take more commitment than Kilimanjaro, Rim to Rim to Rim or even the AZT. After that I am planning on a tandem bike ride from coast to coast, climbing Mt. Whitney, participating in an Iron Man competition and a few more long hikes. The Lord only knows where this will all lead.

Now that I am back home and getting back into my life’s normal routines, I feel like this trek changed me in some fundamental way. I can’t put my finger on how or what it is, but when I figure it out, I will let you know.

Thanks for following my story and Thank you so very much for all the prayers and well wishes sent my way. I felt the Lords guiding hand making it possible for this blind guy to make such a crazy journey a success. We were all truly blessed.

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 about is how much I want to get back to the trail.

As many of you know, I injured my right leg in the Four Peaks Passage. I am not sure which trip, slip, kick or fall caused it, but by the middle of the next day I was limping. After a scheduled two day rest in Phoenix I assumed that I would be ok to return to the hike. Unfortunately, I was wrong. After a 16 mile hike on the 29th I knew I needed to have my leg checked out. Leaving the trail was the hardest decision of the trip. Fortunately my injury is not serious. The doc said to lay off it for a week or two. I am hoping that I can get back on the trail this Sunday. Regardless of how long it takes I will find a way to complete this hike-A-Thon.

I am still in awe by what we have already accomplished. This trail is not an easy hike for anyone. We have experienced some really challenging yet beautiful terrain. I find it amazing to hear nothing of the modern world for days. We have run across three rattle snakes, a bull snake, desert tortoise, two heal monsters, deer, lots of cows and horses. The sounds of birds are a constant and it is interesting how many different types there are.

Many times the trail is not more than a line on the GPS and an occasional cairn. Yancey and Ben have become quite adept at figuring out where we need to go. Without their help I could not have made it this far. Anthony’s logistical help has been a serious blessing. Thanks to all three of you for helping this blind guy out. This experience has helped us grow as friends and people.

We have now completed 22 of the 42 passages totaling 397 miles of the 807 mile trek. There are two more major hiking challenges left, the Mazatals and the Grand Canyon passages. I am told that the other 18 passages are not quite as difficult, but incredibly beautiful.

The main issue for me at this point is who is going to guide me for the last two weeks. Yancey and Ben have to go back to work on the 16th. If things go according to plan this should get me pretty close to Flagstaff. I have the weekends covered, but I am still looking for some guides through the two weeks after the 16th. I have faith that it will all work out.

This hike is not about me. It is about giving some great blind kids an opportunity to live a better quality of life. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to meet some of these kids a couple of months ago. Their spark for life truly inspired me. Many times when I was sore and tired, thinking of them helped keep me going. I will not give up and I will make it to Utah!

God Bless

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 a huge thank you to our sponsors! Steve and Brad with Peace Surplus were incredible. Steve went out of his way to help me and my team out. If you are ever near Flagstaff Peace Surplus is the place to go.

I would also like to thank Merrell for hooking the team up with our hiking boots.

Evidently Wal-Mart took me serious when I said “Will hike for food!” Thanks.

We have KAVU to thank for our awesome hats (Chilba).

In case you have not heard about this adventure, Ben Cane, Yancey Herriage and I are going to hike 807 miles from Mexico to Utah on the AZT for the Foundation for Blind Children a Phoenix based 501c3.

You can follow our journey here on blindmotivation.com or seeitourway.org. We are hoping to raise enough money to put 43 kids through a summer program for the blind. If you would like to help a child go to http://blindmotivation.com/donations/

Keep an eye out for updates from the Crazy Blind Sensei Mike Armstrong.

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.

Ben Cane, Greg DePinto and I headed up on the afternoon of the 8th. After spending the night in Flagstaff at my in laws (Chris and Dave), we awoke at 2:45am to set out for the South Rim of the canyon. Our plan was to meet up with a friend of mine (Cat Isfan) at the Bright Angel trail head at 5am. We assumed that two hours would be more than enough time to drive seventy-eight miles. The elk crossing the road every few minutes put a bit of a glitch in that plan. At 5:40am we finally arrived. It was a bit later than we wanted, but we thought we would still be able to meet up with the rest of the group on the North Rim by 5pm. This was the deadline for us to make the group picture.

As we started down the South Rim at 5:47am my thoughts were focused on making darn sure of where my guides were. I knew that if I slipped and fell off the side there would be no helping me. With a drop of a thousand feet or more I would be dead. Ben and Greg were very aware of this as well.

When I hike I follow the sound of bear bells while using a set of trekking poles to feel out the terrain. Greg was in the lead with several bells attached to his pack. Ben gave verbal clues and even put himself on my ledge side to make sure that I did not fall off.

The guys had to wear head lamps for the first hour or so of the morning. The temperature was pretty chilly at about forty degrees. Even though I am totally blind I could feel the immensity of the Canyon.

As we worked our way down the switch backs we went through two caves and avoided several huge puddles of mule piss.

As the sun came up the temperature began to rise and we stripped down to t-shirts and shorts. I could hear the awe in the guy’s voices as the sun came over the horizon. They tried to describe to me how amazing the views truly were. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for a hike.

Our first break was at Indian Gardens. This is a common destination for people who wish to camp in the Canyon. I have been told that one must reserve a camp site as early as a year in advanced to be assured a permit. It is approximately four and a half miles from the trail head and is equipped with rest rooms and water. After a quick snack and water refill, we were back on the trail.

This is where the trail becomes rockier. It also is a bit more congested. We had to pull over for a couple of mule trains. We also passed some small streams and even a couple of water falls. Gradually the trail dropped down into a sandy/rocky terrain similar to a beach or river bottom. A few miles of this lead us to the Colorado River.

The sound of the river was awesome. The guy’s were surprised at how muddy it was, but they were stunned by the beauty and majesty surrounding us. After letting another mule train pass us we stepped up to the bridge. It was made up of steal grating for the floor with thick wire fencing sloping away from us as it arose to about eight feet. The floor was about two feet wide and I could feel it move under my feet as we walked. The sound of the river running below us helped me appreciate how high above it we were and the fact that it took us at least three minutes to cross illustrated how wide the river was. As we walked across we talked about how they probably used rope bridges at first. We could only imagine how intense that would have made the crossing.

A short hike later and we made it to Phantom Ranch. Phantom Ranch is a mixture of camping sites, cabins, a hotel and a small general store. It was now noon and we were less than half way. Here is where we had our lunch and a well needed break. We spent about twenty minutes eating our sandwiches and drinking a couple glasses of their home made lemonade. The trail was much smoother at this point so we decided that we could make the next six miles to the Cottonwood Campsite before filling up our water. This decision we later came to regret.

From this point on it would be about 99% up hill. We had thirteen and a half miles to go and only four and a half hours to make it. Regardless, we were in great spirits and the trail was easy (at first). Over six thousand vertical feet is nothing to take too lightly.

The following six miles had some of the most beautiful scenery of the canyon. After leaving Phantom Ranch the trail ran next to a river through a box canyon. As we started to ascend the foliage became almost tropical. There were several bridges and the sound of water was always with us. The smells and feel of this section were intoxicating. I loved the feel of pushing passed reeds and foliage on the trail. A great majority of this portion of the trail was quite smooth. We did hit a few rocky and tight spots here and there, but nothing too challenging. Ben said it would be a great place for a ninja ambush.

After traveling for two and a half hours I ran out of water in my hydration system and started in on my water bottle. I usually have an average hiking speed of two and a half to three miles an hour, so we figured that we would have no problem making the Cottonwood Campsite before getting low on water. We were wrong. The last mile was a bit tough without water, but we made it.

The Cottonwood Site was a relief. You can hear the waterfall in the distance. This is also were we start getting into the trees. We were all starting to feel the hike, but were still strong. While we sat on the picnic benches we fueled up with bars and trail mix, filled up our water and only lost about ten minutes.

The time was 3:20pm and we had eight miles to go. I was not too optimistic about making our five o’clock meeting. This is when Cat turns to me and says,” From this point on it will get harder”. The trail became and remained pretty steep and rocky the rest of the way up. As we hiked through the trees and over bridges, along rock ridges and moved along death drops we kept our spirits up. Around six we came upon a woman coming down and asked her how much farther to the top. She looked at us and said, “You are at least three hours from the top.” Cat and Ben had both previously hiked from north to south and they said that there was no way we were still that far out. An hour and a half later we ran across another hiker coming down and he said “At your present rate you should make the rim in another two hours and twenty minutes or so”. He then added “I hate, yet love this canyon, but this is the last time I am hiking this thing.”

We could not believe we had another two and a half hours left. It was already seven, my legs were cramping up and all of us were getting tired. This is when I almost made a fatal mistake. While hiking along a ridge Greg made a left turn around a rock wall. The bells were a bit hard to hear and I was not as alert as I should have been. As I am moving forward, Ben says, “Left Sensei”. I heard him but apparently did not adjust my angle quite fast enough. Then Ben yells “LEFT, NO LEFT, SENSEI!”. He then grabs my pack and pulls me hard to the left. He then informed me that if I would have made one more step I might have dropped a thousand feet. That woke me up and got my adrenalin kicking.

Greg said “Let’s play a game to help pass the time,” “I know, let’s each name a sport, but it must make money.” So we spent the next hour thinking of and chiming off different professional sports. This helped until we eventually ran out of ideas. The last thirty minutes were grueling, but we made it out at 8:20pm with sore feet and legs.

Now we needed to find our group and get prepared to do it all over again the next day. As we stood at the top of the north rim we were wondering where our ride to camp was. Our cell phones did not work and the van was not there. We asked a lady in a car if she had seen a van with some people looking for a blind hiking group. She said “Yes I did, but they left about ten minutes ago”. She then added that she wished she could take us to the camp, but she was waiting for her family to come out. So we started walking down the road toward camp. Ten minutes later Cat had cell signal and called Marc to come pick us up.

Upon entering the van we were greeted by Marc, Max, and Yancey. Then Marc asked me “How long did it take you”. “Fourteen and a half hours” I answered. Marc Ashton’s reply was “We’re ******”.

Entering the camp that night was awesome. Yancey had set up Greg’s tent and put all of our supplies inside. I also had Yancey pick up some beer for us on his way up. For the next two hours we ate, drank, showered and celebrated our accomplishment as well as Greg’s forty-third birthday.

Day Two

We started our second day at 4:20am. After tearing down and packing up our campsite, we had a breakfast of muffins, bagels and coffee. I followed this up with vitamin I (Ibuprofen). We were running a bit slower than the rest of the group, so we were in the last van out and arrived at the trail head at 5:45am.

It was a bit chilly and we were all road weary from the previous day. My first five minutes were rough, but as my body warmed up my muscles felt pretty good. This was a very pleasant surprise and we started to move. The up hill challenge of the night before turned into a rather fast and fun hike that morning. We also had the added encouragement of all our other team mates.

We made it to the Cottonwood Campsite at 9am and took a ten minute break. We made sure to refill our water and set off.

The different teams were spread out all along the trail. There were forty-three of us in all and as we met each other we encouraged and motivated our fellow hikers.

There was a photographer for the Arizona Republic named Mike taking pictures as he hiked with us. The Republic also sent Dennis to write up a story on our adventure. They floated from team to team and were really nice guys.

We reached Phantom Ranch at 12:30pm in need of lunch and a break. I was starting to feel the thirty-nine miles of hiking over the last two days. After eating and sucking down some more lemonade, I sat down outside to retie my boots. While sitting there Dennis approached and asked me if I would mind giving him an interview. So I told him about my blindness and why I do these hikes. I explained to him about how we are going to hike the Arizona Trail in April of 2011. I think that he thought I was a bit crazy and maybe he was right. The guys and I were ready so we threw our packs on and set off.

Crossing the bridge over the Colorado River was just as amazing the second time. It was cool to hear the other blind hikers experiencing the same things I had the day before. Right after the bridge the guys started razzing me about the interview. Saying things like the great Mike Armstrong, the awesome Mike Armstrong and such. Then Cat asked, ”How come every time you want to do something amazing, the rest of us have to suffer?” We all laughed and then Cat offered to start an Amazing Ben website if Ben would only carry our packs up the South Rim. This type of joking kept us amused all the way to Indian Gardens.

At Indian Gardens we refilled our water and took a five minute break. There was a television station interviewing some of the other hikers and Tanner was getting interviewed by the ASU paper. Just as we were starting up the last four and a half mile leg of the hike Dennis caught up with us. He became an unofficial fifth member of our team.

The last three hours were brutal. At times I thought that my legs were done, but they didn’t fail. All of us kept climbing, cracking up the whole way. After what seemed like forever and a day we made it to the top of the South Rim at 7:00pm with a final time of thirteen hours and fifteen minutes. This beat our south to north time by an hour and fifteen minutes.

We immediately went to the lodge and relaxed over a few beers and some food.

Shortly after Greg and Cat left, Ben and I headed over to the trail head to wait for Yancey and to see how everyone else was doing. It must have been pretty comical to see Ben and me trudging along.

The Grand Canyon is truly a natural wonder. The views I heard about were awe inspiring. One does not need to see this treasure to appreciate or experience it.

During The hike Dennis asked me, “Why do you do this, I mean you can’t see the view?” “Is it for the bragging rights or something else?” I proceeded to tell him that it was a mix of reasons. I want to help inspire people to do more with their lives regardless or in spite of any hang ups or handicaps they may have. Also our entire group helped raise funds for the blind of all ages, but especially for the children. And the Foundation for Blind Children is a true asset for the blind and their families alike. Bragging rights are fine, though what it is really about for me is finding a challenge and then meeting it. These kinds of adventures help me understand about what living a truly full life is. I am just so happy that I have been blessed with a family and friends that help support me in these endeavors. Without their support I would not be able to participate in these adventures.

God Bless,

Mike Armstrong/Sensei