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.

Blind Man Hikes Across Arizona: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

An Arizona man has just completed an 800 mile hike across the state, and what makes this story so inspirational is that he did it without the benefit of sight.

FOX 10’s Kristin Anderson talks to the hiker, who is blind.

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

All of the X-Rays and Test results show no breaks and the doctors believe it is a mild strain but has recommended Mike stay off of it for 1 – 2 weeks.

Originally Team Armstrong planned on being finished by May 11th but with the injury and difficulty of some of the terrain on the Arizona Trail it may take longer. Mike Armstrong will finish the Arizona Trail; Mike and his Sighted guides are scheduled to get back on the Arizona Trail on Sunday, May 8th.

PHOENIX — A blind man hiking across Arizona is nearing the halfway mark of his trip.

Mike Armstrong and his two guides have covered nearly 400 miles along the Arizona trail since they began their trek April 2 near the Mexican border. The trip will end at the Utah border.

Armstrong was born with a hereditary disease which destroyed his retinas. Shortly after his 27th birthday, he was pronounced blind with no chance of getting his sight back. He subsequently had both eyes removed.

Armstrong said that, although he can’t see the trail, he is experiencing it.

“I can feel the beauty around me, I can smell the different scents in the areas of the trees and the bushes, what’s in bloom. I can hear the animals out there, especially the birds.”

To view the whole story go to: http://ktar.com/category/local-news-articles/20110428/Blind-hiker-at-halfway-point-in-trek-across-Arizona/

Mike Armstrong will be taking the next few days to rest his injury and consult medical advice. Team Armstrong will restart the Mazatal Divide passage of the Arizona Trail after it is determined he can continue.

While Mike and his Team were not in any danger, it was apparent that due to the significance of the injury Mike would not be able to hike 54 miles of moderate to difficult terrain over the next 3 days. Mike wanted to express that his Adventure on the Arizona Trail is not canceled it has only been delayed as he recovers.

Updates will be posted as they arrive.

Today, as I celebrate Easter with my family, I am in pain.  My feet are swollen, my knees ache and I have trouble sitting and standing.  My body is fatigued by the 12-mile, 8-hour trek south of Theodore Roosevelt Lake on the great Arizona Trail.  Yet, with all my pain, I am already looking online to determine when I can go back to join Team Armstrong on their historic hike across Arizona.  I don’t know why my mind drifts back to the grueling trail with its shin high cactus and its toe-crushing, blister-forming rocky terrain.  But here I sit, less than 18 hours after stumbling to my car and heading home for a long, 3am hot tub soak, wondering “When can I go back?”

Then it becomes clear that it’s not the Trail that beckons me.  Rather, I want to be among this great team led by Mike Armstrong.  I want to be part of this adventure.  We all read the great books “Endurance”, “Unbroken”, “Into Thin Air” and imagine ourselves in dire straits and wonder what we would do.  Could we endure so much?  Would we survive?

Stumbling in line with Mike Armstrong and his two great sighted guides, Yancy Herriage and Ben Cane, as they climb up mountains and stagger down valleys only to repeat the process mile after mile, is surreal.  At 11 pm, my knees are giving out.  My mind wonders from my blistering feet, to the cactus in my toes and shins, to my shoulders straining under the weight of my backpack, to my brother’s feet spotlighted by my headlamp as I follow him in the single file line up and down the slippery trail pondering,  “Why am I here?”  But as I listen in the darkness to Mike, Yancy and Ben talk about the cold of Patagonia, the altitude of Mount Lemmon, the tea saucer-size spiders in Sabino Canyon, I realize they are experiencing an adventure only nine hikers a year dare to attempt.  Only 9!  Even Everest boasts 150 climbers a year.

I want to go back.  I want to walk with these heroes again.  I will never be able to boast that I hiked the 807-mile Arizona Trail, but I will be able to taste their adventure, if only for a day.  An adventure I will be able to feel far beyond the closing of a book. I want to be able to tell people I was there when heroes endured and Mike becomes the first blind man to hike the great Arizona Trail.

As I travel along this 800 mile journey, I realize how truly amazing it is to be able to experience something so inspiring. Each step I take brings me closer to understanding more about myself and how truly blessed all of our lives are.
So today; take a break to feel the wind on your face, the sun on your skin, and the love in your heart.