I-8 was far smoother than I-10 however this did not stop us from getting a leak in the Van’s tire and a total blow out on the tandem’s back tire. This delayed us another 2 hours.

In spite of these challenges we were able to finish our day at 103 miles at 6:30 pm. Although we are all pretty sore except for  our support driver Ben (who keeps complaining about his right calf) we are looking forward to finishing up The Blind Ride tomorrow afternoon.

Special thanks to America’s Choice Inn in Gila Bend for hooking us up with 3 rooms for the night.

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.

While we are hiking the trail we will be making blog posts as well as facebook posts. So keep an eye out and we will let everyone know where we are and how we are doing.

Day 1 of 40 begins on April 2nd.

I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who supported Team Armstrong on Saturday by coming out to “Blind and Unplugged” with your help we raised over $1,000 that night. While this is a great start we have a long way to go before we raise our goal of $43,000 for the Foundation for Blind Children; Please help us attain this goal by spreading the word of our adventure to your friends and family.

In other news I wanted to let everyone know that Mike Armstrong and his Sighted Guide Ben Cane will be hiking the trail 100 for 2 hours every Mon, Wed, & Fri until we leave for the Arizona trail. We will meet at The Hiking Shack at 5 am. Feel free to join us but please give us a heads up through our Facebook page in advance so that we can expect you.

New Merrells after 5 Miles of Hiking. Next update after 800 something miles...

Just yesterday Sensei Mike and I went on a quick little 5 mile training hike in the McDowell mountains to stretch out our legs and break in our newly donated Merrells at the same time (we love these boots!).

As we were hiking we also came to the realization that we are approaching 2011 very quickly which means our Arizona trail hike is only a few months away.

Team Armstrong is very excited and we are going to be stepping up our fund-raising for the Foundation for Blind Children. Over the next few months we are looking to raise at least $43,000 for the FBC and we are hoping that everyone will help us make that possible.

If you would like to help the FBC and help support our Arizona Trail hike please visit our donations page at: http://blindmotivation.com/donations/

If you donate TODAY 12-31-10 you will still receive the 2010 Arizona Tax Credit. If you donate tomorrow you will just have to wait for the 2011 Arizona Tax Credit.

If you wish to come along on one of the training hikes drop a comment and we will work out the times. I also wanted to take a minute and recognize that we currently have two new sponsors.

Kavu – A outdoor clothing company from Seattle
Merrell – Most widely known for their hiking and outdoor boots

With their help Team Armstrong is closer to stepping foot on the Arizona trail and able to help raise more funds for the Foundation for Blind Children. We are still looking for more sponsors especially those who would be able to provide Backpacking equipment.

Don’t forget to donate to the Foundation for Blind Children! The great organization that has helped Sensei Mike and many other blind individuals achieve their dreams.