This was my story over at Gadling.com this morning, but definitely worth sharing here as well. The current issue of Expedition News reports that blind hiker Trevor Thomas will attempt to thru-hike the entire length of the Continental Divide Trail, covering more than 3100 miles (5000km) from the Canadian border south to the Mexican border.
The trek is set to begin in June, when Thomas will set out with three companions who will assist him through some of the more challenging, harder to navigate, sections of the CDT. As the name of the trail implies, the route runs along the Continental Divide, the line from which rivers on one side of the Rocky Mountains head east, while those on the other side travel west. The trail passes through five states, including Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The CDT makes up one third of the “Triple Crown” of thru-hiking in the U.S., with the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail rounding out the list. Those trails are 2175 miles (3500km) and 2650 miles (4264km) in length respectively, and Thomas has already covered both of them. He went solo on the AT back in 2009 and had some assistance through deep snow on the PCT in 2010.
Find out more about Trevor and his team at TeamFarsight.org and expected updates on that site once the expedition officially gets underway in a few months time.
- Gear Review: The Xero Scrambler Mid is an Ultralight Hiking Shoe for Spring - March 1, 2023
- Gear Review: Yeti Roadie 48 Wheeled Cooler - August 18, 2022
- Kristin Harila Continues Pursuit of 8000-Meter Speed Record - August 16, 2022
This is a great goal. There is great inspiration to be found in blind students who climbed Mt Baldy in Los Angeles.
http://maximumadventure.net/2011/08/27/why-would-a-blind-person-climb-a-10000-ft-mountain/