I get goose bumps when I think about kayaking the Grand Canyon. I get chills when I think about kayaking it blind.
I can say with a fair amount of certainty that Erik Weihenmayer of Golden does too. He has told me as much during the few times we’ve paddled together on Clear Creek and upstream sections of the Colorado River far tamer than Lava Falls and the other formidable whitewater rapids of the Colorado running through the Grand.
Yet that didn’t stop the blind adventurer known for summiting Mount Everest from strapping on a spray skirt and facing his fears during a from Lee’s Ferry to Pierce Ferry, Ariz., that came to a successful completion after 21 days late last month. To hear Weihenmayer tell it, he’s just getting started.
“Choosing this kind of path is never easy. It sets us up for struggle and even some bleeding from time to time,” Wei hen mayer wrote after his recent mission. “However, I also believe this choice offers a depth and richness of adventure, friendship, love, beauty, joy and purpose that cannot be experienced in any other way.”
Needless to say, Weihenmayer, blind since age 14, wasn’t alone in his undertaking. The expedition sponsored by Nature Valley and filmed by Emmy award winner Michael Brown contained an entire team of guides and supporters, including local kayaking partners Rob Raker, Timmy O’Neill, Chris Drew, Steven Mace and Skyler Williams. It also included Navy veteran Lonnie Bedwell from Dugger, Ind., the only other — twice.
Unlike so many modern outdoor endeavors, this mission was not a race or competition. Rather, it was designed as an inspiration, making the decision to invite Bedwell along easy. Bedwell used the expedition to highlight the importance of supporting our veterans on their journey home. And together the men sought to make a powerful and authentic statement about living what they call a “No Barriers Life.”
Weihenmayer and Bedwell — who lost his sight in a hunting accident 13 years ago — hope to use their adventure to encourage 1 million people to pledge to live a No Barriers Life by linking to . The pledge is epitomized by the two blind adventurers safely passing through the confines of the canyon, stating that what’s within someone is stronger than what’s in his or her way.
“Although we both have obvious challenges, we came with a tool kit built through preparation on many rivers and life experiences. We were also equipped with an outstanding team of friends and guides who shared our vision and to whom we entrusted our fates,” Weihenmayer wrote. “But I believe the most important tool is something very hard to describe; let’s call it an internal light. For some of those who have experienced major adversity in their lives and have been shoved into a dark place, that light only flickers and is in jeopardy of burning out. However, fueled through our hard choices, that light ignites and becomes the energy to propel us forward, through the barriers that try to knock us flat, toward purpose and fulfillment in our lives.”
There is no place in America quite like the Grand Canyon when it comes to both introspection and inspiration. Close your eyes and you can almost feel it.
Scott Willoughby: swilloughby@denverpost.com or twitter.com/swilloughby
