Blind Mountain Climber

[Barb Gordon]

Well, maybe others have heard about this on the news, but today was a first for me! There's a bind mountain climb who just accomplished climbing all of the tallest mountains in the world. That's got to be just about the most incredible thing I've ever heard before. Walking sure, even running....and regardless of having a partner....climbing is a whole other story. Could you ever imagine you'd be able to do something like that?

~Barb

[Patrick Bateman]

Yeah, I saw that guy on T.V. I think it was on Ripley's Believe it or Not. All I can say is that's pretty freaking impressive. As for if I could imagine myself doing that? I really can't say. My pride wants to say yes, but until I'm blind (hopefully never), I really have no clue. That guy's got real willpower.

[TimTwoFace]

Colour me impressed. Sometimes while I'm at work walking about, cleaning up the back lot, I close my eyes and walk across the lot (about 50 feet of concrete, nothing in the way) just to see what it would be like; I swear, after about ten steps, I really start freaking out and worry I'm going to walk into the bushes or something. :p As this is on level ground, that makes it even more unimpressive.

So yes, I've tried it - on a much, much tamer level - and I failed miserably. Being blind is tough enough, I expect, but being able to climb mountains blind, not to mention a handful of the world's tallest, that's really impressive.

Did he have any companions on this trip, though?

-Tim

[Barb Gordon]

not sure, didn't stay up to watch the article on it. I've done the "blind thing" myself in my old and new house. Closing my eyes and making it through the kitchen, up and down the stairs, to my room. Sure I'm fine with that, because I know where everything is...but a mountain?! no way. There's this blind guy I've come across a few times on campus. He's good. He gets around so well with his cane, whereas people with sight run into and trip over things half the time.

~Barb

[Sandro]

I absolutely love it when people can take something that would normally be considered a weakness by the general populace and turn it around like that.

Actually, this reminds of something I heard many years ago. A blind man got a hole-in-one. That's pretty damn impressive as well!

[Bleu Unicorn]

I've actually met this guy -- he's a member of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) (http://www.nfb.org), though I doubt he'd remember meeting me. Anyway, I wanted to comment on this "amazing feat" that Barb's brought up.

First of all, mountain climbing is definitely not a take it easy sport, but I've done it. It's a lot of fun -- and not really all that hard for a blind person... s'not like you're really looking at the places to stick your hands and feet, alone, you need to test the place to make sure you can life yourself up and such.

In fact, there are very few sports that blind (and other disabled persons) don't compete in. In fact, check out the National Sports Center for the Disabled (http://www.nscd.org/), the United States Association of Blind Athletes (http://usaba.org/), and Paralympics (http://www.paralympics2002.com/).

Pretty cool eh?

[James]

You all have far more guts than me, I have a slight problem about heights - and falling especially... Hats off, well unless you are on the side of a large rock.. ;)

[hello_lola]

Wow. You've really gotta hand it to this guy - he's done more than most sighted people.