Thru-hikers with prostethic leg(s)?

[Gramps]

This may not be in the right forum, but here goes anyway. Has anyone ever encountered a thru-hiker with an artifical leg or foot? If so, what type of prostethic did they have? Just wondering.

[Skidsteer]

OneLeg was an active member here for quite a while. Not so much lately.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/6/5/6/oneleg_kacy-med_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=3142&c=searchresults&searchid=27952)

[Wise Old Owl]

http://www.extremeprosthetics.com/finnieston_feet.htm

[Cookerhiker]

One-leg did most of his hiking in '04. He was quite an inspiration. I hiked several hundred miles that year but never met him.

I'm sure you'd be interested in his journal (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=2216).

[LIhikers]

During our section hike during summer of 08, or maybe it was the summer before, my wife and I were headed north in VT and passed a southbound hiker moving along at a good clip. We said hello in passing and he was gone before we knew it. It took us both about 5 or 10 minutes until our minds caught up with our eyes and we realized the young man had a prosthetic below the knee of one leg.

[curtisvowen]

Had a hiker a few years back that had both legs gone below the knees. Real nice guy and never complained about anything.

[Rambler]

Yes. I met a southbounder a couple of years ago hiking through the Presidentials in NH at a good clip. However, I also met one who had to leave the trail after a few days. He was a young man about to become a teacher who was in excellent physical shape. As I recall the artificial leg did not bend much. He had to swing it out as he walked. It was almost an entire leg. He found it too difficult to go down hill. It would leave him dangerously too high off the ground if he placed it first, and again at an unstable tilt if he had his other leg down first. I met him at the Hiker Hostel in GA. I was not with him as he hiked. His friend who hiked with him had trouble going up hill, so they had to abandoned their hike. They were very disappointed, but in good spirits.
I also so saw an incredible story on PBS of a man who climbed Everest with a limb something like in the links above. He had lost his leg in a motorcycle accident and his father-in-law called him useless, so he was determined to prove himself. He developed the spring-like mechanism so that he could not only walk, but run!
After his successful climb of Everest after his first attempt had failed, he started taking handicapped people up to Base Camp. One with no legs made it up.
The man who climbed Everest also taught at Prescott College in AZ, but I do not remember his name.

One who thru-hiked the AT had to change his leg several time because of serious chafing.

Found him thanks to google: Tom Whittaker

http://www.mountainvisions.com/Everest/E98Event.html
Here is a photo from a link at the above site:
http://www.mountainvisions.com/Everest/OneFoot.html

He did make it:
http://www.e-bility.com/articles/apr00.php

[gravy4601]

i met a hiker last year in the smokes with type of metal leg and they did over 200 mile section only problem he said he had was going down steep hills and i also think he runs a surff or diving shop