Programbo
10-18-2007, 22:00
" He’ll go from Georgia to Maine, solo and unsupported, a journey Hanson anticipates will entail eight months of travel at about 10 miles of trekking per day. ........“I want to show the independence of people with disabilities,” he said.........For Hanson, who will bring no maps and does not use a guide dog, progress each day will be made by literally feeling his way along the trail, tapping a cane thousands of times a mile to avoid roots and rocks. .......A voice-enabled GPS system will alert Hanson of his proximity to pre-programmed waypoints—trail shelters, huts, road crossings, streams, mountain peaks—keeping him on course as he treks through the wilderness."
I find this story to be amazing..I know of Bill Irwin so it has been proven a blind person can complete the trial..But "solo AND unsupported"?.....I can think of 100 places just in Maryland where a blind hiker would need assistance to know they were still on the trail and where to turn etc..Heck just in Washington Monument State Park it crosses several wide open fields, several parking lots (Changing direction mid-lot), follows several hard-top roads which suddenly split or where the trail suddenly goes off the road with no sort of non-visual notice...Unless of course the GPS is so advanced it can pinpoint his local down to the foot even as to which side of the road he were on and alert him if he strayed that 4 feet off to the side crossing one of those open fields..Don`t get me wrong I am all for the guy and wish him the best and would volunteer to support his hike if needed I`m just curious how much assistance he could have and still qualify as unsupported
I find this story to be amazing..I know of Bill Irwin so it has been proven a blind person can complete the trial..But "solo AND unsupported"?.....I can think of 100 places just in Maryland where a blind hiker would need assistance to know they were still on the trail and where to turn etc..Heck just in Washington Monument State Park it crosses several wide open fields, several parking lots (Changing direction mid-lot), follows several hard-top roads which suddenly split or where the trail suddenly goes off the road with no sort of non-visual notice...Unless of course the GPS is so advanced it can pinpoint his local down to the foot even as to which side of the road he were on and alert him if he strayed that 4 feet off to the side crossing one of those open fields..Don`t get me wrong I am all for the guy and wish him the best and would volunteer to support his hike if needed I`m just curious how much assistance he could have and still qualify as unsupported