Help A Blinded Boy

A year ago, the parents of then five-year-old Fernando Caled Alvarado Rios gouged out his eyes for a satanic ritual. He and his older brother Kevin, who witnessed the attack, survived but are now in a children’s shelter. The parents and five others are in jail, hopefully for a very long time.

When a friend first told me about this horrific story, I sat on it for a longtime because it was so inhuman I didn’t even know how to react. I think we all have the tendency to look away from such cruelty and brutality.

Then I started thinking, “What can I do?” I can’t change what happened to Fernando but maybe I can bring a little bit of good into his life. So perhaps donating and helping spread the word will help Fernando understand that there is love in the world.

My friend, Laura-Osorio Gonzalez, has contacted the shelter and was told both brothers are adapting well. They say that Fernando is well cared for and he sings in the choir and plays violin. The Mexican government is currently covering all their expenses but we can send letters, books, toys or clothing. And a trust fund has been established for when Fernando turns 18.

Item donations and letters can be sent to:

Lic. Maria Isela Avila or Enriqueta Alonso

In care of: Fernando Alvarado Rios

Address: 
DIF – Atencion Ciudadana

Paseo Colon, Esq. Paseo Tollocan, 2do Piso

Colonia Isidro Fabela, Toluca, Mexico

Money can be sent to:

DIF Edo. de Mexico

Account Number: 4054723887

Bank: HSBC

In care of: Fernando Alvarado Rios

If you make a donation, please provide them with contact information so that they can keep track and send thank you letters.

ERIK’S GIFT: Reach!

In the spirit of our ongoing No Barriers essay contest, I wanted to share this children’s story written by my friend Cheryl Cutting. I hope you enjoy it.

Erik

ERIK’S GIFT: Reach!

By Cheryl A. Cutting

“Reach!” Erik called down to Alia.

“But I’m afraid,” she called back.

“Maybe you’re afraid for the wrong reason,” he hollered patiently, and smiled down at her. “You’ll never know what you can touch unless you reach!”

Alia took a deep breath, mustered all of her courage and reached out towards Erik; when their hands met he pulled her the rest of the way up onto the wide ledge.

Most of the other mountaineers in their group kept climbing, but Erik and his friend Jeff sat down with Alia and waited while she caught her breath. The view from this far up the mountain was spectacular but Alia couldn’t appreciate the beauty because she was too busy talking about how difficult and scary it was to get there.

Erik sat quietly listening to her for a while before he finally spoke. “Whether you are climbing this mountain, or climbing the mountain of your life, you still have to reach out and take risks to get to the summit.

The good news is the view from the peak will be even more spectacular because you were willing to challenge yourself to get there.”

“But what if I fall?” She asked seriously.

“We all fall sometimes,” was Erik’s reply.  “But if we learn something each time we fall we can use the lessons to help us the next time we reach out.  Even more importantly though is to surround ourselves with good people. If we do, they will be there to help us when we stumble; just like you, Jeff and I are roped together on this climb to help keep each other safe. Then if we fall we won’t fall as far.”

Alia sat quietly thinking about Erik’s words for a long time. It occurred to her she was climbing a mountain and a blind man who had climbed all of the tallest mountains in the whole wide world was helping her to do it, so he probably knows what he’s talking about.

“How old were you when you lost your sight?” Alia asked, hoping the question wasn’t rude.

“Thirteen,” replied Erik.

“THIRTEEN years old?!” Alia exclaimed. “That’s just a little bit older than I am now!  But you still climb mountains, kayak big rivers, go paragliding, skiing and travel on adventures all over the world!”

“Alia,” Erik answered patiently, “I lost my sight, but not my vision of what I want to do with my life.”

She thought about this as she tossed pebbles off the ledge and watched them tumble towards the valley below, then she told him: “My friend, Bucky, taught me about finding my vision and how important it is.”

“He’s right,” Erik said. “If you have a clear vision it’s easier to make brave choices to reach where you want to go.”

“How did you find your vision?”  Alia asked.

“Well, losing my sight actually helped me find it,” said Erik with a smile.

“You’re kidding, right?” She liked how she could talk with him in the same easy way she talked to her big brother.

“No, really,” he replied.  “We each have a choice to let adversity stop us or motivate us;  I decided to let my challenges motivate me.”

“What do you mean?” Alia asked looking puzzled.

“As we climb the mountain of life there will be tough times along the way,” Erik told her. “We don’t get a choice about having difficult times but we do get to choose whether our challenges will make us give up our vision or if we’ll find a way to use them to help us move forward.”

“But I’m just a kid,” Alia replied. “It’s harder when you’re a kid.”

“Well, if you think you won’t make it to the top of the mountain then you probably won’t,” Erik replied. “The good news is you have another option; you can look for possibilities instead, and when you do you’ll usually find them.

“How do you do it?” Alia wanted to know.

“If you focus with your eyes on how difficult something is then all you’ll see is obstacles,” he said. “But if you look from your heart for what might be possible in spite of the challenges then everything changes.”

She stood and turned to look up the mountain at the steep climb still ahead of them. It looked difficult and scary but she was beginning to understand what Erik was talking about.

“So, if I look with my eyes I’ll only see what is in front of me, but if I look with my heart I’ll see what might be possible?”  Alia asked.

“Exactly,” he said.  “This strategy won’t guarantee you’ll always get it right the first time, but if you change the way you think about adversity you’ll have fewer challenges and a better chance of success.

“Bucky taught me challenges can be good teachers,” said Alia.  “He also said if my vision is clear my journey will be easier, but why do you think this is?” she asked Erik.

“Because if your vision is clear you can see what you’re reaching for,” he replied.

“So what now?  Where do I go from here?” she asked her friend.

“Just keep climbing, Alia. Find your vision and reach for it!” Erik told her.

“But how do I know what to reach for?” asked Alia.

This was Erik’s reply: ”Reach inside yourself for the strength you’ll need to climb. Reach over obstacles as they arise. Reach up to what is possible even when it seems impossible. Reach out to those around you for support on your expedition because your best chance for success is to team up with other good people along the way. If you are willing to do all of this then you’ll reach your way up to an extraordinary life.”

“Wow, Erik!” said Alia. “Do you really think I can do all of that?”

“I’m certain you can,” he assured her.

“Well it helps to know I don’t have climb alone,” she said thoughtfully.

“You are definitely not alone,” he replied with a big smile.

With these final words, she reached out her hand to him, and they continued their climb up the mountain with Erik’s friend, Jeff guiding them both. Roped up and working together they all reached the summit in the bright of the noonday sun.

As Alia stood looking out at the vastness before her she realized Erik was right – the view was more spectacular from the peak of the mountain and it was worth the challenges it took to get here.

The End

© Cheryl Cutting 2012

Dear Reader,

This is a fictional story about a real gift of wisdom I received from my friend, Erik Weihenmayer. I hope you enjoyed reading this gift as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. Remember Erik’s advice: reach out every chance you get, stay open and learn to look with your heart so you can truly see all the wonderful possibilities awaiting you on your journey.

Your friend,

Cheryl

What’s Your Everest? Climb, June 1st

We have a few spaces left for the No Barriers What’s Your Everest? Climb on June 1st. I hope you will join me and the rest of our team for an ascent of Grays Peak (14,270 feet), just an hour from downtown Denver. Grays and its sister peak, Torreys, are the highest points along the entire Continental Divide in the United States and they provide exceptional views of the Front Range of Colorado.

Our climb starts on May 31st with dinner in Georgetown, a historic mining town nestled in a mountain valley. We get up early the next morning for the short drive to the trailhead and begin the 4-mile hike to the summit. Last year, we got over 50 people to the top of our peak and raised over $10,000 for No Barriers and Soldiers To Summits. This is a great opportunity to stretch your legs and help a worthy cause!

To sign up, visit the No Barriers web site.

Reach!
Erik

No Barriers Essay Contest extended

Hey students, you just got one more week to submit your essay to my contest! We’ve had quite a few great essays come in already but I want to make sure everyone has time to enter.

The objective of the No Barriers Mindset Contest is to encourage students to examine how they will reach to achieve the “impossible.” To enter the contest, start by watching four videos on this web page. Then write a 300 – 500 word essay that answers these questions:

What qualities does Erik bring to bear to work through each of these challenges?
Are there tools that everyone can utilize when working through barriers? What are they?
How does the No Barriers Mindset apply to your life?

We’ll judge the essays on how effectively you answer these questions. But don’t forget that I used to teach English so spelling and grammar are important!

The Grand Prize is a Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 backpacking tent. I’ve used one of these and it’s fantastic for three-season camping.

The Runner Up gets a pair of Leki Summit trekking poles. I use these poles on all my hikes and climbs and recommend them to everyone.

And Honorable Mention gets a No Barriers Reach Pendant. This sterling silver pendant has the word “Reach” in Braille on the backside with a hand reaching for the mountains.

I look forward to reading all the entries! We will post the winners here on my blog.

Reach!
Erik

Wells Fargo TV ad

A lot of friends have called me recently to say they thought they heard my voice or got a brief glimpse of me on a TV ad. They wanted to know if I’m the blind guy climbing while they were watching Dancing With The Stars and other prime time shows. Yes! It all came together quickly, and I’m psyched to be represented, along with the Wright brothers, Rosa Parks, and the Mars Curiosity landing. Very cool and an honor to be working with Wells Fargo.

They’re right. Conversations lead to some amazing things!

Erik

PS the sound works in some browsers but not Safari.

No Barriers Boston Fund

As a graduate of Boston College, and a runner, I was greatly impacted by the horrors of the tragic bombing. So I am proud to share the news that we have established the No Barriers Boston Fund to help amputees acquire advanced prosthetic legs. The goal is to raise $500,000 in the next 60 days so that these victims can once again run races, climb mountains, bike, swim, and live a normal life.

My good friend and former No Barriers board member, Dr. Hugh Herr, is the impetus behind this project. Hugh is both a bilateral amputee and a research scientist at MIT who has spent decades developing the most sophisticated prosthetic legs available. Another No Barriers board member, Bill Barkeley, who is deaf and blind, ran the Boston Marathon last year and will serve as the official spokesperson for this project.

If you would like to help the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing take the next step in their lives, please contribute and spread the word about this worthy cause! If you know someone who was injured, please share the No Barriers Boston Fund application form.

Thanks!
Erik

No Barriers Mindset essay contest

Hey students, win great prizes! As a parent and former schoolteacher, I have a strong interest in helping kids to dream big. To that end, we’ve created an essay contest that explores what we call at No Barriers, the “No Barriers Mindset.” I have teamed up with two of my sponsors, Mountain Hardwear and Leki, to offer some cool prizes for the essays that stand out.

The objective of the No Barriers Mindset Contest is to encourage students to examine how they will reach to achieve the “impossible.” To enter the contest, start by watching four videos on this web page. Then write a 300 – 500 word essay that answers these questions:

What qualities does Erik bring to bear to work through each of these challenges?
Are there tools that everyone can utilize when working through barriers? What are they?
How does the No Barriers Mindset apply to your life?

We’ll judge the essays on how effectively you answer these questions. But don’t forget that I used to teach English so spelling and grammar are important!

The Grand Prize is a Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 backpacking tent. I’ve used one of these and it’s fantastic for three-season camping.

The Runner Up gets a pair of Leki Summit trekking poles. I use these poles on all my hikes and climbs and recommend them to everyone.

And Honorable Mention gets a No Barriers Reach Pendant. This sterling silver pendant has the word “Reach” in Braille on the backside with a hand reaching for the mountains.

I look forward to reading all the entries! We will post the winners here on my blog.

Reach!
Erik

Grand Canyon practice run

I’m back from our 12-day practice run of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This trip was a test run for myself and my team to assess whether coming back to kayak all 225 miles is a real possibility or just a pipedream. Now that I’m back and have had some time to reflect, I feel I have a good shot at pulling this off.

Starting off the trip, I listened carefully to the advice of my friend, Harlan Taney, who has kayaked the Grand over a hundred times. He told me, “Hey, you have to get to a point where you have fun in these rapids. If you’re not having fun, you won’t have the motivation to stick with it.”

I wouldn’t say I’m quite there yet. Getting in my boat each morning, I was filled with anxiety as I listened to the huge roar of the rapids below and would have trouble keeping down breakfast. I’d try to push back the nerves with some rhythmic breathing and stretching.

Heading into each huge rapid, I knew in the next two minutes of intensity there were three possible scenarios, each getting progressively worse: coming out at the bottom right side up, flipping and having to roll back up, or attempting a roll unsuccessfully and having to bail out and swim.

I’ve never done a sport that demands so much in such a short amount of time. All brain neurons are firing at maximum, especially without eyes and relying only on what I’m hearing from my guide and what I’m feeling under my boat. On this first experience, I’d kayak for two or three hours before I was mentally exhausted, and I know endurance is going to be a key factor on the next go-around.

We had my best kayak team yet on this trip, starting with Fred Thevenin from Arizona Raft Adventures (aka Azra), who ran the 36-foot motorized raft that carried all our gear. My support crew included my oldest kayaking partner Rob Raker, who taught me to kayak and got nicknamed “Papa Duck” as the elder statesman. Chris Wiegand, a kayak coach who runs an outreach program called Sportainability, is also a longtime partner who helped with guiding.

Harlan was a new member of the team. I first met Harlan six years ago on the Grand. He was the safety guide for a group of blind teenagers I was leading down the river. Harlan had some of the blind folks paddle down some of the easier rapids in inflatable kayaks and at the end of the trip. Afterwards, he told me I should think about coming back some day and kayaking the whole thing in a hard-shell kayak. Not sure he knew I’d actually take him up on it. Harlan was amazing to have along because he knows the Grand like no one else and as he guided me from behind, he was able to pick perfect lines through the rapids!

Another new addition to my team is Timmy O’Neill, the director of Paradox Sports, a non-profit that helps the disabled get outdoors. Known by many as a wildman climber and comedian, Timmy is also a super talented kayaker who has been paddling for decades.

Before the put-in, we had a team meeting to develop a plan of action. My primary guide paddles just behind me and uses the intercom to give me directions so we call him the “Squawker.” We have another guide behind him who acts as a backup safety boater, so he gets called the “Hail Mary.” Sometimes we have a person out front picking the line if we’re on an unfamiliar rapid. And then there are two other safety boaters who get prepared to pickup the carnage is if someone takes a swim.

The other big part of the “team” is our Neptune intercoms, which finally solved our radio problems. Without a reliable communication system in the deafening roar of the rapids, this adventure would be flat out impossible. After two years of experimenting we now have the tools needed for kayaking big water safely.

Overall, on this practice run, I paddled about 50% of the river  and about 70% of the big rapids, including Granite and Hermit. After Granite, I told my team, “you know it’s a good one when you dry heave after it.” So anxiety is still present, perhaps diminishing just a bit, but I’m pushing forward anyway. Now I have about 16 months to continue preparing for one of the biggest adventures of my life.

Check out this video from our trip. And please leave a comment here on my blog if you like what I’m doing!

Many thanks to my sponsors at Mountain Hardwear, Scarpa, Leki, Werner Paddles, WRSI helmets, Northwest River Supply, and Neptune Comms! And thanks again to Fred at Azra, who runs a fantastic guiding service.

Reach!
Erik

Vote for Trish!

My good friend Tricia Downing is in the running to win a wheelchair accessible van and she needs your help! Trish is an amazing athlete who was paralyzed from the waist down after a car hit her while she was riding her bike. That hasn’t stopped her and she’s now doing incredible things, such as starting Camp Discovery for women affected by injury or disease.

The contest is part of National Mobility Awareness Month and the grand prize is a fully decked out van worth $40,000. Check out her story in the video and then please vote her into a some new wheels. You can vote once a day until the contest is over on May 3rd.

Soldiers To Summits accepting applications

I’m excited to announce that the next Soldiers To Summit program will culminate in October with an expedition to the Peruvian Andes! Please help spread the word about this fantastic opportunity for injured veterans–the deadline for applications is June 3rd.

The program starts with a training session in Colorado. Then we will embark on a journey through the breathtaking Cordillera Vilcanota, engage in cultural exchange and service projects with local communities, and trek along the Camino del Apu Ausangate. After a 6-day trek, our team will climb a spectacular peak that towers nearly 18,000 feet above sea level.

 S2S is for veterans and active-duty service member with a service-related injury or disability. The goal of this transformative journey is for participants to walk away with skills that not only help them in the mountains but benefit them throughout the rest of their lives to set ambitious personal goals, build world class teams, find creative ways to harness adversity, and to serve others in need.

To become part of the S2S program, soldiers should:

• Submit a completed application (including two letters of recommendation, DD214 (VA disability letter/rating) and current resume) by June 3rd.
• Have a desire to embark on a transformative journey and reshape their life.
• Demonstrate experience playing a role in effective teams.
• Be able to participate in physically-demanding activities.

Please visit the Soldiers to Summits website for more information about the expedition. This is going to be our best program yet!