[at-l] The Whole Access Problem

["Lynn Setzer" <hikester@mindspring.com>]

I feel the urge to jump in on this one.......


One of the items that motivated me to write the AT book was the fact that,
in early 1995, my mother had a serious blood circulation problem that
ultimately resulted in having her leg amputated from the knee down.  (All of
this happened after she was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis -- at the age
of 35.)   After spending time helping her with her rehab, I came to the
realization that a person best do the things that really matter to him/her
before something in life conspires to get in the way.   I wanted to write a
book, and I wanted to hike the trail, and in a flash of insight I said to
myself, in November of 1995, "Let's write a book at the AT!"


Today, my Mom is very aware of the AT community, through the book of course.
Her generation of women  didn't go out and hike much....she missed out on a
lot I take for granted.  She often sounds a little wistful when, today, she
can't go out and experience some of the outdoors things I get to experience.
Me, I impressed that she gets out of bed in the morning with a happy
attitude.  Can't say I'd be as accepting of those circumstances......

Come September, when my family holds a mini-reunion near Linville Gorge, I
want her to be able to *see* Linville Gorge.  She's lived in NC most of her
life, but has never been to see the gorge.   I want her to be able to just
go out the short distance -- maybe .25 miles -- and hang her head over the
overlook and see this beautiful gorge.  The only problem is, a 72 year old,
near-crippled woman with a prosthesis is gonna have some trouble walking
this short, uphill distance.  I've resolved myself to the fact that in order
for her to see Linville Gorge, from the easiest of overlooks, I'm gonna
become her crutch.  However long it takes to get here there is how long it's
going to take.


Do I think that the disabled folks who hiked along the trail  got the same
experience that others of us -- the healthy and strong and fortunate  --
get?  Of course not.  But they get something, and that's worth a lot.

Do I think that every trail should be made "accessible"?   No, I don't.  But
I do think there's enough trails that perhaps we can afford to share a
few -- even the ones with the most celebrity attached to them.   I don't
think we have to horde them, plus I don't think sharing the pathways
diminishes anyone else's achievement.


Lynn



* From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

==============================================================================