monkeygarden - , reviewed Blind Courage (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail) on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The story of Bill Irwin, who with his dog Orient, became the first blind person to thru-hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. Bill Irwin's life has been filled with pain and promise. Trying to cope with divorce, alcoholism, estranged children, and blindness has hardly been easy. In fact, it left Bill with a desire to continue to anesthetize himself with alcohol, even as he conducted seminars on toxicology. Finally a cry for help from a cocaine addicted son force Bill into a situation where he could admit that his own life was out of control. Soon his life changed in many ways, ways that would eventually lead him to answer a call to walk the Appalachian Trail with his Seeing Eye dog Orient. In a remarkable story of commitment, perseverance, and the will to survive, Blind Courage portrays Bill Irwin the first blind person to hike the entire Trail. Through fourteen states, along 2,168.9 miles, Bill and Orient walked, sending a message to us all, reminding us of and encouraging us to pursue our own impossible dreams.
