The visually impaired hikers do have guides, but the guides aren't there to hold the hikers hands. The guides just wear bells on their packs and warn hikers if they start to come too close to an edge.
Although 12-year-old Dillan Owens begins wheezing from fatigue and the altitude, his father urges him to finish.
Is this hike important to prove a point or is it simply madness? If you were the parent of a visually impaired 12-year-old child, would you encourage him to continue to build character or quit to ensure safety? And if you were blind, would you joint the hike?
5 comments:
I think this hike does have a point in that it gives the hikers a sense of accomplishment. I mean hiking into the Grand Canyon is pretty difficult, let alone hiking into it blind. But if I were the parent of one of these hikers, I honestly don't know what I would do. I would most likely encourage them to go on unless the hike posed a health or safety risk; at that point I definitely encourage my child to pull out. In terms of joining the hike myself, I don't know if I would be able to muster up the strength to do this as I am deadly afraid of heights! :)
I honestly wouldn't want my 12 year-old child climbing down into the Grand Canyon, blind or not! To me there are many other and SAFER ways to prove a point as a 12 year-old.
I really do admire the spirit and initiative of these hikers, and their attitude is very admirable and courageous.
For me personally, I wouldn't have the guts to climb down the Grand Canyon even with 20/20 vision. I've been to the Grand Canyon, and yikes it is STEEP!
I really wish these hikers the best of luck. Whether it is safe or not, these 13 people are undoubtedly inspirational.
Regardless of whether these hikers are blind or not, I think that climbing the Grand Canyon is a courageous event in itself. I definitely support them,especially since these blind hikers are doing this for a cause.
However, I do agree with Danielle that I would not allow my 12-year old child to do this, blind or not. Since the guides aren't there to assist any of these hikers, what if one does fall and die..? Then what?
I think this is really ihnteresting. I never heard about anything like this!! I think that if I were blind, I would join the hike to make a point that blind people can do just about anything that a person with vision could do. If I were the parent of a 12-year old blind hiker, I would encourage this journey, ONLY if I go along with him, to experience this significant moment in his life with him and to make sure he's safe while completing the hike.
I definitely admire each one of the hikers for doing what they are doing. It is an extreme course of actions that they are taking but it is nonetheless incredibly meaningful, especially to themselves. I can see how some can think that this may be foolish, but it is almost the same as a person running in front of a moving car in order to save the helpless being about to be run over: is the person a hero or an idiot? (this is from a conversation I once had with Emma Walsh). Personally, I think that all the hikers are being incredibly courageous and I applaud them for their bravery. I am sure that many people in the visually impaired community see these people as heroes. As far as the 12-year old boy goes, I am torn on the matter. I can see why the father would want to encourage his son to complete the hike but at the same time, as a parent, I think he should take into consideration that the boy may need at least a break of some sort. It's a difficult thing to decide, especially when regarding the safety of the child.
If I were blind, I do not think that I would have the courage to join the hike but I would definitely cheer on those who do.
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