Surviving and Thriving with Brain Injuries

A beautiful summer day - sunny, much less humid, and gradually working its way towards hot instead of totally broiling here in western Massachusetts. I caught an hour or so with All Out Adventures at our canoeing program in Gill on the Connecticut River and unexpectedly learned some important distinctions about brain injury, which can run the gamut from mild to severe, and effect mental, physical, and neurological functions of the body.

ServiceNet was there with a group of people with brain injuries. Some explored the cove by canoe in search of eagles, beaver, and cool shady edges on the far shore while three others hung out under a canopy playing Uno. As I was labeling equipment for the program, they updated me on causes of brain injury, not all of which are considered "traumatic", meaning caused by mishap such as an auto or motorcycle accident.

Blind, Solo, and Through-Hiking the Appalachian Trail!

Mike Hanson from Minnesota, is hiking the AT this summer from Georgia to Maine. No guide, no guide dog - just himself with pack and hiking poles. Wow! He is committed to drawing attention to the capabilities of people who are blind and also the use of adapted GPS for blind hikers.

Mike has been an active outdoorsman for thirty-some years and has been preparing for this year's trek for a few years, securing funding and testing his methods. Now in his mid-40's, he is navigating the trail at a pace most through-hikers would find frustrating, using his poles to tap out comprehension of the roots, rocks and obstacles along the way. Traveling about ten miles a day, he has already covered 1000 miles. This past weekend while he was passing over Race Mountain in Mt. Everett State Reservation in the Berkshires, he met DCR's Chief of Recreation on the trail hiking - which is how I found out about Mike's trek. Wish I could say I met him on the AT!

On the River with the Geezer and the Gimp

The Swift River in Belchertown has ice cold clear water, so clear you can see the trout darting alongside your boat as you paddle upstream from the put in off Cold Spring Road in Belchertown. This narrow winding river is the perfect place to be on a 90 degree day, with its refreshing pockets of cool air above the water.

I joined Bob and Charlie this week on the river, for a welcome respite from office, programs and continuous logistics. Self proclaimed the Geezer and the Gimp, they've been adventure buddies ever since meeting at an outdoor program 15 years ago. They cycle or paddle together each week, exploring and re-exploring trails and rivers all over the place. Charlie is quadriplegic, an avid nature lover, sails in Boston Harbor with Piers Park Sailing, and teaches wheelchair mobility skills at rehab hospitals. Bob must be somewhere close to 80, has a lifelong love affair with motorcycles and boats, and publishes an intriguing magazine called Messing About in Boats.

Staying Cool in Kayaks on the Water

Yesterday I joined an adaptive kayaking program at D.A.R. State Forest in Goshen for an easy hour of cooling off on the water. Brenda Davies of Stavros Outdoor Access was the outdoor leader of the day and had plenty of fun ideas for the dozen or so paddlers on the lake the last hour of her day long program. The D.A.R. State Forest is on the eastern edge of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, an easy drive from Greenfield, Northampton, and Pittsfield. It is a great place to picnic, enjoy a beach (beach wheelchair available!), camp, fish, and explore a 1/4 mile accessible trail as well as miles of hiking trails.

Hot Day Brings Out Handcyclists

For over twelve years, people have come from all over Massachusetts to ride adaptive bikes on the Norowottuck Rail Trail in the Connecticut River Valley. Today, despite the heat, many riders were enjoying the trail, which is blessed with a lot of shade and a gentle breeze that sweeps across the farm fields in the valley. Even with temperatures above ninety, riders were having a great time.

Adaptive Rowing in Holyoke

I stole away from the office one morning early last week to catch a glimpse of adaptive rowing in Holyoke. It was one of those perfect summer mornings, cool and bright, and the river was calm and inviting. I found Stephanie Moore of Holyoke Rows in the center of a hubub of people and gear on the dock at Jones Ferry.

Stephanie has been offering adaptive rowing for years in conjunction with DCR's Universal Access Program, and currently hosts the program at a new boathouse in Holyoke, which allows rowing and paddling to be accessible to everyone in this urban area along the Connecticut River.

Follow Luke and Learn to Sail on the Charles River in Boston!

I haven't made it to the Esplanade in Boston yet this summer to sail with Community Boating, but reports are trickling in from new sailors who have discovered the joys of adaptive sailing already. Luke Baca is one of the newest and happiest. The thrill of sailing seems to override any of the usual limitations that might hinder a young man with Spina Bifida who has paralyzed legs, difficulty with fine motor control, and an anxiety disorder. Normal anxiousness about leaving his chair or sustaining minor injuries like blisters or splinters seems to evaporate in the sailing environment. According to Luke, "I'm not really disabled on water, because no one can walk on water. In fact, I have such upper body strength, I'm at an advantage!"

Letterboxing Offers Fun Discovery Wherever You Are

If you like mysteries, graphics, and the great outdoors, an activity known as letterboxing may be a wonderful pursuit for you and your family. A treasure hunt of widespread proportions, letterboxing can be done by anyone anywhere in the U.S. and even beyond. In its simplest form, you follow clues to hidden boxes where you'll find hand-carved stamps which you can print in a logbook you carry. The clues are found on-line at http://www.letterboxing.org/, where you can scroll by state, county, and town for letterbox lisings. At http://www.atlasquest.com/, you'll find a far more sophisticated website listing many variations of this intriguing pastime and allowing for the quest of wheelchair accessible letterboxes.

Letterboxes contain stamps on family friendly topics (typically), ranging from cartoon characters, historical tidbits, nature lore, literary references, place-based commemoratives, personal tributes, favorite movies, and more. Clues can be straightforward directions using landmarks, compass readings, stories, riddles, puzzles, images - you name it. Stamps can be made from erasers or artist's carving material, carved by kids or adults, with a full array of styles, sizes, artistic ability. Anyone can make a letterbox, even with a store bought stamp.

How Do Kids with Disabilities Find Friends?

How do kids with disabilities find friends? I know it can be challenging for any child to find comfortable companions their own age, with similar interests and compatible personalities. I spoke with the mother of a young girl recently on the phone. She was interested in bringing her daughter with spina bifida to a recreation program this summer. She wanted to know if other kids would be coming, and mentioned that it has been difficult for her daughter to make connections with kids her age that also have a similar disability.  Her daughter uses a wheelchair and has good verbal communication skills, but apparently other kids in wheelchairs she's met haven't been able to communicate easily, so a potential friendship doesn't click.

"The Things I See, The People I Meet"

My week was complete as I got to introduce myself to Matt Eddy and his crew late Friday afternoon.

I caught up with them in Springfield, at the end of a 20 mile day, in a Walgreens parking lot. Matt was just rolling to a stop, and his roadside endspot was marked with their blue placard (visible on left). Each day's travel is filmed by Dani (left), beginning and ending with this mile marker, as part of tracking and verifying the trip for a Guiness World Record.