Mike Hanson, from St. Louis Park near Minneapolis, MN, plans to hike the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail end to end, without ever seeing the ground under his feet.Hanson, who lost his sight at birth, will start his seven-month trek from Georgia to Maine tomorrow - navigating by GPS. He has mastered its use by cell phone and trusts global positioning technology to steer his every step.
"It gives me everything I would need to know about the trail but the view," Hanson said. "I will be able to hear and smell what is going on."
He programmed his GPS software with points for roads, water sources, campsites, shelters, re-supply points, and landmarks every 100 yards. Pressing a button prompts a voice from the phone to tell him where he is, which direction he is heading, and how far to go to the next trip marker.
Hanson, 44, is driven to prove that visually impaired people are more competent, capable, independent and employable than is generally assumed.
He's also arranged for his trek to be filmed as a documentary by Gary Steffens, of Fresh Image Video Productions in Mound. Steffens and Hanson met through a mutual friend.
Please click here to read the full story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Please click here for Hanson's website. You can also follow his trek by following his blog.
Jeff
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