Back in November I shared the amazing story of how blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer was preparing to kayak the entire length of the Grand Canyon. At the time, Erik was training at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in North Carolina to build all of the skills he'll need to paddle the Canyon. It turns out, Erik has been continuing to work on those skills and has even been spending some time in the Grand Canyon itself.

In a recent post to his blog, Erik shared an update on his progress. He had just returned from a 12-day paddling excursion to the Canyon that gave him an opportunity to assess how far his skills have come and determine if kayaking 225 miles down the Colorado River is an actual possibility in the future. While he admits that he continues to have severe anxiety while running some of the more wild rapids, he is beginning to think that this expedition may happen. He says he isn't quite there yet, but the plan is to paddle the river next summer, so he still has 16 months to get ready.

Erik is a guy who never ceases to amaze me. We are, after all, talking about man who became the first visually impaired person to summit Everest and the rest of the Seven Summits for that matter. He's also competed in adventure races, ridden in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race and cycled from San Francisco to Denver. And that is just the tip of the iceberg on his adventure resume. Now, he is set to take on the Grand Canyon, which quite simply put, must be an incredibly scary thing for a blind person. Yet he continues to push boundaries both for himself and how a the world perceives what he is capable of. That may be his greatest accomplishment yet.

The video below was shot on his recent paddling trip. It shows Erik making the first blind descent of Granite Rapids. He may think he's not ready, but his skills look sharp to me. I can't wait to follow his attempt on the full river next year.

Thanks to Clyde Soles for sharing this story. Very inspirational.

A lot of people don't realize it, but the American west still has herds of wild horses that inhabit portions of the country. It is estimated that about 37,000 of the animals still roam the west today and these strong, sturdy creatures are uniquely adapted to their environment. That makes them a particularly good choice for a new equestrian expedition that is set to get underway on March 15th. That is when a group of four riders will set out on a 3000-mile long odyssey that will form the basis of a new documenary entitled Unbranded.

In few short weeks, riders Ben Masters, Thomas Glover, Ben Thamer and Jonny Fitzsimons will embark on their adventure, starting at the border of Mexico and heading north. Their route will take them more than six months to complete, crossing through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana before finishing at the Canadian border. Along the way they'll pass through such amazing locations at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park.

The four men will ride this trail with 17 horses, each of which were previously wild mustangs. Their journey wouldn't be possible without these amazing animals and the film that they will shoot will be a testament to the partnership between rider and horse. Through this film they hope to not only recapture the spirit of adventure in the Old West but also share with viewers the story of these wild mustangs, many of which are available for adoption to those looking to add a high-quality horse to their stable, ranch or farm.

The route that the team has elected to follow is a custom one that they've selected themselves in an effort to experience the true backcountry of the places they'll be visiting along the way. The path will lead along portions of the Arizona Trail, Great Western Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, passing through deserts, canyons, mountains and plains along the way. It should make for a stunning and dramatic backdrop to their adventure.


Sometime back, the men started a KickStarter campaign in an effort to raise funds to make this film. I'm happy to report that with three days left in their campaign, they have exceeded their budget and plans are moving ahead as expected. In fact, they've already begun filming the early parts of the film, capturing footage of the riders working with their horses before they set out. The video below is from that KickStarter and will give you an idea of what to expect from this film when it is finally released.

The expedition is expected to finish up around September 20th of this year.