Earth Day Tips for People with Disabilities

April 22 is one of my favorite days of the year. Earth Day is a day where we take actions to better this thing we all share called, earth.

Since 1970 every April 22 has been a day where humans collect garbage, plant trees, and show respect for the land they live on. I think we all should be treating earth this way every day. I live with a disability and use medical supplies daily. My medical issues make me a huge contributor to hurting the earth. Knowing this I choose to take extra precautions in other aspects of my life. 

Here are some things I do to decrease my carbon footprint:

1. Compost my food scraps

   • Don’t toss those food scrapes in the garbage. Pile them up in your yard and let mother nature eat them up.

2. Grow a lot of my own food

   • Why not eat healthy and be a little more self sustaining. Gardening is therapeutic too!

3. Use Nontoxic products

   • Pull weed, don’t use weed killer. Use organic cleaning products to decrease water contamination.

4. Use paperless billing

   • Technology isn’t exactly better for the environment but at least your not cutting down a tree.

5. Recycle and reuse 

   • Buy products with composting or recycling packaging. If you can’t reuse the packaging for other household needs.

These are very simple things you can do to help keep our earth healthy and happy. Try to get outside today!

Hey, Whats in that Bag?

Too often, safety is taken for granted. Last week I shared an on-trail experience where carrying a first aid kit came in handy. Check it out here. Not many people are prepared for the worse and that’s totally understandable. I will admit, I carry way more than the average person. I promise I’m not a hoarder. For a few years, my life was spent on the road, in the mountains, and even, by choice, homeless. While living like a wanderer I learn to let go of unnecessary items. I also learned to hold on to the important stuff.

I’ve got a thing for Osprey and if you own one of their packs, I’m sure you understand my love for well designed and durable packs. I own the Porter 46, check it out here. I also own the Daylite Plus. I love that these packs are compatible with each other. I can buckle the Daylite Plus to the Porter 46 to increase my carrying capacity. This comes in handy, especially when I’m backpacking. Both have been highly abused and still have a lot of life in them.

At 20 liters, the main pouch has plenty of room for day to day use. I keep my first aid kit, a small pack of supplies and my medical supplies here. There’s still plenty of room for a change of clothes or extra layers.

Since safety is the subject on hand let’s take a look at my first aid kit.

• First aid blanket/space blanket

• Waterproof bandaids

• Tegaderm Films

• Triangular bandages

• Q-tips

• Examination gloves

• Shower care bandaids

• Moth to mouth mask

• Stretchy dressings

• Gauze pads

• Alcohol-free cleansing wipe

• Alcohol prep pad

• Plastic bags

• Pain Killer-Tylenol

• Gauze rolls

• Dressing tape

• Allergy meds

• Safety pins

I also keep a few Cliff bars in my first aid kit. You’d be surprised by the amount of people who don’t properly fuel their body. I learned this the hard way when I started road biking. When you’re putting out a lot of effort you should be refueling every 30-60 minutes. You don’t have to eat much but you need to eat something.

You never know when you’ll need a first aid kit. We don’t plan accidents. My kit weighs less than 400 grams so it’s a no brainer for me to carry daily. For me, safety isn’t only gauze pads and medical gloves. I’m a wheelchair user so getting a flat tire in the wrong place can be dangerous. Having the right gear on hand can be life saving. I also carry a few items that align with my life that help me stay safe.

• C02 inflator system

• Allen wrench set

• Tire levers

• Flashlight

• Sunscreen

• Eyeglass cleaner & rag

• Tire sealer

• Lighter

• Eye drops

My spinal cord injury has affected the way I use the bathroom. To pee, I use intermittent catheters. I drain my bladder 6-8 times a day. This means I need to carry these supplies with me. Luckily, they aren’t very heavy and also fit in the pack’s main pouch.

The last few items I carry in the main pouch are tools to help me hike. These straps are used with an able-bodied hiker companion to either pull me while ascending or use as a parachute to slow me during a descend. One end of the strap is tied to the frame of my wheelchair and the other can hook to a body harness or wrapped around the persons waist. This is an essential tool for hiking off the ADA wheelchair accessible paved paths. I like to get dirty just like everyone else but must adapt to make it happen. My Handup gloves are perfect for long hikes, rad bikes or keeping my hands warm when wrapped around a cold beer.

Let’s take a look at the gear in the smaller pouch. Whats stored here are the things I use multiple times a day or what I may need to pull out with ease.

• Inhaler

• Meds

• Chapstick

• Hand sanitizer

• Pocket Knife

• USB plug

• Rechargeable battery

• Phone charger

• Watch charger

As you can see, I carry a lot of gear. It’s really not that heavy of a pack. When I’m tired or lazy I can strap the pack to the back of my wheelchairs backrest. When it’s there, it’s weightless. I also want to mention, I don’t carry this with me 100% of the time. Sometimes when traveling, going to a fancy show or dinner the pack stays home or in my truck. I know from being part of the wheelchair community some of my peers absolutely hate carrying so much gear. I understand this but for my lifestyle, I've learned its better to be prepared.

What’s in your pack? Am I missing anything? Let me know in the comments below.

First Aid, I'm Always Prepared

Spending time outdoors is known to increase your overall health. In my youth, I preferred mother nature over video games. I couldn’t sit still. I need to move at all times. My parents encouraged outside time. I often had dirt under my fingernails, dried mud stuck to my skin and stained clothing. Strangers probably thought I was homeless and not taken care of. This wasn’t the case. I grew up more fortunate than a most of my peers. I was just a wild kid who loved getting dirty while pushing the limits. Safety was discussed but not in detail. My mom was a nurse and saw injuries and illnesses at work every day. She knew when it was time to tell me to suck it up or when she needed to fix me up. 

One of my favorite activities was snowboarding with my brother and sister. We loved it so much it affected our education. We were the kids who missed so much school that we needed mandatory doctors note to return to school. Luckily, we had a family doctor who had no problem writing these notes a few times a week. He would always remind us how important our education was while also wanting to hear about our crazy adventures in the wild. If a storm was rolling in we knew we were ditching class the next day. While most kids were laying out their outfits and packing lunch we were prepping our gear. 

One of the most exciting feelings ever is when you exit the groomed path and enter the powdery backcountry. We had a secret spot that not many knew about. It was where we would set up basecamp for the day. We would also build a jump to practice aerials. This was our classroom and we learned everything school was teaching us but from a hands-on approach. We learned how to communicate in sketchy situations. We learned geometry and physics from building and launching off the jumps we built. We learned biology and nutrition from how our bodies performed on the slopes. We learned many skills that just can’t be taught in a classroom.

Safety wasn’t an issue until my mom saw a video of me doing a backflip. I was an adrenaline junky and the risks I was taking started to hit a level that could be life-changing. My mom isn’t the outdoorsy type and until she saw the video she had no clue what type of risks I was taking. She learned pretty damn quick. The next day she took me to buy a helmet. She knew she couldn’t stop me from taking these risks so she compromised. She made me research other safety gear I would need. Once I had a list she took me to the store to purchase it all. I’m forever grateful to have parents who supported my passions no questions asked. 

I recently found some of my old snowboarding safety gear during my move to Utah. Whistle/compass/thermometer/magnifying glass combo, flashlight, Multi-tool, swiss army knife, and extra binding hardware.

I also carried a space blanket, waterproof matches, shovel, hydration pack, dried food, sunscreen, and extra layers. 

My parents built a sturdy safety foundation so I was able to handle difficult situations while playing outdoors. I’ve built on that foundation over the past 20 years. Most people are trying to shave grams on the trail to move faster but I’m not concerned about weight. I’m already a slow hiker so moving quickly isn’t my concern. I’d rather be over-prepared so I can save me or possibly another life. 

I want to cycle to work but my handbike has very little clearance. Yesterday, I was out scouting by wheelchair, a 5-mile section of the Jordan River Parkway Trail. I came to a sharp narrow turn on the trail to find a man who went down on his bike. He had yard saled all his gear blocking the trail. He was sitting in the middle of the trail with blood coming down his face while holding his arm to his side. Safety instincts sank in quickly. 

I have a spinal cord injury so my first question was if he can feel all his extremities. He muttered yes. Then I asked if he has any back or neck pain. His voice was stronger with this next reply, “No, the only pain I have is in my shoulder.” Then I asked if he remembered the crash. He said yes and also mentioned he had been laid out for roughly 10 minutes before I found him. While asking these initial questions I took my backpack off and pulled out my first aid kit. I then reminded him that we were in a dangerous situation because of the blind turn in the trail. At any second another cyclist could come around the corner and crash into us. I moved most of his gear off-trail while asking him if he thinks he can scoot off-trail too. This is something I wouldn’t have done if he had pain in his neck or back. 

I pulled out some gauze and asked the man if he can apply pressure to his head wound. He was unaware of the blood trickling from a cut on his head. Not knowing he had a head wound was my sign he might have gone unconscious at some point during or after his crash. I was still assessing his injuries when a county worker arrived on a 4x4 golf cart. Help in numbers is a good thing as long as there’s a leader and everyone keeps their composer. I let the county worker know what I knew and then continued to pull out first aid supplies.

As we were tending to his obvious injuries we asked him the basics. What is your name? What month and year are we in? He gave the right answers. Then we started to look for broken bones. The man then mentioned his hands starting to feel tingly. I instantly asked the county worker to call 911. Any time injuries are increasing it’s best to have the professional on their way. I continued to speak with the man about hiking and biking just to keep his mind off the injuries. This is when things started to get interesting. 

He stopped me mid-sentence by asking if a bathroom was close by. I let him know we were about a mile from a bathroom. He wasn’t thrilled about it. He said he was going to shit his pants and he was super embarrassed. I let him know he didn’t have to be embarrassed because I was with the king of shitting their pants. I have never been more excited to share my “shit happens” stories. I let him know about how a spinal cord injury affects bowel and bladder function. Then I started in with the stories and boy do I have a lot of them. While telling him the time I shit my pants right before what was supposed to be a romantic kayaking trip on a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico with my girlfriend, I pulled out a trash bag and some wipes. He laughed at my story. I replied I’m happy you’re laughing because my girlfriend wasn’t. 

The man then let me know he couldn’t hold it any longer. For everyone’s safety, The county worker and I agreed to hike a bit down the trail in the opposite directions to make sure children on the trail didn’t come to a naked bloodied man shitting in a trash bag. Luckily paramedics showed up at the same time and helped the man do his business before taken him to the hospital. It sucks not knowing how the man is doing or what his recovery will entail. I take my hat off to all first responders, nurses, and doctors who don’t get to see the full results after patching people up. 

Stick around for my next blog. I’m going to show you what I carry with me in my backpack at all times. 

Outdoor Wheelchair Accessibility

I’ve been exploring accessible trails at National Parks and California State Parks consistently for a few months now. I’ve found some highly accessible trails paved and unpaved all over the place but what I’m noticing is these accessible trails are less than a mile in length. This has been unsettling to say the least. I not only want more I crave more.

There is so much evidence proving, spending more time in nature betters your quality of life. Here are a few of my favorite articles proving this point.

I think it’s important to add that people with disabilities need nature more than the average able bodied person. Living with a disability is stressful. From my personal experience of living with a disability, when I want to go on an adventure, I face a lot of roadblocks and I have much more planning than before my spinal cord injury. I have much less to work with, especially since there's much less accessible adventures to take. Don’t get me wrong, I get creative and make the inaccessible, accessible daily but it takes more effort, time and money.

One way I’ve been able to explore nature more is using my adaptive mountain bike but even that can get tricky. Single track trails are not sketchy and the off camber sections are a little too dangerous, even for me.

How can we make changes? Awareness is my first thought and luckily outdoor lifestyle companies are catching on. Have you heard of Merrell? They not only make bad ass outdoor gear they celebrate diversity on the trail. I fell in love with Merrell’s One Day. One World. One trail campaign that features so much diversity including adaptive mountain biking. Thanks for pushing for an inclusive world. I wish more leaders in the outdoor world caught on to what you are doing. This is a call to all you other leaders in the outdoor world. SPONSOR more adaptive athletes! It’s a win win and you know it.

Second, people with disabilities need to join in more. I’ve joined local mountain bike and road bike clubs which has opened so many peoples eyes to accessibility. Having more adaptive athletes pushing boundaries pushes private and public organizations to do more to make the outdoors accessible. You may be scared to join in with the common folk and I get that. They first club I joined wasn’t too keen to having me around but I didn’t let them stop me from doing what I love even if I do it different than them.

Third, contact those National Parks, State Parks, or even regional parks that aren’t giving equal access. Let them know you want more. Don’t be a complainer because that gets you nowhere. Ask how you can help. Let them know you have some skin in the game too. One of my favorite people doing this is Jeremy P. McGhee. The dude loves bikes and nature equally. He’s the creator of The Unpavement Project. He works closely with his local park agencies to widen trails so adaptive mountain bikers can shred just like everyone else. He also maps out and rates trails so that you know what you’re getting into before you put your wheels on the dirt.

There are options for us but like everything in life we have to work for them. If you’re a person of influence help me and my fellow adaptive adventurers. If you work for a government agency look into what you can do to help too. If you work for a private organization, are you doing all you can to be inclusive? And lastly, to all you people with a disability, get out of the house and let the world see you in nature.

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Wheelchairs & Trains

I've been a bit of a nomad over the past few years but I've finally settled down in Oakland. Traveling is important for my sanity so this week on Adapt I take a train ride. All aboard! 
Europe is known for exceptional public transportation especially trains. Here in the SF Bay Area, we have trains their just a little slower. We have Bart, Amtrak and Cal Train. You can move around the Bay Area relatively easily using them all. Amtrak is only a few blocks from my front door so I figured I'd hop on to test the tracks. 

First, I chose my destination and purchased my tickets. Second, I packed my day bag and went to the station. Traveling can be stressful especially if you're flying. It's not the flying aspect that is anxiety provoking, it's going through security screening, preboarding the plane using an aisle chair, and not knowing if your chair is going to make it to the next destination without damage or even at all. The train station had zero security, boarding the train was simple and you get to keep your chair close by. If the damn train could take me to the other side of the country in 6 hours like a plane I'd use it as my main source of transportation. 

The views along the ride were breathtaking. I didn't pass anything spectacular but I was seeing part of California from that you can only see from the tracks. Amtrak also offers food and drink service. The only thing is it's upstairs and not accessible. Luckily, Emily was with me but I'm sure I could have asked the staff or another rider to help me out. Not everything is perfect and I agree it's not fair but unless you plan on advocating you have to deal the hand you were delt. I have no problem suckering an able-bodied person into fetching my food.

We decided to check out the California Indian Museum once we got to Sacramento. It was about 1.7 miles from the train station so we decided to walk. I'm so happy we did because we were able to enjoy street art. I love when cities commission artists to make the city pretty. 

It just so happened to be an annual event at the Indian Museum. The grass area outside was filled with multiple tribes that gather annually to recognize their elders. I lost track of time and forgot to check out the museum before I had to head back to the train station. Looks like I need to plan another trip soon.

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Wheelchair Accessible Hike

Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail instantly pop up in my head when someone mentions hiking. These are all extreme hikes that don’t represent the average hiker. You don’t have to be an extreme athlete to enjoy the trail. I found the perfect trail for beginners and adaptive hikers. It’s on a mixture of hard packed dirt, asphalt, and a cement pier that leads into the San Francisco Bay. Trailhead to the end of the pier and back to the trailhead is only a 3 miles. The grade is relatively flat with only a few % changes.

The sights are spectacular. Along the trail you’ll see beautiful wild flowers, groves of oak and sycamore trees. I went late spring, early summer on a cloudy day. It was the perfect time of year to see nature in its prime.

Wild Flower Guide

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The beauty along the trail wasn’t the only highlight. How many times have you been on trail and needed to take a number 2? Well, if you’re in luck here because there are a plethora of accessible restrooms along the trail. You ran out of water? No worries, there are drinking fountains at each restroom and even on the pier. Just because I say there are water fountains doesn’t give you the right to hike with water. Be smart!

If you’re in the Bay Area, this is a perfect park to day hike and picnic. Go check it out and then come back here to share your experience.

Point Pinole Regional Shoreline

Kayaking in Jack London Square

I’m eternally grateful to live in Oakland. Yeah, I said Oakland. It doesn’t have the best rep and it’s completely understandable. What you should know is Oakland is changing for the better. The past is the past so get over what you’ve heard about Oakland. Gentrification has direct positives and negatives that affect the citizens. Fortunately, I’m on the receiving end of gentrification. I’m sad to see so many locals being pushed out by tech but that’s an issue I can’t control. I’m currently living in Jack London District and love it. The environment has changed drastically within the last 10 years. High rise apartments, the most scrumptious restaurants, recreational activities, BREWERIES, art showrooms and music venues populate most of the district now. It was once a marsh but then Oakland was established and it turned into an industrial port. It’s named after author Jack London who wrote “Call of the Wild.” He grew up in Oakland and would often drink at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon which is still operating today. Jack was a great writer and some say he was an even better storyteller. I’m guessing he had a lot of practice while he sat at the bar chatting up sailors who stopped at port. What I do know is he left his mark on this part of town and I love it.

A positive to living in this district is it’s right on the San Francisco Bay. I woke up and decided I wanted to go kayaking so I took a two block stroll and rented a kayak. As a wheelchair user I’m often asked a lot of questions when participating in recreational adventures but the staff at California Canoe and Kayak didn’t see to be amazed that a person in a wheelchair wanted to kayak. After letting them know I’m an experienced kayaker they mentioned the only issue would be their dock. It isn’t exactly ADA but what is? This is no problem to me. I honestly expect everything to not comply with the 29 year old law that no-one regulates :( It was only a small wave that rocked the boat. Everything was smooth sailing once I was off the dock.

Pushing my limits is a must. I test myself daily and have found that I’m pretty damn adaptable. The weather has been a little bipolar lately but luckily for me there was a sunny gap. I couldn't have asked for a better time. The sun was glistening off the water, the birds were singing a tune and my paddle stroke was splashing. I highly recommend a kayaking on the bay. It’s super doable for any ability level with the right equipment and attitude. I took along an extra seat cushion to help protect my little boney rump and a bottle of water to stay hydrated. Nothing more was needed but if i was allowed to have a cold brew I sure would have loved that.

BackBones Virtual 5k

I recently pushed a 5k but it wasn’t the average 5k. It was hosted by BackBones in Illinois but I was in California. How was this possible. It participated in the virtual 5k and it was still a blast even if I was pushing it alone. By the way, have you heard of BackBones? Have you ever wanted peer-to-peer support? BackBones is the perfect organization for you. They p2p support isn’t all they do. They recently started a new online meetup called peer support. Sign up for Junes Peer Connect here.

Check out my newest Adapt Video

Wheelchair Hiking in Joshua Tree

My latest adventure was to Joshua Tree National Park. Coming from Oakland turned out to be an exhausting but fascinating 9-hour drive. For the past 10 years, California has experienced a dreadful drought. The lack of rain has caused visual pain for anyone traveling through the central valley along I-5. I’ve named it the dreadful drive. Something's different this year and the exquisite colorful countryside is the proof.

Have colorful flower photos with the hashtag super bloom popped up in your social media feed this spring? Californians have lost control. What is supposed to be the normal floral bloom during springtime has been forgotten by some and never experienced by our younger generations. A decade of mother nature withholding its true beauty can cause confusion for some. For me, this was my first road trip to Southern California that was enjoyable.

I won't lie, entering a vibrant floral covered desert was confusing but I was able to keep it together. I was on a mission and it was to find the campground before the sun went down. Emily and I had reservations at Black Rock Campground which was on the outskirts of Joshua Tree National Park. Just a reminder to anyone with a disability, with the right documentation you can score a free national parks pass. Free park entry isn’t the only perk. If you reserve a campsite in a national park using the national park website, you camp for free! Reservations go fast so make sure to plan way into the future. After setting up camp late in the evening Emily and I used our jetboil to cook up a Mountain House meal.

After eating we anxiously went to sleep early.

We woke up to a cool spring desert morning. The sun was shining the birds were singing and we realized we had forgotten to pack some essential cooking items. Luckily, we’ve learned to go with the flow especially when traveling. We discussed our options and came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to waste time going to the store and then back to camp just to cook breakfast. The desert trails were calling our names and we wanted to maximize our hiking time. We loaded our day pack, filled our hydration pack and hopped into the car. We may or may not have stopped at Starbucks on the way to the entrance of the park.

I’m always scanning through social media in search of like-minded people to follow. A few months ago I found an inter-abled couple on Instagram that looked like they were kicking ass in life.

sixpackerrrr06 & christiefacee

I was drawn to how they showcased their problem-solving skills on the trail. Like me, Jesus uses a wheelchair and doesn’t let it limit him from living his life. Like Emily, Christie is right by Jesus’ side to assist if needed. Couples like us are true teammates. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We help each other when and where needed. Some support can be seen by the public and some cannot. I have to tip my hat to these strong, intelligent and motivational women.

Jesus and Christie were at Joshua Tree a few weeks ago so I reached out for trail recommendations. I do like to “wing it” for the most part because planning always turns into over planning. In this case, I was pleased knowing Joshua Tree has trails for my hiking ability. Our first hike was on a trail called; The Boy Scout Trail.

When it comes to accessibility, Joshua Tree is quite sedentary. According to the accessibility page on JTs website, only two trails are accessible. Out of the 1,235 square miles of the park, less than 5% of the park is accessible. These are only ADAs standards. My standards are adjustable. I love that nature doesn’t care about accommodations but I would like to experience nature as much as my able-bodied peers do. Boy Scout trail turned out to be perfect for me. I would recommend using mountain bike tires and a Free Wheel attachment or you’re going to get tired fast. The hike may be possible without them depending on trail conditions or if you have a little help from a friend. Again, if you have the right equipment your hike will be more enjoyable and most likely longer.

The wildflowers had Emily and me speechless at times. By the end of the hike, we had counted over 20 different flowers. Some were large and some were microscopic. What they all had in common was their beauty.

After our hike, we returned to camp for dinner. We forgot about stopping by a store for the essential cooking items so we had to do some MacGyvering. It was strange to us that we didn’t pack cooking utensils, our camping bowls or eating utensils but we did pack a cast iron skillet.

This is our MO. We always forget something that we think is crucial to our trip. At the end of the day, we find out we need much less to survive. We aren’t always comfortable but we survive.

I forgot to mention that I was coming down with a nasty infection. By this time I was coughing uncontrollably. Emily describes my cough to gunshots. Apparently, it’s annoyingly loud. I didn’t get much sleep because of it and it caused Emily to retreat to the car for half the night. I wouldn’t doubt it kept up other campers around us. Sorry about that…. The next morning was rough for both of us. Again, we realized breakfast wasn’t going to happen at camp. I somehow convinced Emily IHOP was our best option.

Restaurant breakfast was what I needed. I wasn’t ready to hike in my condition. We agreed to keep it easy by driving around the park instead of hiking around. This turned out to be a great idea and because my body was fatigued.

We stopped at Keys View where the view was breathtaking. The view wasn’t the only thing breathtaking.

The push to it was too. The .1 mile trail had to be at a 30% grade. The website may say it’s accessible but I disagree. I’m a strong dude but the incline was too much for me. Emily had to help push me to the top. Once we caught our breath we hopped back into the car.

Our next stop was the Cholla Cactus Garden. This trail was amazing and very accessible.

It isn’t a long trail but it was fun. After leaving the park for the day we wanted to check out the visitor center that had the accessible trail. It was really frustrating to see the only real accessible trail was outside the park in a different landscape. I see both the good and the bad of this situation.

It’s awesome that people with disabilities have an option but like most options we have, they suck and are not equal to the rest of the community. The plant life was completely different from what's inside the park. This is something that needs to be addressed.

My infection wasn’t the only thing developing. The wind was growing stronger every night. I would wake up to a layer of sand on everything in my tent. It was annoying especially while being sick. On our way out of the park, Emily tossed out the idea to get a hotel for our last night at Joshua Tree National Park. I succeeded to her idea with no hesitation. I’m not proud of my choices but being comfortable at this time was necessary. We booked the last available room at the Holiday Inn in 29 palms and then shot over to the campground to pack up.

This trip turned out to be nothing like what we planned. I secretly love when this happens. It shows how adaptable we can be. I highly recommend visiting Joshua Tree National Park. I suggest planning your visit during Spring and remember to apply for that disability parks pass!

Adaptive Mountain Biking

In 2018 I set off on a new journey with unknown expectations. I planted myself in the middle of the mountain bike (MTB) community. A handful of these community members carefully feed me with enough MTB knowledge that I flourished into a bright and beautiful rider. It took a lot of dedicated work to get where I am today and I still have a lot to learn. I’m excited to continue ripping trails and exploring new terrain.

Cycling is a passion of mine. It’s a mixture of going fast and feeling pain that I enjoy equally. I started out road biking back in 2011. My dad and brother would often join me on cool spring nights. We would ride 10-20 miles a few days a week together. I loved how much they would push me and I have to credit them for this.

My brother would also MTB with friends and at the time I never thought it would be a possibility for me. I continued on the road with my dad for a few years while we still lived close to each other. I fell in love with the community and looking back now I think I just loved being part of a community of like minded, adventurous, healthy people.

Years later I moved into a buddy’s spare room in San Jose California and realized mountain biking was a possibility. This is when I surrounded myself in a similar but new community. One I fell in love with fast. Road biking and mountain biking are so similar in thought but as a new member to the community you learn fast just how different they are. Road bikers ride to drink a cappuccino while mountain bikers ride to drink beer. I’m not going to knock either sport because they all revolve, pun intended, around wheels and pain.

I started researching adaptive mountain bikes and found my match. The only problem was, it cost more than my car. I was 29 years young, didn’t own more than what fit in two duffle bags and struggling to find consistent work. I was a few years divorced and living life on the road. No joke, I basically lived out of my car for a while. I contemplated if a mountain bike was what I really needed during this time of my life. Sometimes the best things to get yourself out of a rut is self love. I started looking into grants and found the amazing non-profit Kelly Brush Foundation who gave out some financial support for people with disabilities who wanted to become more active. The Kelly Brush Foundation soon became family to me.

I got some negativity for receiving the grant and for fundraising for my bike. I can see some folks points but they were judging me from my social media activity. This is a topic for another post but what you see on social media is what the poster wants you to see. Everyone posts the good because who wants to see the bad? I will say that I appreciate all the love I was given during this time of my life. It was so helpful to my mental state especially while I was trying to find myself after my divorce. Not many of you know about this time in my life because I kept it private. There were a dew dark moments that were frightening so all the love from strangers, friends and family shined bright.

When I finally got my MTB I was so stoked. The excitement wasn't only for me. I was ready to use this amazing piece of equipment to show others your circumstances no matter what they are should never hold you back from whats possible. I was eager to learn, help and advance in the sport.

Years ago I ran adaptive sports and recreation programs for a non-profit in Modesto called Society for disABILITIES. During that time I befriended Grant Parker of Exchequer Mountain Bike Park at McClure reservoir in Northern Ca. Grant came to me with an idea to make the park inclusive to all. He had plans to widen trails for adaptive mountain bikes with a dream of hosting camps for the local children’s hospital. Over five years later, I now owned an adaptive mountain bike and was able to help the park figure out what trail conditions need to be like for safe riding. One of my first rides was at Exchequer with Grant and my former roommate who inspired me to get my wheels dirty. Together we rode trail after trail. Most of the trails were single track which were way to narrow for my bike. Being off camber sent the bike flipping multiple times. Every crash was a learning experience that brought the park closer to the inclusivity we desire.

I won't go on about how I’m only using the bike for others because I’m not. I selfishly want to go fast, compete against others, and experience nature that I cant on my wheelchair. I signed up for my first race and killed it. The Sea Otter Classic is a multi day bike festival. There is an expo and many categories to race in. This year I raced downhill and loved it. I had a gnarly crash during my first practice run but ended up getting second out of the adaptive riders. Unfortunately, Mountain biking doesn’t have an adaptive class at these events like road biking does so we race with our age category. Us adaptive riders compare times later.

Check out my race run for yourself. If you’ve been thinking about trying something new maybe mountain biking is for you.

I’m already excited for Sea Otter Classic 2020 and all the progress i’m going to gain before then. I’d love to hear some of your favorite trails or places to ride in the comments below. Let me know if you have any questions regarding adaptive mountain biking!

I Live in the San Francisco Bay Area, of course I Hike.

The common American spends a large portion of their time sitting behind a desk working for “The Man.” This leaves little time spent on hobbies, personal growth, exercise, creating and the list goes on… and on… and on. So, what are you doing with your valuable spare time? Don’t you wish you had more of it? Unfortunately, for most of us, what we have is what we have. Unless you have a time machine and if that’s the case, can I borrow it?

When I’m not responding to emails or dealing with the monotony of everyday work tasks you’ll find me in the good ol’ outdoors. I find nature to be extremely beneficial to not only my health but the health of anyone within a 30 foot radius of me. We sit behind desks, surround ourselves with walls and don’t experience natural sunlight to often. 4 million years ago, at the beginning of human existence, we were surrounded by plant life and felt the suns rays kiss our skin daily. Being outdoors is as natural as natural gets. It’s our home.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and hiking is all the crazy. No matter where you are people are talking about “hiking.” I’m here to tell you that it’s as great as they say it is and I’ve only experienced the easy stuff.

I’m not the normal hiker trekking up a mountain trail. I’m a paraplegic hiker who uses a wheelchair. I’ve learnt to put in trail research before a hike. Accessible or barrier free trails are few and far between. Sometimes they are just to easy for me. I’m still grateful for them though. I understand everyone has different limitations and those limitations shouldn’t stop anyone from hiking. AQ huge accomplishment for me may be a minute accomplishment to others. Research is important because an easy classified trail doesn’t always mean it’s easy for a wheelchair.

I pay attention to large elevation changes. Some trails have stairs or rock steps which aren’t impossible but they are demanding. Your options are to get out of your chair and crawl or have someone assist you up each step. Sometimes you hit a dead end and that’s okay too. At least you tried. Right? Ascending the mountain isn’t always the hard part. Common sense physics tells us wheels are faster than legs. This couldn’t be more true when going down hill. It can get a little wild when momentum builds on the descends. Sometimes it’s hair raising, teeth grinding, praying to any god that will listen wild.

I’ve always been one to push boundaries. I love to test my own abilities and you should to. It’s more than a personal test for me. It’s about experiencing natural senses society thinks I won’t experience again. Life with a disibility isn’t looked at through an outdoorsy lense. The smell of the pine trees, the dirt beneath my wheels, the vibrant colors of plant life, even the taste of fresh mountain water on my tongue. I need them all!

Being in nature isn’t the only positive regarding hiking. I love the community aspect of hiking. The random acts of kindness you experience on the trail are spine-tingling, sometimes even eye watering. Weather it be a friend spotting me so I don’t roll off a cliff, a hiker passing in the opposite direction letting me know of potential obstacles up the trail or simply sharing food/drink at resting points. There are so many city life experiences we all hate: aggressive lane changes in heavy morning traffic, fighting for a table on a Friday evening or even those dreadful conversations with that coworker you can’t stand. These issue don’t exist on the trail.

Look at all the amazing reasons to hike and I haven’t even talked about increasing your physical health yet. Hiking lowers your chances in contracting diseases. Ok, I must add this disclaimer: I’m not a licensed medical professional. Any health related statements were not heavily researched and are possible false.

But in all seriousness, hiking is healthy. I recently came across a video of a gentleman with the hiker handle “Second Chance.” He’s one of those incredible humans testing their self on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT.) If you haven’t heard of the PCT stop reading right now and click this link. Welcome back and you’re welcome. What’s so incredible about Second Chance’s Journey is, it’s a a weight loss journey. At the beginning he weighed in at 400lbs. I can’t think of a healthier way to live than what he’s doing now. The PTC takes an advanced hiker 6 months to finish. Second chance is a novice. Now, what I’m taking away from his journey, no matter if or when he finishes the trail is that he didn’t let fear, social expectations or even advanced hiker advice stop him from changing his life. He’s doing it how he wants to do it. I appreciate his choice.

He’s still out there y’all. The PCT community is helping him along the way. I can’t even imagine how many brand ambassador contract are waiting for his signature. I’m cheering him on and hope you are too. You can follow him on social media here:

Instagram @secondchancehiker

Twitter @2ndchancehiker

Facebook Second Chance Hiker

Youtube Second Chance Hiker

What’s that? You don’t think your a hiker? Guess what? We’re all hikers if we want to be. Second chance sure as hell is. For you that don’t think you’re capable of being a hiker you need to follow Unlikely Hikers. The amazing Jenny Bruso created the brand Unlikely Hikers and its blown up.

The post by Unlimely Hikers features a different person who would be unlikely to hike. It’s basically the most diverse and inclusive instagram ever created and I’ve fallen in love with the concept. Jenny even adds a worded physical description of each post for people with visual impairment. Now, that’s inclusive.

Clicks, teams and groups are part of our everyday life. Not fitting the physical mold shouldn’t exclude you from following your interests. Hey Jenny, I give you props, hugs, vibes or whatever you want to accept for creating an amazing place for people to network. She’s just so damn likeable. She shows respect to everyone including the land her featured guests are hiking on.

This wasn’t always The United States land. Natives lived off it long before my ancesters settled here. They were people who loved and respected the land much more than todays society does. Jenny adds a description of who’s land it originally belong to to each post as well.

I understand this is a heavy topic. To say the least, the way we live in todays societal infrastructure isn’t necessarily environmentally friendly. Changes are in the process and I believe the US parks departments have always and will continue to fight for protecting our environment along with respecting native lands. I understand there are exceptions but let’s not go there today. Just respect the land. Make sure you pack out what you pack in, including your poop. Stay on trail. I know, I know! There’s so much beauty to see but just be happy enough trails were created to take you to see most of it. Not to play the the guilt card but the trails I’m able to use have way less beautiful sights to see than what you’re getting to see even if you stay on trail. Just be happy and take care of the land.

Hiking also requires very little equipment. You don’t have to brake the bank to participate. Check out REI for all your hiking needs. If my local REI let me sleep in the tent section I would. Damn, I’d save a lot of money not paying Bay Area rent too. Download All Trails from the App Store. This app is jam packed with trails and information to help you along the way.

Pack some beef jerky, lace up your shoes, and hit the trail. Wait! Don’t forget water! I hope I’ve encouraged you to get on a trail. Use the little time you have when you’re not behind a desk doing something healthy like hiking. You’re not a Bay Area resident if you don’t.