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Outlook: Blind Kayakers Tackle Grand Canyon

Blind kayakers Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell who paddled the Grand Canyon

19/03/2015

Blind Kayakers Tackle Grand Canyon

BBC World Service - Outlook, Blind Kayakers Tackle Grand Canyon

Blind Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell paddled 277 miles of rapids on the Grand Canyon

Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell became the first blind kayakers to paddle 277 miles of rapids on the Grand Canyon.

Kayaking the length of the Grand Canyon is a considerable challenge.  It is 277 miles of fearsome rapids and roaring water. But imagine doing it if you were blind. That's exactly what Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell have just done. Erik is no stranger to adventure. He was the first blind man to climb Mount Everest and has also climbed the highest peaks on six other continents. Lonnie, who is a former soldier, lost his sight in a hunting accident when he was 32, while Erik was born with a condition which meant he became blind as a teenager. 

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(Photo: Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell. Credit James Q Martin)

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