Those of you who have communicated with me over the last month have probably heard me talk about one of my new and exciting summer adventures, the No Barriers Summit.
I first heard about the event from a remarkable woman I admire, Tricia Downing. Whenever Trish emails information, I just know it will be educational and worthwhile. And this time around was cosmic.
Immediately I ventured over to the website, http://www.nobarriersusa.org/. I read about a weekend full of adaptive sports in the days preceding the Fourth of July in Winter Park, Colorado, with an affordable registration fee of $75 (most meals are included), and reduced hotel rates (as low as $50 per night at the Winter Park Resort Lodging (866-239-3989). The No Barriers Summit promotes therapeutic recreation and adaptive sports; in a nutshell, my platform as Ms. Wheelchair USA Colorado. Wow! An embodiment of everything I wish to manifest.
I had one of those moments when I felt deep gratitude. There are too many bitching sessions, too many possible excuses for having a bad day, too many opportunities to vegetate. And right in front of me I could see a treasure of possibilities to get out there and participate in fun and adventure, adapted to special physical needs like my own. I felt the dedication, blood, sweat and tears of a team of individuals who must go through great lengths to produce a gathering of this magnitude just before the most patriotic birthday in our country. Immediately I felt blessed to live in a beautiful state with more sunshine days than most, and to have found a region where outdoor recreation is facilitated.
I have been looking for opportunities to educate myself and participate in physical rehabilitation and adaptive physical fitness. Reading about this event, I felt like I just found Charlie's golden ticket in Willy Wonka. I realized that the four days leading up to the Fourth of July this year will be seemingly stellar, powerful, mind-blowing days sure to make an indelible mark in my life. Fortunately for me, this event which happens every two years, coincides with my living in Colorado.
The workshops or “adventure clinics” teach adaptive kayaking, white-water rafting, SCUBA, golfing, skateboarding, horseback riding, yoga, rock climbing, mountain biking and more. Indeed I felt a pseudo-adrenaline rush as I booked my reservation online, and printed out the liability release form. After registration, I wanted to take care of my lodging with those unbelievable $50 per night room rates! It almost seemed to good to be true. Fortunately, the representative I spoke with seemed very knowledgeable about the accessibility of rooms. I made the room reservation without a hitch. About two-and-a-half weeks later, I received an email that confirmed I would receive a future email with my registration date. Not since my first semester as an undergraduate, had I felt as excited about and counting-down towards registration. I called the No Barriers office, and spoke with one of the directors, who went through the workshops one at a time, and answered my questions. At that point, I knew which events were top on my list. The next step was waiting to receive that email with my registration date!
That email “finally” arrived May 27th, a Friday night. Just before going out, I happened to check my email, and there it was. It's a good thing I already knew what I wanted, otherwise the menu of choices along with the new additions would have overwhelmed me and made me late for my date! Registration was a simple process, and I felt elated to have gotten my first choices.
I will share my selection of adventure clinics in a future blog. For now I will say that newbies like myself and all attendees of No Barriers Summit are sure to be occupied. Friday will feature one adventure clinic in the morning, while Saturday will feature one clinic in the morning and another in the afternoon. Sunday will host one early adventure clinic, as well as closing ceremonies. I consider the $75 registration fee to be reasonable for a weekend packed to the nines such as this one. So the fact that these good people will also provide the majority of meals over the weekend makes the deal that much sweeter! Dinner is provided Friday and Saturday, and breakfast is provided Saturday bright and early. After the adventure clinics and meals, you can participate in one of the arts-music-film events, all of which is included in the registration fees. And the events are staggered, so as long as you have the chutzpah, you can attend all of the activities without interruption.
While No Barriers Summit welcomes all, the event targets disabled persons and their families. No Barriers Summit hosts an average of 600 participants, visiting from five continents and 40 states. Previous No Barriers Summits have occurred in my hometown Miami, Florida (how did I miss that one?), Squaw Valley, California, and Cortina, Italy. I feel so excited to know I will be meeting folks from all over the world who are passionate about living, and enjoying themselves with outdoor activities, and living life to the fullest.
The co-founders of the event, Erik Weihenmayer and Mark Wellman are two remarkable athletes who have superseded the odds, and accomplished extraordinary feats. I am always amazed by how small a world it is. And truly, less than one month ago, a friend of a friend strongly recommended Blindsight, a documentary which tells the tale of Erik, who is blind and was the first blind person to scale Mt. Everest. Blindsight shows the inside story of how he, colleagues, and six blind Tibetan children attempt to climb Mt. Everest.
No Barriers co-founder Mark Wellman, a mountaineer and paraplegic for 29 years has climbed and continues to ascend peaks around the world rockstar style. He is known for his extreme downhill skiing and whitewater kayaking adventures. I can only imagine the stories, inspiration and incredible energy these two guys pull into any event.
Some of the other stellar contributions of the weekend will include: comic Josh Blue during opening ceremonies Thursday. Josh has Cerebral Palsy, and is best known as a favorite on NBC's "Last Comic Standing." Mark Goffeney aka "Big Toe," plays guitar with his toes due to a birth defect that caused him to be born without arms, and will also be entertaining at opening ceremonies. The youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest at age thirteen, Jordan Romero, will speak and receive a No Barriers award. Always an art enthusiast, I'm looking forward to viewing a collection of “tactile” photos shot by blind adventurers, which will be exhibited in total darkness.
I will blog about my adventures after the No Barriers Summit and Fourth of July. I'm very curious to see just how many mental barriers I will discover to have stood in my own way.
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