CHARLOTTE,N.C. _ Eleven years ago Bill Irwin became a legend among Appalachian Trail hikers.
That's when the former North Carolinian walked the 2,143-mile footpath with his dog, Orient.
But Irwin was no typical hiker. The 50-year-old man was blind and Orient was his guide.
The "Orient Express," as the two were known, started their trek March 8, 1990, at the trail's southern terminus in Georgia. Sometimes they joined sighted hikers; other times they walked by themselves. They completed the 259-day odyssey Nov. 21 in the snows of Maine to the words of "Amazing Grace," sung by members of his church.
A born-again Christian, Irwin became an instant celebrity and a model for those with disabilities. His book, "Blind Courage," has sold more than 100,000 copies. His self-effacing sense of humor comes forth in an audio tape account listed on his Web site (www.billirwin.com): "I Couldn't See the Forest or the Trees."
Returning to his home in Burlington, Irwin became an inspirational speaker, giving as many as 200 presentations a year to churches, corporations, colleges and trade associations. Always at his side was Orient, the 3-year-old German shepherd who led his master through Eastern America's most rugged terrain. The dog died in 1997.
Irwin began the hike minimally prepared. A recovering alcoholic, he had never backpacked before taking a 12-mile shakedown cruise. At the time, he said he was called to bring God's word to hikers, to witness to people on the Appalachian Trail.
Irwin, straining under a backpack that initially weighed more than 100 pounds, and Orient began their journey with no fanfare. Irwin's hand in harness, they moved along in synchronized step.
Each morning Irwin listened to tapes describing the upcoming trail section. He carried a ski pole to tap out obstructions. Orient had been trained to stop when he encountered a barrier, such as a fallen limb.
Still, Irwin tripped and fell countless times, once breaking a rib. All 10 toenails dropped off from the constant battering of toes against boot caps.
The hiker grapevine telegraphed rumors of his death. In Virginia, Irwin came across a party of rangers assembling in Shenandoah National Park to search for his body.
In August, Observer photographer Gary O'Brien and I hiked with Irwin in a New York state park. As we paused at a bridge, a day hiker walked up and asked Irwin how to get to a nearby trail crossing.
Irwin gave detailed directions; the man thanked him and walked off, never realizing the backpacker he consulted was blind.
Now living in Sebec, Maine, 30 miles from the Appalachian Trial, Irwin maintains ties with the hiking community. Three years ago, when thru-hiker Wayne Johnson of Charlotte came down the trail in the Maine wilderness, there was Irwin, dishing out spaghetti dinners.
Irwin said he timed the trail-side dinners for the third week in September, the busiest week for north-bound hikers headed to the trail's northern terminus at Mount Kathadin.
But he's skipping them this year because he and his wife, Debra, are hand-building a log home on their 72 acres.
Now 61, Irwin continues to hike (his present guide dog is Bronnie, a German shepherd). He estimates he's put in 5,000 miles on trails from Europe to the West Coast. Next February, he plans to again climb Katahdin, usually covered by 30 to 40 feet of snow and ice in winter.
Irwin still is the only blind person ever to have hiked the entire trail, according to Brian King of the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harpers Ferry, W. Va.
How did he do it? How did he navigate a path in the forest marked by paint blazes, find water from often-hidden springs, take the correct fork at intersections and avoid falling off rock outcrops?
Now, more than a decade later, the question increasingly puzzles Irwin.
"It becomes more of a mystery than a revelation," Irwin said. "The answer becomes more clear that I really don't know. Except that God's good and he had a big hand in it."
x x x
Bill's trail tips
Plan to hike the Appalachian Trail?
Here are Bill Irwin's top three tips on how to prepare for the six-month journey:
Get in peak physical condition. "One of the problems I had was not being physically prepared." Join a gym, work with weights, increase body strength by 50 percent. Walk on a stepping machine to increase heart rates. "Walking around town with a (weighted) backpack looks good but it doesn't do a thing for your body."
"Light, light, L-I-G-H-T. Don't put more weight on your back than you have to. My pack weighed more than 100 pounds. Most of it was stupid things I didn't think about, like three tape recorders and 58 cassette tapes."
Don't treat the hike like a vacation, treat it like a job. "About all who quit who I talked to in 1990 quit because they perceived the trail as a six-month vacation. It's the hardest job I ever had _ physically or mentally."
___
Visit The Charlotte Observer on the World Wide Web at http://www.charlotte.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
That's when the former North Carolinian walked the 2,143-mile footpath with his dog, Orient.
But Irwin was no typical hiker. The 50-year-old man was blind and Orient was his guide.
The "Orient Express," as the two were known, started their trek March 8, 1990, at the trail's southern terminus in Georgia. Sometimes they joined sighted hikers; other times they walked by themselves. They completed the 259-day odyssey Nov. 21 in the snows of Maine to the words of "Amazing Grace," sung by members of his church.
A born-again Christian, Irwin became an instant celebrity and a model for those with disabilities. His book, "Blind Courage," has sold more than 100,000 copies. His self-effacing sense of humor comes forth in an audio tape account listed on his Web site (www.billirwin.com): "I Couldn't See the Forest or the Trees."
Returning to his home in Burlington, Irwin became an inspirational speaker, giving as many as 200 presentations a year to churches, corporations, colleges and trade associations. Always at his side was Orient, the 3-year-old German shepherd who led his master through Eastern America's most rugged terrain. The dog died in 1997.
Irwin began the hike minimally prepared. A recovering alcoholic, he had never backpacked before taking a 12-mile shakedown cruise. At the time, he said he was called to bring God's word to hikers, to witness to people on the Appalachian Trail.
Irwin, straining under a backpack that initially weighed more than 100 pounds, and Orient began their journey with no fanfare. Irwin's hand in harness, they moved along in synchronized step.
Each morning Irwin listened to tapes describing the upcoming trail section. He carried a ski pole to tap out obstructions. Orient had been trained to stop when he encountered a barrier, such as a fallen limb.
Still, Irwin tripped and fell countless times, once breaking a rib. All 10 toenails dropped off from the constant battering of toes against boot caps.
The hiker grapevine telegraphed rumors of his death. In Virginia, Irwin came across a party of rangers assembling in Shenandoah National Park to search for his body.
In August, Observer photographer Gary O'Brien and I hiked with Irwin in a New York state park. As we paused at a bridge, a day hiker walked up and asked Irwin how to get to a nearby trail crossing.
Irwin gave detailed directions; the man thanked him and walked off, never realizing the backpacker he consulted was blind.
Now living in Sebec, Maine, 30 miles from the Appalachian Trial, Irwin maintains ties with the hiking community. Three years ago, when thru-hiker Wayne Johnson of Charlotte came down the trail in the Maine wilderness, there was Irwin, dishing out spaghetti dinners.
Irwin said he timed the trail-side dinners for the third week in September, the busiest week for north-bound hikers headed to the trail's northern terminus at Mount Kathadin.
But he's skipping them this year because he and his wife, Debra, are hand-building a log home on their 72 acres.
Now 61, Irwin continues to hike (his present guide dog is Bronnie, a German shepherd). He estimates he's put in 5,000 miles on trails from Europe to the West Coast. Next February, he plans to again climb Katahdin, usually covered by 30 to 40 feet of snow and ice in winter.
Irwin still is the only blind person ever to have hiked the entire trail, according to Brian King of the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harpers Ferry, W. Va.
How did he do it? How did he navigate a path in the forest marked by paint blazes, find water from often-hidden springs, take the correct fork at intersections and avoid falling off rock outcrops?
Now, more than a decade later, the question increasingly puzzles Irwin.
"It becomes more of a mystery than a revelation," Irwin said. "The answer becomes more clear that I really don't know. Except that God's good and he had a big hand in it."
x x x
Bill's trail tips
Plan to hike the Appalachian Trail?
Here are Bill Irwin's top three tips on how to prepare for the six-month journey:
Get in peak physical condition. "One of the problems I had was not being physically prepared." Join a gym, work with weights, increase body strength by 50 percent. Walk on a stepping machine to increase heart rates. "Walking around town with a (weighted) backpack looks good but it doesn't do a thing for your body."
"Light, light, L-I-G-H-T. Don't put more weight on your back than you have to. My pack weighed more than 100 pounds. Most of it was stupid things I didn't think about, like three tape recorders and 58 cassette tapes."
Don't treat the hike like a vacation, treat it like a job. "About all who quit who I talked to in 1990 quit because they perceived the trail as a six-month vacation. It's the hardest job I ever had _ physically or mentally."
___
Visit The Charlotte Observer on the World Wide Web at http://www.charlotte.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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