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Adventurous duo has special relationship with Appalachian trail Local News Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV
The notion of a thousand-mile footpath in the mountains, where people could go to renew themselves, fired the imaginations of hikers and outdoorsmen from Maine to Georgia. Inspired, they began building trails and trying to connect them.
Today the Appalachian Trail (AT) is 2,174 miles long and runs along the ridges and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from the summit of Mount Katahdin in north central Maine to the summit of Spring Mountain in northern Georgia.
It passes through 14 states — Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Within these 14 states, it passes through eight national forests, six national parks, and many state and local parks.
Giles County, Va., contains 50 miles of the trail. It passes through the county seat of Pearisburg where, starting in the spring, many hikers stop for a little rest and to restock necessities.
Millions of people use some part of the AT yearly. Most hike only short distances lasting from an afternoon to a weekend. Thousands of hikers hike the entire trail in sections over a period of years. Some hardy individuals backpack the entire trail in one continuous journey each year.
This story is about two hikers, Roni Lepore and Roger Poulin; both have a special relationship with the trail.
Lepore is deaf. Her trail name is Ram Sham which stands for Rambling Shamrock. She is from New Jersey. She holds BS and MS degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York in the area of information technology.
Poulin is deaf-blind (totally blind in his right eye and tunnel visioned in his left eye). His trail name is Adventurous Cane. He was born with Usher Syndrome (the most common condition that affects both hearing and vision). This syndrome comes with balance problems — not able to walk steady. He is from Maine.
Poulin met Lepore at the Helen Keller National Center in Long Island Deaf-Blind Interpreters Training seminar three years ago.
“I went there to learn how to work with deaf-blind people in 2007,” Lepore said. “Roger told me about his dream to hike the AT — Appalachian Trail — so, he was looking for a SSP — Special Service Provider — to hike with him. I agreed to work with him as SSP. SSP is specifically trained and hired to work with deaf-blind individuals by providing visual and environmental information, sighted guide services and information accessibility to empower deaf-blind individuals so they can make informed decisions.”
Lepore continued, “I visited Newfound Gap in Great Smokey Mountain National Park and saw the AT. I am an avid outdoor person myself, so I enjoy hiking and camping. On that day, I made a wish to hike the AT someday before I end up in the rocking chair since I thought it would be an ultimate adventure - visiting various environments across 14 states. When Roger mentioned his AT dream, I thought to myself — it would be a great opportunity to help him to accomplish his dream and at same time, get my wish fulfilled.”
Poulin admits to loving adventure. “It is my big dream to hike on the AT with my vision and balance problems, so I know it is going to be a challenge for me to take up the hiking,” he said. “I want to find out if I can hike from Georgia to Maine. I want to show the deaf-blind community that they can do it regardless of their dual disability — deafness and blindness. I want to educate the world about how valuable the service of SSP is to the deaf-blind community. We are constantly in need of them.”
When asked to describe how they prepared for this journey, Lepore said, “Research, research and research. I spent a great deal of research on equipment, food, mail drops and much more via online, magazines, books, and people. I took some back country-related classes with Roger through REI in New Jersey and Pennsylvania the year before we began hiking the AT. I am a certified Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR — known as “woofer”) though WMA — Wilderness Medical Associates ... It helped me to deal with the emergency situations and injuries sustained in the wilderness which are different from the street, for example getting to a hospital may be a few hours to days away from the trail. I felt comfortable to be able to make crucial decisions on how to handle situations in the wilderness.”
Poulin also took the classes through REI on back country camping. As for the food preparation, he used a dehydrator. He read a lot of books to learn about mail drops, food preparation, camping gear, and a list of essential items to bring with you on the AT. “By reading, talking with people, and researching, it helped me to understand better about hiking culture — average of miles per day, using the shelters, and treating the water,” he relayed.
Lepore does not require any special adaptations/equipment to hike the AT. “I wear a hearing aid, but I choose not to wear it on the trail because of sweat problems and it’s too expensive to lose it in the woods. It costs around a thousand dollars to obtain. As for the support system, I do need support from time to time since I am working as solo SSP with him and do not have a second SSP to relieve me. It is a full-time job — not just 40 hours for a 5-day week, but from sunrise to the time to go sleep on a daily basis. I get pretty exhausted from time to time, so I still ask around for some help from hikers, people or friends. It doesn’t happen often though. “
Poulin uses trekking poles to help him to maintain good balance on the trail. “I also wear safety glasses for my eyes, protective guards from my wrist to elbow on both arms, shin guards for my shins, and fingerless leather gloves for my hands to protect them from hitting into the trees or falling on the rocks,” he said.
Lepore and Poulin began their hiking trek from Springer Mountain in Georgia on April 6. They have been on the AT almost three months.
When asked what their final destination is, Poulin said that their goal is to reach Katahdin.
“It is not the question as when we will summit, but it is the test of our teamwork to accomplish Roger’s goal — to hike the entire AT,” Lepore said.
“My goal is to reach Katahdin as my final destination,” Poulin said. “We plan to arrive at Katahdin no matter how long it may take us to complete....”
Lepore said that the challenges she is confronted with on this journey are to deal with her own physical pains and discomfort. “I hiked after my foot surgery (to remove neuroma from my right foot) in January 2010. It was extremely painful to hike on my foot over the rocky trail ... for the first three weeks. I cried and dealt with my swollen foot every night. In mid-May, my foot finally healed enough for me to hike with a manageable pain level that I can tolerate. Secondly, I dealt with my own illnesses that surfaced on the trail twice. It was not fun trying to hike, working with Roger as a SSP and dealing with my illness at the same time. There are no sick days for an SSP on the AT. Thirdly, when I become exhausted from all-day hiking or working with Roger, once in while, I become an inefficient SSP to Roger because I can’t do my duty by providing the service that he needs — giving him the visual information, interpreting what people are saying, showing him where things are when he asks, etc. Lastly, I communicate with Roger via tactical sign language which means Roger places his hands on my hands and I sign. He understands what I am signing to him without having to see me sign. It is not a problem communicating with him at night, but it is a challenge to communicate with hikers who do not know sign language without any lights in the campsite or shelter at night.”
Poulin’s challenges are to hike over the rough terrain, for example boulders, talus, shale, roots and rocks to climb on the narrow trail. It’s difficult for him to maintain his balance without falling off the trail. “My feet are sore and beaten up from time to time because it is extra work for me to maintain a good balance with my trekking poles over the rocky terrain. My ankles twist from side to side, my toes blister from sliding and stopping going downhill. I stub my toes into the rocks and logs. My head gets banged up by hitting the low branches of an occasional tree. My legs sustain multiple cuts from time to time by hitting the cragged rocks and branches from trees or logs,” he relayed.
Some of the toughest miles that they have travelled, according to Lepore, from Hot Springs to Erwin. “That was when I was stricken with my first illness. It was mind over matter to get myself up and keep hiking and working for Roger throughout this difficult episode. Secondly, the first few weeks of extreme ongoing pain in my foot were difficult enough -— from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Hartford, Tenn.”
Poulin said that the toughest miles he hiked was before the NOC - Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, N.C. “It was raining and getting dark at that time. I slipped and fell many times due to the muddy trail and slippery rocks. I didn’t have a good grip on the trail and rocks, so my legs stretched too far which caused me some pain and discomfort.”
When asked what were some of the toughest miles that lay ahead of them, Lepore was quick to respond, “I keep hearing about how tough and very rocky the terrain is in the northeast part of Pennsylvania, so I am aware how it will be a challenge for Roger to hike over it.”
Poulin agrees that Pennsylvania will be difficult, “I heard from the hikers and read the book, written by a blind hiker named Bill Irwin, about how rocky the terrain in Pennsylvania is, so I am thinking about getting a rollerblade helmet and knee caps to minimize injuries from falling down.”
During this interview, both Lepore and Poulin were staying at The Huffman House at Creekside Farm in Newport, Va. Asked how they learned about this B and B, Lepore explained that she heard about from Neville and Michael — the owners of Wood’s Hole Hostel in Pearisburg — when they went out for a dinner at The Paradises Restaurant in Eggleston, Va. “They told me that there was a room available and the owners of Huffman House, Carol and Ron Baker, were AT through-hikers themselves, so I thought it was a wonderful place to stop. Also, they supported the slack packing which was a plus for us — to help us to move faster and be able to enjoy our hiking experiences more rather than working hard to hike over some difficult portions of trail with our heavy AT backpacks. What was even more wonderful is that they have farm animals where we can interact and watch them. It was a great idea to take a break from daily hiking.”
Poulin explained that the original plan was to reserve a room at a hotel between Pearisburg and Catawba. “Michael and Neville convinced us to go to the Huffman B and B because it was close to AT, only a half mile away, which I really love.”
What was their most memorable experience so far? Lepore said, “My most memorable experience so far was to hike with a group of wonderful hikers for three weeks from Hartford, Tenn., to Damascus, Va. It was so amazing to see how they learned ASL — American Sign Language — and finger spellings in order to communicate with me and Roger. We supported and cheered on each other to hike on a daily basis. It was definitely a motivation for me personally during that time especially when I was ill for a couple of weeks.”
Lepore and Poulin were asked what they wanted to share about this hiking experience with other individuals who may have similar disabilities. “I met many wonderful hikers that were amazed at my ability to hike independently with my limited vision,” Poulin said. “They were wondering how I was able to hike with my trekking poles, on my own, while my SSP was hiking ahead of me. Some of the hikers hiked along with me and witnessed my falls, trips or injuries and were awestruck that I kept getting up and going on. Individuals with various disabilities have different experiences while hiking the AT. For example, a blind hiker named Bill Irwin, he was a blind person who had good hearing and good balance, used his guide dog to hike on the AT. I am a deaf-blind hiker who is using a SSP to hike on the AT. Therefore his and my experiences are unique in their own way.”
“I am deaf and only speak for myself as a deaf hiker’s experience. Some people commented to me that how can I hear anyone’s yell for help, crumbling rocks beneath me as I walk, an animal coming to attack me from behind, etc. It doesn’t stop me from hiking just because I simply cannot hear,” Lepore said. “I am proud to be a deaf person. I hike because I love what I am doing — being part of the wilderness, getting away from civilization, getting in touch within myself, and meeting other wonderful hikers and people on- and off-trail. It is challenging for anyone, with or without disabilities, to hike the AT in different ways — physically, mentally and/or emotionally. When you meet anyone who has any form of disability for the first time, please do not be afraid to appear stupid or unsure as to what to do. Just ask the person how she or he would like you to communicate or interact with him or her. Please feel free to ask any questions, no matter how stupid you may think they are, because it is only way to learn coming from a person with disability. Most important of all, people with disabilities are human like everyone else.”
The notion of a thousand-mile footpath in the mountains, where people could go to renew themselves, fired the imaginations of hikers and outdoorsmen from Maine to Georgia. Inspired, they began building trails and trying to connect them.
Today the Appalachian Trail (AT) is 2,174 miles long and runs along the ridges and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from the summit of Mount Katahdin in north central Maine to the summit of Spring Mountain in northern Georgia.
It passes through 14 states — Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Within these 14 states, it passes through eight national forests, six national parks, and many state and local parks.
Giles County, Va., contains 50 miles of the trail. It passes through the county seat of Pearisburg where, starting in the spring, many hikers stop for a little rest and to restock necessities.
Millions of people use some part of the AT yearly. Most hike only short distances lasting from an afternoon to a weekend. Thousands of hikers hike the entire trail in sections over a period of years. Some hardy individuals backpack the entire trail in one continuous journey each year.
This story is about two hikers, Roni Lepore and Roger Poulin; both have a special relationship with the trail.
Lepore is deaf. Her trail name is Ram Sham which stands for Rambling Shamrock. She is from New Jersey. She holds BS and MS degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York in the area of information technology.
Poulin is deaf-blind (totally blind in his right eye and tunnel visioned in his left eye). His trail name is Adventurous Cane. He was born with Usher Syndrome (the most common condition that affects both hearing and vision). This syndrome comes with balance problems — not able to walk steady. He is from Maine.
Poulin met Lepore at the Helen Keller National Center in Long Island Deaf-Blind Interpreters Training seminar three years ago.
“I went there to learn how to work with deaf-blind people in 2007,” Lepore said. “Roger told me about his dream to hike the AT — Appalachian Trail — so, he was looking for a SSP — Special Service Provider — to hike with him. I agreed to work with him as SSP. SSP is specifically trained and hired to work with deaf-blind individuals by providing visual and environmental information, sighted guide services and information accessibility to empower deaf-blind individuals so they can make informed decisions.”
Lepore continued, “I visited Newfound Gap in Great Smokey Mountain National Park and saw the AT. I am an avid outdoor person myself, so I enjoy hiking and camping. On that day, I made a wish to hike the AT someday before I end up in the rocking chair since I thought it would be an ultimate adventure - visiting various environments across 14 states. When Roger mentioned his AT dream, I thought to myself — it would be a great opportunity to help him to accomplish his dream and at same time, get my wish fulfilled.”
Poulin admits to loving adventure. “It is my big dream to hike on the AT with my vision and balance problems, so I know it is going to be a challenge for me to take up the hiking,” he said. “I want to find out if I can hike from Georgia to Maine. I want to show the deaf-blind community that they can do it regardless of their dual disability — deafness and blindness. I want to educate the world about how valuable the service of SSP is to the deaf-blind community. We are constantly in need of them.”
When asked to describe how they prepared for this journey, Lepore said, “Research, research and research. I spent a great deal of research on equipment, food, mail drops and much more via online, magazines, books, and people. I took some back country-related classes with Roger through REI in New Jersey and Pennsylvania the year before we began hiking the AT. I am a certified Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR — known as “woofer”) though WMA — Wilderness Medical Associates ... It helped me to deal with the emergency situations and injuries sustained in the wilderness which are different from the street, for example getting to a hospital may be a few hours to days away from the trail. I felt comfortable to be able to make crucial decisions on how to handle situations in the wilderness.”
Poulin also took the classes through REI on back country camping. As for the food preparation, he used a dehydrator. He read a lot of books to learn about mail drops, food preparation, camping gear, and a list of essential items to bring with you on the AT. “By reading, talking with people, and researching, it helped me to understand better about hiking culture — average of miles per day, using the shelters, and treating the water,” he relayed.
Lepore does not require any special adaptations/equipment to hike the AT. “I wear a hearing aid, but I choose not to wear it on the trail because of sweat problems and it’s too expensive to lose it in the woods. It costs around a thousand dollars to obtain. As for the support system, I do need support from time to time since I am working as solo SSP with him and do not have a second SSP to relieve me. It is a full-time job — not just 40 hours for a 5-day week, but from sunrise to the time to go sleep on a daily basis. I get pretty exhausted from time to time, so I still ask around for some help from hikers, people or friends. It doesn’t happen often though. “
Poulin uses trekking poles to help him to maintain good balance on the trail. “I also wear safety glasses for my eyes, protective guards from my wrist to elbow on both arms, shin guards for my shins, and fingerless leather gloves for my hands to protect them from hitting into the trees or falling on the rocks,” he said.
Lepore and Poulin began their hiking trek from Springer Mountain in Georgia on April 6. They have been on the AT almost three months.
When asked what their final destination is, Poulin said that their goal is to reach Katahdin.
“It is not the question as when we will summit, but it is the test of our teamwork to accomplish Roger’s goal — to hike the entire AT,” Lepore said.
“My goal is to reach Katahdin as my final destination,” Poulin said. “We plan to arrive at Katahdin no matter how long it may take us to complete....”
Lepore said that the challenges she is confronted with on this journey are to deal with her own physical pains and discomfort. “I hiked after my foot surgery (to remove neuroma from my right foot) in January 2010. It was extremely painful to hike on my foot over the rocky trail ... for the first three weeks. I cried and dealt with my swollen foot every night. In mid-May, my foot finally healed enough for me to hike with a manageable pain level that I can tolerate. Secondly, I dealt with my own illnesses that surfaced on the trail twice. It was not fun trying to hike, working with Roger as a SSP and dealing with my illness at the same time. There are no sick days for an SSP on the AT. Thirdly, when I become exhausted from all-day hiking or working with Roger, once in while, I become an inefficient SSP to Roger because I can’t do my duty by providing the service that he needs — giving him the visual information, interpreting what people are saying, showing him where things are when he asks, etc. Lastly, I communicate with Roger via tactical sign language which means Roger places his hands on my hands and I sign. He understands what I am signing to him without having to see me sign. It is not a problem communicating with him at night, but it is a challenge to communicate with hikers who do not know sign language without any lights in the campsite or shelter at night.”
Poulin’s challenges are to hike over the rough terrain, for example boulders, talus, shale, roots and rocks to climb on the narrow trail. It’s difficult for him to maintain his balance without falling off the trail. “My feet are sore and beaten up from time to time because it is extra work for me to maintain a good balance with my trekking poles over the rocky terrain. My ankles twist from side to side, my toes blister from sliding and stopping going downhill. I stub my toes into the rocks and logs. My head gets banged up by hitting the low branches of an occasional tree. My legs sustain multiple cuts from time to time by hitting the cragged rocks and branches from trees or logs,” he relayed.
Some of the toughest miles that they have travelled, according to Lepore, from Hot Springs to Erwin. “That was when I was stricken with my first illness. It was mind over matter to get myself up and keep hiking and working for Roger throughout this difficult episode. Secondly, the first few weeks of extreme ongoing pain in my foot were difficult enough -— from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Hartford, Tenn.”
Poulin said that the toughest miles he hiked was before the NOC - Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, N.C. “It was raining and getting dark at that time. I slipped and fell many times due to the muddy trail and slippery rocks. I didn’t have a good grip on the trail and rocks, so my legs stretched too far which caused me some pain and discomfort.”
When asked what were some of the toughest miles that lay ahead of them, Lepore was quick to respond, “I keep hearing about how tough and very rocky the terrain is in the northeast part of Pennsylvania, so I am aware how it will be a challenge for Roger to hike over it.”
Poulin agrees that Pennsylvania will be difficult, “I heard from the hikers and read the book, written by a blind hiker named Bill Irwin, about how rocky the terrain in Pennsylvania is, so I am thinking about getting a rollerblade helmet and knee caps to minimize injuries from falling down.”
During this interview, both Lepore and Poulin were staying at The Huffman House at Creekside Farm in Newport, Va. Asked how they learned about this B and B, Lepore explained that she heard about from Neville and Michael — the owners of Wood’s Hole Hostel in Pearisburg — when they went out for a dinner at The Paradises Restaurant in Eggleston, Va. “They told me that there was a room available and the owners of Huffman House, Carol and Ron Baker, were AT through-hikers themselves, so I thought it was a wonderful place to stop. Also, they supported the slack packing which was a plus for us — to help us to move faster and be able to enjoy our hiking experiences more rather than working hard to hike over some difficult portions of trail with our heavy AT backpacks. What was even more wonderful is that they have farm animals where we can interact and watch them. It was a great idea to take a break from daily hiking.”
Poulin explained that the original plan was to reserve a room at a hotel between Pearisburg and Catawba. “Michael and Neville convinced us to go to the Huffman B and B because it was close to AT, only a half mile away, which I really love.”
What was their most memorable experience so far? Lepore said, “My most memorable experience so far was to hike with a group of wonderful hikers for three weeks from Hartford, Tenn., to Damascus, Va. It was so amazing to see how they learned ASL — American Sign Language — and finger spellings in order to communicate with me and Roger. We supported and cheered on each other to hike on a daily basis. It was definitely a motivation for me personally during that time especially when I was ill for a couple of weeks.”
Lepore and Poulin were asked what they wanted to share about this hiking experience with other individuals who may have similar disabilities. “I met many wonderful hikers that were amazed at my ability to hike independently with my limited vision,” Poulin said. “They were wondering how I was able to hike with my trekking poles, on my own, while my SSP was hiking ahead of me. Some of the hikers hiked along with me and witnessed my falls, trips or injuries and were awestruck that I kept getting up and going on. Individuals with various disabilities have different experiences while hiking the AT. For example, a blind hiker named Bill Irwin, he was a blind person who had good hearing and good balance, used his guide dog to hike on the AT. I am a deaf-blind hiker who is using a SSP to hike on the AT. Therefore his and my experiences are unique in their own way.”
“I am deaf and only speak for myself as a deaf hiker’s experience. Some people commented to me that how can I hear anyone’s yell for help, crumbling rocks beneath me as I walk, an animal coming to attack me from behind, etc. It doesn’t stop me from hiking just because I simply cannot hear,” Lepore said. “I am proud to be a deaf person. I hike because I love what I am doing — being part of the wilderness, getting away from civilization, getting in touch within myself, and meeting other wonderful hikers and people on- and off-trail. It is challenging for anyone, with or without disabilities, to hike the AT in different ways — physically, mentally and/or emotionally. When you meet anyone who has any form of disability for the first time, please do not be afraid to appear stupid or unsure as to what to do. Just ask the person how she or he would like you to communicate or interact with him or her. Please feel free to ask any questions, no matter how stupid you may think they are, because it is only way to learn coming from a person with disability. Most important of all, people with disabilities are human like everyone else.”