On The Path

By Kathy Dunn

From Randy's introduction at a school presentation, read by a blind student

For many of us we read about Randy’s speaking engagements and the interactions he has with the children in our communities.  However we don’t always have a chance to see them firsthand.

Donavan reading his introduction

Randy and Donavan enjoying a few moments together

I was lucky to have this chance as I traveled with Randy from Dover, New Hampshire to Portland, Maine. I watched a great deal of these speaking engagements through my camera lens, which I hope gives you a chance to see Randy sharing his message.

Our morning began at Woodland Park Elementary School in Dover. We received a wonderful greeting at the door from Donavan who would be introducing Randy to his entire school. Donavan is in the second grade, and like Randy, he is blind.  He read his introduction using Braille and with much exuberance told his fellow classmates that Randy climbs mountains, has a dog named The Mighty Quinn, and asked “Did you know he is also blind like me?”

"I have a question!" Woodland Park Elementary School

The students were incredibly attentive to Randy and I am certain it wasn’t only because of his cute dog. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I probably took 15 pictures of Quinn alone in his cute dog poses.) Students asked thoughtful questions and kept their hands raised in hopes of being able to ask the next question.

Woodland Park Elementary School

Portland, Maine was our next stop to speak to the students at East End Community School. They heard about some of Randy’s initial challenges and the progression of his vision loss. Randy also talked about the work that Quinn provides for him and the independence it continues to give him in his life.

East End Community School

Randy showing the kids how he uses technology to help him in his life

Randy and Quinn having a hug at the end of a presentation

Most importantly, Randy communicated his message encouraging children to accomplish the things they want in their life. Randy’s words: if they try… if they work hard… they can do it. Don’t give up in the face of the challenges. Keep working. You can do it.

These words were well received to the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grade students as well as this student of life.

WCSH Channel 6 saying hello to Quinn

If having three presentations thus far was not enough, we dropped in at WCSH Channel 6 as Randy was being interviewed by Rob Cadwell for their “207” program. After the interview, Quinn got the “Off Duty” call from Randy and could enjoy some hard earned love from some of his new fans.

Our day did not stop there as we were now headed to the University of Southern Maine to attend the Guiding Eyes of Maine event. I learned something new about Quinn and I think we now share something in common: we like puppies.

Now, the Mighty Quinn is diligent in his work like none other and always the consummate canine professional. But you put a few other canine professionals in the room and it is like a reunion!

Do I really need to give a caption to puppies?

“Hiiiiiiiiii!  I’m Quinn!  Who are you?!?!?!  I am so excited to see you!!!!! Oh wait… was I supposed to be taking Randy someplace right now?”

While Randy was doing some meet and greets before his next speaking engagement, I headed over to the see the future canine professionals… the pups!

The finale of our day was Randy speaking to an audience of all different ages and all different abilities about his journey and his future. As it was said in the introduction of Randy “[he] makes the most out of life and will make you want to do the same.”

We all have abilities in our lives.  Some come with known and unknown challenges, however we need to see beyond them. We need to work beyond them.

We can’t have these challenges hold us back.  We can get to where we want to be. Simply put… we can.

Randy presents at Guiding Eyes of Maine event

By Randy Pierce

I have been privileged to speak at many events for many different audiences. This week’s opportunity feels particularly special as I prepare a commencement address for the White Mountain Community College.

Given this is my first commencement, I thought some research appropriate. One of my discoveries was the presentation at the 2012 Wellesley High School commencement I’ll keep in mind for this upcoming opportunity and similarly for my high school alma mater, Colebrook Academy, in June.

“You are Not Special” is a powerful, albeit controversial, presentation by David McCullough, Jr., an English teacher at Wellesley High. While I felt he began weakly, many powerful points joined his insightful and “incite-full” commentary. The final few minutes hold the crux of his message and I suggest it is a worthy listen for all of us.

Capturing just one of his quotes which resonated for me: “Climb the mountain so that you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” It is within the experiences we should find the most value, not the accolades. Our best achievements are in the choices we make, not the accomplishments we recite. There is potency to the dichotomy that if everyone is special then nobody is special.

This does not mean that we are not all uniquely talented nor that we may not all achieve very worthy goals. Indeed, should we choose to reach for worthy goals, we very well may find ourselves achieving them.

A commencement is a beginning. It is given at the start of the next phase of the graduates’ lives. How challenging it is to attempt to impart upon those present a spark of wisdom or inspiration from the tinder of years of their own efforts at developing their lives, helped by the influence of so many dedicated teachers, family and friends. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity and will try to share a bit of the vision I’ve developed through my experiences. The full depth of the message I’ll save for my time with those graduates.

For now, I reflect upon the tagline of our 2020 Vision Quest which is to “Achieve a Vision Beyond Your Sight.” This is not only to develop a vision beyond your sight but to achieve it. There’s a fair bit of work involved in both of those steps; fortunately, there is an incredible reward in reaching for those goals and more still in persevering and working hard enough for the achievement as well.

By Randy Pierce

In 2010, we founded 2020 Vision Quest with a charitable mission and a goal to summit all 48 of the peaks rising above 4,000 feet in New Hampshire. While our historic single winter season accomplishment achieved a portion of that goal, we are proud to have worked through a very significant and differently challenging quest to reach them without the benefit winter snows bring to my blind footsteps. Twelve peaks remain between us and successfully achieving our original goal.

Our first hike will begin on Cannon mountain, once home to the symbol of NH. While the cliffs forming the visage of the Old Man collapsed a decade ago, the mountain remains dear to NH. It is the location where my winter quest culminated and is appropriate for launching this final season in style. We hope many hikers and non-hikers may be around to celebrate with us either on the trails or at the summit via the hike or the tram! We of course will be taking the trails both ways.

Our hiking day will not end at the end of trailhead for Cannon, however. We’ll quickly resupply and perhaps adjust some of the members in our group before crossing to the other side of the Franconia Notch and setting upon the Old Bridle path. Saturday’s travels are intended to end at the AMC Greenleaf hut.

This will set the stage for an early morning summit of Mt. Lafayette, which allows for an incredibly stunning ridge walk over to our actual goal, Mt. Lincoln! We’ll hopefully enjoy lunch atop this famous president’s peak and reflect upon the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg before descending via the Falling Waters trail which I have jokingly referred to as “Falling Blind Guy” due to the challenges of this trail in our winter journey.

Thus will our season begin with a pair of peaks necessary to complete our quest in our fourth year of what was originally intended as a more leisurely ten-year goal. Ten peaks will still remain to finish our non-winter 48 and the season of celebration will be underway. I expect to hike many more mountains in NH and perhaps beyond once the 2020 Vision Quest accomplishment is complete. I will relish the freedom to repeat any hike any time inspiration and inclination converge to give me this opportunity.

Still, this season will be a little special because I will have allowed a vision to guide me to heights I once did not imagine possible! If all goes well, the Lincoln Woods Parking area will host many friends on August 24 as we visit Mt. Flume for the completion of the season and the Quest.

Let the hikes begin!

By Randy Pierce

Using Voice Over on my Apple (IOS) device has been one of the many liberating solutions to many blind challenges. Recently an application called “TapTapSee” was made available for free! It’s a one-button push camera which then uses servers on the internet to process the picture and report back a brief description of the image. While not flawless, the power of this product is incredible as it quickly identified Quinn as “A yellow labrador retriever lying on a blue rug.”

I’ve loved the power of this simple-to-use application which provides me a considerable amount of information I might not otherwise gather. I’ve tested it in many situations to get a description of a hotel room, a table setting, my own clothes, find my favorite mug and even learn what various friends are wearing. The most detailed example it ever provided was in accurately describing a friend who was wearing “man in a cookie monster T-shirt with a plaid coat and pajamas.”

The thought of that level of description for my friend is powerful but it also leads to a concern. While I certainly appreciate the power to basically turn on a snapshot of sight for a moment, when is this process an invasion of privacy and how far will this technology develop?

An ideal potential development might be the ability to shoot continuous video and have description which might even use facial recognition to identify which of my friends are nearby. But the challenge is that all of these images are being loaded onto the web and processed, which means there is an even greater privacy impact. Is the benefit of this to a blind person worth the impact on all those in “sight” of the camera?

These questions are going to be raised and I think it’s worthwhile to discuss them now. So what are your thoughts?

By Randy Pierce

We have some exciting news and I hope it will entice you to be part of one or both of our biggest annual events.

On Saturday, June 8, 2020 Vision Quest will have a team in the NHAB Tenth Annual Walk for Sight. We had more than 100 people join our team last year as it was a centennial celebration of service by NHAB. We kicked off the very manageable 3K walk from the Concord facilities by walking 100 miles from Concord to the seacoast office and back!

Many walkers came out last year to support Randy after his 100 mile walk.

While we won’t be adding an epic journey to the start of this walk, we do hope to always be taking steps forward. This year we hope to entice an even larger group of friends, family, and supporters of our project to join our team and raise funds for us and NHAB at the same time. What a statement it would be to grow our team as we all walk together to the State House and back!

You can join our team or choose to sponsor a particular walker by going to our Team Home Page.

The event is fantastic in its own right with a barbeque lunch, festive music, and many prizes to go along with our rallying together and spending time as a team. The entrance fee is just $15 for adults, and children under 12 register for only $5. Please visit our page and find more information on the walk itself. We hope you will support us by becoming part of our team directly or through your donation.

Now for the promised incentive. Walkers are always encouraged to raise funds and we’ve had some incredible support from our walkers in the past. This year, we are proud to announce that the top fundraiser on our team will be given the option of a single free ticket or a pair of tickets for the price of one to our November 16 4th Annual Peak Potential Dinner and Auction.

This gala event is our largest fundraiser each year. Last year it sold out, which we hope to repeat this year. The single or pair of tickets one hard working walker will earn will have the option to sit at a table with Tracy, Quinn and me!

This means that by joining us for the very affordable and fun walk event, anyone could become part of our two biggest events and help us continue the quality work we believe we are achieving with our 2020 Vision Quest. Quinn and I are hopeful we’ve enticed you but now the choice is yours — will you be part of our team?

By Randy Pierce

I did not run the 117th Boston marathon and I was safely at home listening to results of many friends on Patriots Day 2013. A very significant part of me was there, however, and a very beautiful part of it will be with me forever more as a result.

One day earlier I’d run the festive finish line route in the BAA 5k with my good friend Jennifer and of course with the Mighty Quinn Guiding me on a course no Guide Dog had previously worked. While I saw none of it, the energy surrounded us both. Quinn enthusiastically responded with extra exuberance because even one day before the main event, the incredible community of this race had already arrived to support people expressing the freedom and accomplishment of rising to a challenge.

One day later, the marathon’s official race would finish at the same point and the community of support surrounding every aspect of this incredibly inspiring event. Some will tell how the finish was marred by a horrific act of senseless cruelty. I see a different and far more positive ending.

I won’t deny any of the tragedy, horror, or terror but fortunately it didn’t end there. Immediately the same Boston community that creates this unparalleled experience of the Marathon reacted with the heroism and selfless determination which is the beauty in such things.

My friend and 2020 VQ volunteer, Rick Stevenson, shared with me a popular quote from Mr. Rogers’ mother for times when it seemed it wasn’t a beautiful day in the neighborhood. She suggested that at such times we “Watch the Helpers.” I did watch them, from the famous folk like Joe Andruzzi, to the incredible medical teams running into danger, to the common person surging into action to do the right thing and help. It’s overwhelming to see the human spirit in full glory and this day in Boston we did.

I could try to say a lot more about the power of this community but a race runner gave us exactly the written record everyone should read. As such let me simply send you to his work:

In Praise of Boston – by Dave Munger

By Randy Pierce

Much of New England celebrates Patriots day on April 15, 2013 with Boston in particular hosting their famous marathon. We too have our “shot heard around the world” in mind with our running of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) 5K Road Race which takes place on the marathon course April 14. A little research suggests no Guide Dog has ever run this race.

Quinn’s marvelous ability to guide me in crowded road races will change that forever. We used a Go-Pro Cam to capture this work last July with the Finish at the 50 in Foxboro, MA and think the video may indeed give you a brief glimpse at the process!

While this achievement alone is fully worthy of its own blog post, the name of the day reminds us that my Patriots fandom and the attention it drew helped establish some of the roots for 2020 Vision Quest. One video that captures this in an incredible way is the Emmy award-nominated piece featuring us for the HBO Fan Life series. The heart of our message is captured along with some of the methods and reasons behind our own Patriots Day celebration!

So however you celebrate Patriots Day, we hope you always find ways to join us in celebrating Quinn and 2020 Vision Quest.

By Randy Pierce

A treacherous bridge provides a good opportunity for risk assessment.

I am often asked about my relationship with fear in dealing with blindness as well as my many adventures. I prefer to think about it in terms of a healthy respect for dangers, both real and perceived.

As a planner and problem solver, I like to understand the potential risks as best as possible and then evaluate a range of possible solutions for these in advance. A strong part of my approach is knowing that a problem solver should be able to undertake every experience of a risk taker with more success and fewer bruises!

My experience is that attempting to practice solutions to challenges can lead them to become routine. The risk management can be reduced to acceptable levels before things are attempted. Part of this is to ensure that when reaching a moment of particular danger potential, I will be as prepared as much as possible to avoid the “paralysis by analysis” situation of over-thinking in an instant when an immediate reaction is necessary.

The first decision in situations of danger is whether or not an immediate reaction is needed at all. If, for example, I begin to lose my balance on a stretch of trail for which I don’t know the full dangers present, I probably need to make a quick decision about the level of balance loss.

If the chances of falling are high enough, it is likely best to immediately allow a fall in a more controlled fashion. That is, if the spot my feet are on is sufficiently known to me, then landing there is probably the lowest risk of the other unknown options. I similarly know that my pack is a cushion that landing upon will typically be preferred. So I tuck my head and drop back if at all possible.

I’m not eager for that fall, but often it’s the best reaction for an unanticipated dangerous situation. If my balance is such that I have time, then I might call out to someone around me to get a quick terrain understanding or I might explore myself with the hiking/support stick. In that moment of uncertainty, I feel concern that can border on a fearful moment. The more I know the situation, however, the more I know a range of possible reactions and likely consequences to reduce or remove the fear.

Sometimes, it's safer just to fall backwards and sit down.

There’s an old expression, “don’t borrow trouble.” I find a similar approach to allaying fears. By trying to fully understand the real cause of fear, I find that I get to truly know the fear and this is a major step in achieving a goal of having no fear.

In the above example of balance loss, I’m likely facing varying levels of concern for possible injury. In the moment of uncertainty for how big my risk is at that point, I can envision more significant injuries. Ultimately though, planning has reduced the likelihood of injury. By thinking through this in advance, we accustom our minds and some of the emotional surge in the moment to the realities of those risks. Considering the worst case scenarios and our reactions has diminished the “fear” to “concerns” and the advanced paralysis of anticipatory fear can be eradicated.

So in planning any adventure or experience that could make you anxious, I suggest taking the time to think about what are the real and reasonable risks. Get comfortable with the approaches you might take if problems occur. This is where the preparation not only aids in your likely success, but also may enhance your comfort or courage to undertake a task. Practice often makes perfect, as the expression says, and practice with mentally breaking down our fears or concerns is a means to build confidence to manage them.

This is not to say you don’t want real solutions or are trying to avoid things for which reasonable risks have not been addressed. It is to say that in truly and thoroughly knowing fear, we may eventually get to a point of low or even no fear! I know that at this point in my life I have little time or attention that is spent unnecessarily on fear. This additional time and energy is placed instead on more rewarding things in my life!

By Randy Pierce

“Whether you think you can or think you cannot, you are probably right” – Henry Ford

Randy shows a classroom Quinn's hug. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Liang.

We recently had a barrage of school presentations, which are a fundamental part of our mission with 2020 Vision Quest. We offer the myriad quality messages to any school or non-profit organization free of charge because we believe in the positive impact they provide, especially to students in grades K-12. While the messages are adjusted to challenge and properly reach the various ranges of students, there is a common theme delivered: Believe in Your Ability to Achieve!

The Ides of March this year provided me with a proud moment of surprise. I’ve always suggested I want to connect with more people than peaks, despite my love of our mountain journeys. I can hardly believe that in less than three years of our many efforts with 2020 Vision Quest, we have now spoken to more than 21,000 students!

If we can deliver our message to 20,000 then why not 48,000? Why not even more?

Our “For Educators” page highlights some common topics, though most presentations are customized for the purposes of that specific presentation. We are proud of how many schools request that we return year after year to continue making a difference. The benefit of sharing our mission is enabling more and more opportunities.

Will you help us share the message and be part of the team that does this work? Will you be one of the many drivers who help ensure Quinn and I are able to arrive at so many schools all across New England? Will you be a sponsor or donor to support our cause and ensure 2020 Vision Quest continues its positive impact?

I hope you can and will be part of our team!

By Randy Pierce

Photo courtesy of Justin Fuller.

As the one-year anniversary of our historic winter hiking arrived, I tried to re-live the many experiences in my mind. A few words written from a recent winter hike hung pleasantly over much of that reflection:

Snow is crunching under my feet in sharp contrast to the blanket hush of deep snow upon the entirety of the forest around me. Distantly, I can hear the winds assault upon the higher peaks of the ridge line above us. We are traversing beneath the Cannon Balls towards the Kinsman ridge and the only words I’d heard recently were expressions of awe for the beauty of our surroundings. “You simply cannot describe this or see it within a picture with the depth of its reality!” Smiling to myself, I know that despite not seeing it I can feel it within me and in the responses of those with me. I think there are things within these experiences which draw us into contemplation that feeds the mind and spirit even as the body is challenged to grow with the efforts of coming to such a place. It’s simply marvelous and it’s one of many reasons why I hike here in these glorious White Mountains.

"Whistle while you work... doo dee doot doot doo doo doo..." Photo courtesy of Justin Fuller.

Our film of the quest, “Four More Feet,” has been shown in most of the New England states and have been appreciated by many attending the events, with hundreds of copies of the DVD being brought away to share with friends and family. The requests for more viewings of the film have been steady and one year later we have a few more opportunities that we are excited to share.

Our final public showing of the film, unless a surprising opportunity arrives, will be sponsored by the University of New Hampshire’s outdoor education program. We’ll be in the Memorial Union Building Theater, a place where I spent many working hours as an undergraduate. The OE program also was instrumental in helping Quinn and me enhance our hiking knowledge and experience and ultimately helped facilitate our success in the single winter season in the White Mountains!

Final showing date:

Date: 3/25/2013
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Location:
MUB Theater II
83 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824

I hope to once again share the film with a packed theater as we’ve been so fortunate to do with most of our showings. We will entertain a Q&A session as well as having Quinn’s Pawtograph available to anyone obtaining a copy of the DVD from what very well may be our last public showing. We hope to make a grand event – finishing where a lot of things started for us!

We are also very pleased to announce that for a very limited time, for any donation of $25 or more, we will ship you a copy of the DVD shipped anywhere in the continental United States if you so choose. This offer goes live on starting on the anniversary of our success, March 10, and lasts until we launch what we expect is our final official hiking schedule for the non-winter 48 on May 18. If you would like to receive a copy, just let us know and send us a name and address to which the DVD should be sent at randy@2020VisionQuest.org.

As an all-volunteer staff incredibly busy with the core mission of our charity, this DVD is normally not available for mail-order, but we absolutely want to share the opportunity for everyone to experience this remarkable journey captured so well by filmmaker Dina Sutin. As such we provide this limited opportunity and hope it will ensure the film is shared with everyone who can benefit from the inspirational message it provides!

The full details are on the front page of our website for 2020 Vision Quest.

Let’s put a few miles into the efforts of “Four More Feet!”

"Just four more feet!" Photo courtesy of Justin Fuller.