World-famous blind hiker shares his inspiring journey with people of Edinburgh

THE INCREDIBLE journey of a blind long-distance hiker from North Carolina will feature in his first book due for publication this year.

When Trevor Thomas lost his sight at age 35 he could have retreated from the world but instead became a global hero exceeding society’s misguided notions of what a disabled person can achieve.

Trevor Thomas and Tennille during their thru hike of the Colorado Trail in 2015.

The 48-year-old embarks on intense trails all over America as a professional hiker and sponsored athlete, pushing the limits to set records as the first blind person in history to complete many of them.

He took time out from writing a chapter of his book to tell us about his impressive experiences - including a solo, unassisted 2,175 mile thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2008.

He said that the book is an account of what going blind took away from him and how he managed to get his life back. Although he is still in discussion with publishers, Trevor revealed its potential title – ‘Unable to see: Unwilling to quit’.

In 2005 Trevor had not long graduated with a Law degree when his life was turned upside down. Over the course of eight months his sight deteriorated and there was nothing he nor experts in the field could do to stop it.

Shy of his 36th birthday with 0:0 vision he was diagnosed with the incurable condition Atypical Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

“Atypical just means that they don’t know,” said Trevor.

“They had never seen symptoms like mine or it developing in someone my age before. It’s so rare that you are very unlikely to ever speak to a human being again in your life that has this.”

Trevor remembers that he felt “side-lined” by a world that isn’t designed for people who are blind, and predicted that his future would be “grim.” He struggled with the loss of independence and self-worth.

He had defined himself by his extreme pursuits – including skiing, mountain biking, skydiving and racing Porsches.

“I was told that blind people can’t do those things. When I lost them I desperately wanted them back. I didn’t know what to do and felt very depressed.”

His friends and family who live in Charlotte, North Carolina, helped him with his transition into his new life. He found tools to assist him, such as reading using braille, but worried about being a burden and making a living.

It was a friend’s suggestion to take up hiking that provided his life with direction.

“He wanted to see me be happy and thought I’d enjoy it. I used to think hiking would be dull – but loved it from the minute I tried it. It was freeing and invigorating. I quickly took it to the extreme.”

By 2011 he had hiked 12,000 miles - including his 2008 Appalachian Trail, and then the Pacific Crest Trail of 2,645 miles from Mexico to Canada in 2010.

Trevor and Tennille at the summit of Mount Whitney, Colorado, in 2015.

That year, he embarked on his first strenuous climb up Mount Whitney - a partially dome-shaped mountain with famously jagged ridges which lies amongst many of the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. He was the first blind person to reach the 14,505 foot summit.

In an interview with Backpacker, he described standing atop: “The sound was incredible. It was like a vacuum, and I knew there was nothing above or beside me. Sheer openness. People ask me: Why climb if you can’t see what’s there?”

He recalls his reply: “I can’t see the view, but I can feel it. I use my other senses to take in a mountaintop. I think of the smells, the wind, the sun on my face. That summit is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever felt.”

The following year he was the first blind person to complete a thru hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail, a hike he is now preparing to redo. It is a steep 165 mile trail around Tahoe Lake in ranges around California and Nevada.

“Hiking gave me my life back. It gives me control - to be able to make my own choices is the fuel I need to keep going.”

Experts told Trevor that he would be unable to complete trails without assistance but early in his hiking life he completed five segments of the Colorado Trail alone, utilising his echo-location skills and memorised trail data. 

This led him work on a system for self-navigating more technically demanding trails without a sighted partner.

However his enjoyment was transformed when, in 2012, he was partnered with a highly intelligent service dog Tennille. The black Labrador is one of a kind - specially trained for hiking.

The pair work as a team without a human guide, relying on directions emailed and read out from his smartphone, and Tennille’s navigational skills.

Together they trekked some of the country’s most challenging routes including the exhausting 1000 mile Mountains to Sea Trail, in 2013. Thomas was the first blind person, and Tennille the first dog, to complete it.

In 2015 Trevor returned to the Colorado Trail, from Denver to Durango, crossing eight mountain ranges and covering 489 miles. A task beyond him before Tennille joined him.

Tennille is able to pick the best trail intersects, find water to drink and importantly assist Trevor negotiate tricky paths and avoid mishaps with sharp and rocky outcrops.

It is evident as he chats that Trevor values the companionship and psychological comfort of his sidekick above all else.

“I even let her pick the campsites now.

“She is going to be seven in November on thanksgiving, and was recently given a clean bill of health.

“She enjoys the trails, seeing me packing for one gets her excited. She’s probably the luckiest guide dog in the world.”

Trevor founded a charity in North Carolina in 2013 called the Team FarSight Foundation to give young people who are blind and visually impaired the opportunity to take part in hiking activities.

“Most of the kids enjoy learning new skills, like camping and rafting, and push themselves further than they thought they could.”

The programme has so far impacted on the lives of more than 100 children, and camps are expanding.

Trevor at an Adventure Camp held at the 'Nantahala Outdoor Center' in North Carolina.

Looking for the goriest of details the children relish the stories he tells:

“They love to hear about encounters with bears or how to survive a hurricane. I’ve encountered a few. There are also animals like mousse and rattle snakes – they can really put a hurt on you.

“Nothing bad has happened to me in the backcountry because I make good decisions.”

He shares his experience of training Tennille of the dangers of rattlesnake. He bought a rubber snake in a novelty store and scared her with it so that now she knows to keep them clear of risk.

This month he is training with Tennille for another thru hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail as sections were added to the route.

“We are doing shakedown hikes - short hikes to check our gear works, and we have the food right to make sure we don’t get caught out.

“I feel confident in our ability to do it, but there is always a degree of risk. The weather can turn and you can’t always anticipate it.”

Trevor carries a satellite phone and a spot unit rescue beacon so an evacuation helicopter will arrive should they have any trouble.

The pair at the summit of Table Rock Mountain, in South Carolina, 2016.

His work, as well as motivational speeches and press interviews, aim to inspire others to go outside of their comfort zone and achieve greater heights. His book will be published this year.

For more about Trevor visit his Facebook: www.facebook.com/TrevorThomasZeroZero.

His Team FarSight Foundation’s website is www.farsightfoundation.org/index.html where they specify their hope that: “stories about blind people accomplishing extraordinary things will become the norm rather than the exception.”