Lonnie Bedwell was extremely excited to work with Travis Fugate, Steve Baskis, Eric Marts and Aaron Hale all combat injured Veterans that are totally blind. Lonnie, who his also blind himself as well as the four other participants were all guided by other disabled Veterans. The participants trained on a lake near the Yellowstone river to practice basic skills before paddling on the river. By the end of the clinic all participants had paddled through the grand canyon in class 1 & 2 water!
Thoughts on the clinic
Lonnie Bedwell:
“Since I did the canyon, I’ve been talking to these guys about kayaking. These guys thought hey, we can do this stuff and I was like yea, I know you can! Its just so special because I know these guys and I know the sacrifices they’ve made not just the guys who are blind but the guides as well. It’s so special to bring them all together at one time. It was an overwhelming event for me and hopefully a way to pay them back for what they’ve done for me.”
Steve Baskis :
“I feel that the experience I had out there was truly amazing. The white water, it’s like dancing on the water as my guide Alex Nielson said.”
