Meet Lonnie Bedwell
First Blind person to paddle the grand canyon
About Lonnie
After an accident that left him completely blind in 1997, military veteran, Lonnie Bedwell, raised three daughters as a single father, became an award-winning author, a renowned adventure athlete and a motivational speaker. He holds first blind kayak descents on the Grand Canyon, Zambezi, and Gauley Rivers, representing some of the world’s most challenging whitewater. Lonnie is an advocate and active volunteer for people with disabilities and veterans. His mission is to motivate and inspire everyone
to embrace life with confidence and courage, no matter what challenges they may face.
Lonnie's Book
Lonnie Bedwell (U.S. Navy, retired) shares his incredible and inspiring true story of becoming the first blind person to navigate a kayak through 226 miles of dangerous whitewater river flowing through the Grand Canyon.
Bedwell embarked on this brave and historic undertaking to raise public awareness of the plight of disabled veterans, and to show these veterans, many of whom suffer from clinical depression, what they could achieve by taking advantage of adaptive sports programs like those offered by volunteer vets organization Team River Runner.
