The Kamani’s

Who are the Kamani’s you ask?  They are none other than the other half of our Kilimanjaro climb team.  A father and daughter team climbing with myself and Spencer .

 To find out more   click on Salim's and Safiya’s Alzheimer link:


http://my.e2rm.com/PersonalPage.aspx?registrationID=3477822&langPref=en-CA&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fanythingforalzheimers.ca%2f

Hike: Grouse Grind Date:  July 2, 2016

Weather:  Cloudy with sun breaking through mid-morning

Hikers:  Bill,Salim, Joe and Peter

Completion Time:  2 hrs30 mins. Approx..

Life Lesson:  Your left or my Right??
“Ouch!  Salim, I thought you said to step  a little to my left to avoid the tree stump sticking out.”

“Oops!  I meant  a little to your right.”

Getting  your left and right is so crucial to guiding a blind climber up the Grind. One misstep and down one goes.  As a V.I.P. (Visually Impaired Person) , when climbing the  Grind, I hold a 5 feet guide stick in my left hand and my guide (Salim) holds the same stick  on the same side in his left hand.   In this fashion, as my guide leads me up the Grind, the stick  indicates to me if we’re  turning a corner or if the climb is going steeper or levelling off as we traverse left and right  . Picture , if you will, as my guide (Salim) turns around and  tells me to step a little to my “left” to avoid a tree stump or rock  jutting out on “my” (not “his”) left side.

 In doing so, I actually step into the tree or rock  that’s on my left side. Ouch! As opposed to avoid it by  stepping to my “right”. From my Guide’s perspective he is telling me to take one step re “his” left not mine” When turning around, looking behind towards me, “his” left is “my” right. He should actually tell me to step right to avoid the tree stump or rock to my eft.

How often, in life, do we hav difficulty taking the perspective of the other person  but look at the other person only from our own filtered glasses.

“Whew! Salim, you got the “right” and “left” right this time. Otherwise I’d be down the mountain going around this corner.  Excellent!”

Hike: BC MC  (B.C. Mountaineering Club)  Trail

Date:  July 10, 2016

Weather:  Hot Sun Hikers:  Bill, Salim, Safiya

Completion Time:  3 hrs approx..

Life Lesson:   We don’t have eyes behind our heads. 

Salim:  Watch out for the loose rock coming up. Be sure to step farther right of the pathway as we climb this next section of the trail.”

Bill: Ok, but how far to the right?

Salim: I don’t know .  I’m concentrating  on the next few steps and can’t turn around to tell you. I need to focus ahead so I won’t slip down the mountain myself.  Safiya, can you help Bill   from behind. I don’t have eyes in the back of my head to guide him.”

Safiya:  Sure.  I’ve got his back.   Bill,  step about 6 inches to the right and put your foot  about  a few  inches above the  ahead to avoid  the medium sized root where you’ve step.

As we climbed up the BC MC trail, it is not my guide in front of me who is able to tell  me in detail where to step and not to step to avoid  tripping over a protruding root near my foot or a loose rock I’m about  to step on.  It is the person behind me watching my every move  climbing up the trail who can tell me where to step or not to step given their front view of my every move. The Guide in front of me does not have eyes in the back of his head  to assist in this way. I have found this is a case in life. our lives . We need those people in our lives who sees what we are doing to help us navigate life’s pathways.

Thanks to Safiya, I was able to finish the BC MC trail without tripping over any roots or stepping on  loose rocks  that might have  caused any major injuries.

Until the next hike..

Bill  (The Blidn Guy who thinks he can see.)