As I have written about previously in Trekking With Poles (click here), when I purchased trekking poles for the first time in 2022 they changed my life. They enable me to navigate challenging terrain in a way that my mobility cane never could. A small divot in the ground, a slight dip, a little branch, a tiny stone that would not register to a fully-sighted person can really throw me off balance. The trekking poles allow me to stabilize myself and prevent a fall and potential injury.
My first poles have served me well. Most recently the two of us, well, three since there are two of them, visited the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, Morro Rock in Morro Bay, California and last year’s Wreaths Across America event (click here) at Arlington National Cemetery.
When REI asked me to test out some new trekking poles for them and provide feedback, I was excited to do so. Of the three pairs that arrived, two of them are terrific; one I now keep in the car “just in case.”
I also have begun to use the other new pair as my primary go-to to go to . . . well, everywhere. Their maiden voyage was a trip to Utah.
I will keep my original poles and use them from time-to-time. But they have earned the right to hang from my coat rack where I can see them every day, they remind me of the phenomenal impact they have had on my life. I will be indebted to them until the day I die.
My life changed forever with the opening of my eyes (click here for My Story) and it changed forever again when I opened the door to a store called REI.
#SisterRain #ALittleSightALotOfHeart #LegallyBlindWriter #Blind #BlindnessIsASpectrum #LegallyBlind #LowVision #VisuallyImpaired #OpticNeuropathy #VisionLoss #REI
