Hiking is for all of us
Hanna, Finland
While staying here in France, I’ve spent much time in a hiking team that promotes the slogan “Hiking is for all of us”. This means that no matter what your physical condition is, that shouldn’t deny you the right to enjoy nature and fresh air. And I think that is one fine idea.
In our team, there are people with limited capability of movement, people who are blind and people who are mentally challenged. None of these straits stops them from coming to hikes with us, enjoying the atmosphere and the company of others. All this requires is a little bit of solidarity – we, who are completely capable of helping, lend them a hand. People who can’t wholly move their legs are pulled and pushed in a thing called Joëllette, which resembles a big wheelbarrow with a seat. Blind people are guided by persons who can see, who can depict the path ahead for them and tell remarks about the surrounding environment.
I cannot stop to admire the courage and sense of humor of the people in the team. One could think that it’s a big fuss , but that is a mistake. After a while you can barely notice that there is anything different in comparison to other teams – except that I can say with pride, that our team-spirit is often in a totally other sphere of existence than theirs. We fool around, make fun of each other, sweat in front and behind the Joëllette and entertain each other in various ways. The hardships and challenges knit us more strongly together than the regular teams, and at least from my point of view, I feel completely belonging to this group of people. I, myself, am challenged by the language that is spoken, but in this posse, people have come used to accept and see past the superficial differences we posses.
I leave you with couple of images from our hiking-competitions, and look forward in participating yet on another one in next weekend.
Oh, and here’s a link, in french thouhg
