Mike Hanson has been plotting this particular course for over two years now, and on March 5, 2010 he's expecting to put his best foot forward, and into the history books, as the first blind hiker to navigate the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail with only his cane and voice-enabled GPS system.

"I want to show the independence of people with disabilities," he said.

Accompanied by a videographer who is helping document the trip, not help him, Hanson plans to demonstrate how blind people can be independent and that their abilities are underrated by the general public.

Progress, for Mike, is measured by feeling his way along the trail by tapping his cane thousands of times per mile to navigate the notorious trail. Utilizing the technology that everyone else has on the trail, he has waypoints pre-programmed into his GPS - focusing on road crossings, trail shelters and huts, streams and peaks.

We here at VentureThere wish Mike the best of luck on his adventure. And if you live somewhere along the trail, keep checking his blog to see when and where he is. Personally, I hope to meet him on the trail when he reaches Vermont and deliver a Green Mountain high-five for the effort thus far, and the final stretch of his wilderness journey.

Mike's Blog

Mike's Site

Mike on Facebook