Randy and the Team turn up the heat,
burning up the “NH 48” in marathon
winter weekend excursions.
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Despite losing his eyesight shortly after college, Randy Pierce has pursued a full life, with countless friends and interests -- and was even honored by the New England Patriots as their Fan of the Year.
But in 2003, Randy was stricken suddenly once again by a neurological condition that destroyed his sense of balance, rendering him wheelchair-bound.
Never one to quit, Randy fought his way back, and today is
climbing the highest mountains in New Hampshire as a way to raise
funds for the services that helped him cope with blindness:
The New Hampshire Association for the Blind, and
Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
As if climbing the NH 48 with Quinn wasn't challenging enough, Randy's kicked it up a notch, aiming to take all 48 with Quinn this winter -- that is, between now and the end of March, 2012.
Really. And already they're off to an amazing start. Since their start in late December, they've already conquered 16 of the peaks -- even bagging 7 in a single 4-day weekend.
You can even check in on Randy's progress in realtime, by clicking here. Yup, we've outfitted our Dynamic Duo with a GPS transmitter that posts their position at frequent intervals.
Now, by "weekend" we mean that the days from Thursday through Monday (and sometimes Tuesday) are dedicated to these marathon hikes, most weeks. That's a lot of weekend. But then, Randy and Quinn are determined hikers.
Now, we're not expecting you to show up on the trail with hot cocoa, or donuts, or say, jambalaya with hot sausage or anything like that. Okay -- jambalaya would be pretty great.
This just in: our Summer 2012 hiking schedule has now been finalized. Check it out!
by Beth Foote
When Randy first spoke to me back in August about working on the 2020 Vision Quest website, I must admit that I didn't know a whole lot about the organization. I wish I could say that I had a love of hiking or that the cause of blindness was near and dear to my heart, but neither was especially true at the time.
What I did have was a deep respect and admiration for Randy, who had been my friend for almost ten years. Ever since I had known him, I was inspired by his unwillingness to let blindness keep him from living a fulfilling life. So I was flattered and honored that he would approach me to be involved in his charitable efforts. I had been looking for new challenges outside of the workplace where I could use my writing and editing experience, and this opportunity seemed a perfect fit. I accepted gladly.
But it was Saturday, November 12 that I finally felt that I was a full member of Team 2020. That night, I attended 2020 Vision Quest's annual "Peak Potential" fundraising dinner. The general feeling of the evening was lighthearted and jovial, a fun get-together of many good friends and acquaintances for a good cause. There was a wide collection of auction items generously donated by vendors in the area which were eagerly bid upon by the attendees. For me, though, the highlight of the evening was Randy's short presentation about the work they had done and why it was important. It crystallized a lot of what I have been learning over the last few months and I came away with a renewed enthusiasm for the project.
