Blind Climbers Scale Andes Peak

July 12, 2006 — -- Is it sightseeing when you can't see the sights, beautiful and spectacular as they are, in one of the most remote places on earth, because you're blind? Is it is trekking when you might not know where to put your foot down next?

Last month, high in the mountains of southern Peru, where hikers almost never see other outsiders as they make their way, 18 American teenagers set out for a place called Machu Picchu, a site of ruins of a long-gone civilization, the gem of the Incan empire.

Yes, several of them are blind. And, yes, we say this is trekking.

Whether it's sightseeing depends on what you mean by seeing.

The jingling of bells and clanging of poles are not usual sounds on the trails of Peru, but for nine of the young climbers, they are essential to conquering the infamous road to Machu Picchu.

Five of the students are completely blind, and four have serious visual impairments. But they all have incredible amounts of courage.

They were helped along by nine equally courageous sighted kids who helped them navigate the trails using a combination of verbal commands and ringing bells, and together as a team they have a goal -- to reach the summit of Machu Picchu.

Leading this expedition is Erik Weihenmayer. He is the first and only blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Weihenmayer's first experience with multiday climbing took place right here in Peru, 21 years ago, when he was a teenager. He readily admits that he struggled to hike the trails as a 16-year-old blind kid.

But that trip set Erik on a trajectory to do great things. Erik also says that the outdoors is the perfect place for kids to face adversity and develop skills needed in everyday life because, as he says, "If you can master that, you can master anything."

Reaching the Gate of the Sun, the dramatic entrance to Machu Picchu, made all the tough hiking worth the effort. As sighted guides traced the hands of the blind climbers over the mountains in the distance, the connection between the climbers transcended the differences they first encountered, and it seemed that all the trip participants had been changed for the better.