[nfbmi-talk] Affiliate President Buried Alive by Youth

Tue Oct 20 22:59:37 UTC 2009

I second that!  It was an excellent article, Terri.

Mary Ann
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at comcast.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 1:41 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Affiliate President Buried Alive by Youth

> Hi Terri,
>
> Great article!  I encourage you to send this into the Braille Monitor for
> possible publication.  Also, great job goes to everyone who helped 
> organize
> the Bridge Walk weekend.
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of trising
> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 10:58 AM
> To: NFB of Michigan List
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Affiliate President Buried Alive by Youth
>
> Affiliate President Buried Alive by Youth
>
>
>
>            The NFB of Michigan's No Limits Youth Outreach 2009 Mackinac
> Bridge Walk was an excellent experience. The trip began at 5 A.M. on 
> Friday
> morning, with a long ride up to Munising. Our group consisted of nine 
> 12-18
> year old blind youth, ten blind adult mentors, and five drivers. My 
> husband
> and I are mentors who are totally blind from birth who experienced the 
> trip
> for the first time.
>
> After the long ride in the car, kids and adults alike were ready for some
> action! We found it on Saturday morning, in the form of a scavenger hunt
> which was designed to promote Braille, and independent mobility. Clues
> involved telling a passerby about Louis Braille and giving out a chocolate
> coin, or navigating a nature trail out to an outcropping of rock in the
> shape of a castle. I do not consider myself a confident traveler, but I 
> was
> the first to find the steps leading from an outlook down to another part 
> of
> the trail.
>
> One clue, worth 1000 points, required the burial an NFB board member in 
> the
> sand at the beach. Kids and adults alike pitched in and buried Fred 
> Wurtzel.
>
> Since I do not like the feel of things on my hands, I volunteered to hold
> cell phones and keep them safe from the sand. However, Fred realized he 
> was
> not sufficiently buried in some spots and told us we got no points if we 
> did
>
> not do better. I handed the phones off to my husband Nick and started
> helping pile sand on top of him. Discovering that I could still feel his 
> arm
>
> and hand through the sand, I knew that spot needed more work. After a
> complete immersion, our driver had mercy and rescued him.
>
>            While at the beach, many of us rolled up our pant legs and 
> waded
>
> into Lake Superior. Several of the kids threw caution to the wind and 
> jumped
>
> into the lake.
>
>            Lunch had to be postponed because of a spectacular surprise.
> Larry Posont arranged for us to get on a 2.5 hour Pictured Rocks cruise.
> This unexpected treat made it necessary to leave our pasties in the car 
> and
> hurry onto the boat. We were able to get a Coke and Doritos to hold off 
> our
> hunger until after the cruise. It was worth the wait in order to enjoy the
> feel of the wind on our faces and the sound of the waves. My husband Nick
> and I preferred standing by the rail in the sun and wind rather than 
> sitting
>
> below decks in our seats.
>
>            After the cruise, we ate our pasties on the beach. A pastie is 
> a
>
> regional recipe consisting of a hand held flaky crust, containing meat and
> vegetables, originally prepared for copper and iron miners in the U.P.
> Pasties originated in Cornwall England, and were designed to stay warm for
> long periods even in the cold mines. Several of us had waited long enough,
> and the water beckoned us like a long lost friend! In spite of the fact 
> that
>
> we were not in bathing suits, and the water was cold, we went for a swim. 
> I
> hate the cold, but love the water. I decided I needed some help. I asked
> several others who have the courage to run, and we joined hands and ran 
> from
>
> the beach into the water. Upon reaching the water and sand, I was knocked
> off balance and fell into the water. That took care of my reluctance to 
> get
> in with the less than balmy water temperature.
>
>            Saturday evening culminated with a bonfire that included a hot
> dog roast. I learned how to put a hot dog on a skewer, and balance the
> skewer against the lip of the fire pit so that the meat was over the fire,
> but not in the ash. It takes approximately 2.5 minutes per side to get a
> fully cooked hot dog.
>
>            Sunday was to have commenced with one of the highlights of the
> trip. We were to go to Laughing White Fish Falls in order to climb them!
> However, when our group leader discovered that climbing the falls was
> illegal, and since the trip was particularly designed for youth, we did 
> not
> go. Instead, we went to Seney Wild Life Refuge. Many went inside to touch
> models of animals. The warm sun irresistibly called me onto the 1.5 mile
> nature trail. At first, I allowed our leader, who has partial vision to 
> lead
>
> us. I assumed incorrectly that I might not know where to go since I am
> totally blind and have severe spatial concept difficulties. However, Fred
> Wurtzel easily and gently demonstrated that my assumption was incorrect. 
> He
> instructed me to take a few steps right and asked what I found. 
> "Vegetation,
>
> "I reported. I also found the same thing when asked to take a few steps
> left. To my delight I discovered that I was just as good at leading on a
> nature trail as anyone else. You know quickly when you are venturing off 
> the
>
> trail because of the plant life under foot. Of course, one can willfully
> venture off the trail. Since we could not climb the falls, I still had my
> heart set on climbing around on some rocks. I thought I felt a rock just 
> off
>
> the trail with my cane and called everyone's attention to the spot. We let
> Fred Wurtzel be brave and investigate. It turned out that I had not found
> some rocks for adventurous climbing, but a bog! Fred showed us what a bog
> was with his cane. The vegetation grows back over some water on part of a
> lake or marsh. When you try and put your cane in to determine if your next
> step will be wet or dry, your cane gets wet and muddy. Better your cane 
> than
>
> your only pair of Tennis shoes!
>
>            As we reached the last third of our hike, we kept getting 
> random
>
> whiffs of smoke. As we rounded a corner, we heard some minor crackling and
> really smelled smoke. To our surprise, we discovered an unattended small
> forest fire! When Fred Wurtzel used a cell phone to report the fire, the
> wild life refuge staff greeted our news with extreme casualness! It turns
> out that they had set the fire as a controlled burn. We hastened away from
> the smoke and the unattended fire.
>
>            The final adventurous highlight of the trip, swimming on Lake
> Superior, occurred Sunday afternoon. We were to have swum out to some 
> cliffs
>
> in order to climb them, and leap off into the lake! Since we did not have
> sufficient time to make the long swim, we settled on a closer adventure. A
> few of us swam to a nearby rock and helped each other to get on top of it.
> This was not particularly easy, since the rock was slanted and slimy.
> Working together, everyone was able to get atop the rock, only to
> intentionally slide back off into the water. The evening culminated with a
> delicious dinner of locally caught fish.
>
>            Before returning to the Lower Peninsula on Labor Day, we
> participated in the five mile 2009 Mackinac Bridge Walk along with
> approximately forty thousand other individuals.  This was the third bridge
> walk in which the blind youth outreach has participated, not only to have
> fun outdoors, but to   educate the public about the capabilities of blind
> people. Nick and I are fairly fast walkers, and we wanted to be able to
> spread our wings and walk the bridge at a good pace. Once again, I started
> walking the bridge thinking that I needed to be accompanied by someone 
> with
> vision. When our leader realized that she needed to stay with two youth, 
> she
>
> told us to feel free and go ahead and walk the bridge.  I anxiously asked
> how we would find her at the end. She said stop at the end of the bridge.
> Using our canes, we walked the bridge, independently, and confidently. We
> were so quick; we caught up with three fast walking, partially sighted 
> youth
>
> and completed the bridge walk together! Next year, Nick and I have agreed 
> to
>
> chaperone some youth who want to be speedsters on the bridge.
>
>            The Bridge walk no limits youth outreach confirmed that it does
> not take eye sight to have some real adventure. The National Federation of
> the Blind is changing my beliefs about our capabilities as blind people, 
> and
>
> also, about my capabilities as a blind individual. I can lead on nature
> trails without seeing, and I can walk suspension bridges without sighted
> guides. I can swim out to rocks. Together, I can be part of a group of 
> blind
>
> people that assists each other up onto slimy rocks in Lake Superior! My
> husband and I can enjoy a week end with a group of like minded adventurous
> blind people! Who says you have to be with sighted people in order to have
> adventure?
>
>            According to Fred Wurtzel, "A month later, every time I take my
> shoes off and hear sand fall from my socks from being buried, I smile. I 
> get
>
> so much energy and inspiration from the kids. Being outdoors in Michigan 
> is
> as good as life gets and sharing it with our NFB brothers and sisters 
> makes
> a great thing even better. My compliments to Melinda Latham, our youth
> coordinator, along with Larry Posont, for organizing a great event."
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/f.wurtzel%40comc
> ast.net
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 8.5.422 / Virus Database: 270.14.20/2443 - Release Date: 10/19/09
> 14:33:00
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/brightsmile1953%40comcast.net

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.422 / Virus Database: 270.14.23/2448 - Release Date: 10/20/09 
10:43:00