O U R N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S
The Strength to Move Mountains
BY BURKE SPEAKER
PHOTOS BY ADELE HODDE
Rehabilitation program challenges
people with spinal cord injuries
Participants
in the
"Moving
Mountains"
adventure
program
camp out at
the Palisades
during the
intense three
days of
sporting
events.
Perched 60 feet above the ground and alongside a cliff at Mississippi Palisades State Park,
first-time rock climber Joel Irizarry took a quick
breather. Though he was exhausted, his arms
at the point of collapse, Irizarry wasn't about to
quit. He had to prove to himself that he could
reach the summit. So grabbing hold of the specially
designed gear, he hoisted
himself up the remaining
20 feet to the jagged peak
At the top, Irizarry paused
to watch the backwaters of
the mighty Mississippi River glitter in the early
evening sun. This, he thought, is just so beautiful.
Far below the dangling feet of the 19-year-old paraplegic rested his wheelchair, unoccupied for the first time since he awoke that morning.
Moving Mountains, a privately operated adventure program now in its sixth year, yanks
people with spinal cord injuries from the concrete and metal inundated Chicagoland area
and thrusts them into the wilds of the natural
world, where they are put to the ultimate sports
fitness test. Following short training sessions,
participants rock climb with adapted climbing
gear, kayak, hike, cycle and camp in an effort to
challenge themselves physically and mentally.
The annual three-day program, which occurred
in early June at Mississippi Palisades State Park,
is designed to remind people like Irizarry that
their disability doesn't restrain them from performing almost all of the same feats an able-bodied person could do.
"My main goal was to climb that mountain,
and I did it," said Irizarry, who is also afraid of
heights. "I like taking risks."
He paused and then turned to his friend.
"You think they'll ever do bungee jumping?"
Moving Mountains merges rehabilitation
nurses, occupational and recreational therapists,
physical therapists, personal trainers and volunteers with men and women with spinal cord
injuries for a weekend of sports challenges. Both
rehabilitation workers and patients compete in
the activities. Program co-founder Pat Maher,
who is spinal cord injured, said the goal for the
45 or so health care workers and 15 wheel-
38 ¦ Illinois Parks and Recreation
chair-bound participants who attended is team
building and the opportunity for those with
spinal cord injuries to prove they are able to
triumph over adversity.
"This disability magnifies your life challenges," Maher said, "and the program puts
them through a lot of new challenges. They go
home with new energy and added confidence."
And often, gaining back confidence and self
worth is critical to the rehabilitation process
after a person has become spinal cord injured.
Other problems, including respiratory ailments,
bladder infections and pressure sores, often.
plague a person with a spinal cord injury.
"When an injury happens, it is just so hard
to adjust to the change. There's so much to
deal with," said Mercedes Rauen, executive
director of the Illinois Chapter of the National
Spinal Cord Injury Association. "They have to
go from being totally self-sufficient to relying
on others."
The outdoor excursion unites people with
spinal cord injuries with others who are having similar problems and dealing with the same
situations. The National Spinal Cord Injury
Association (NSCIA) estimates that 250,000
to 400,000 people nationwide live with spinal cord injuries, rendering them unable to
walk or use their entire lower body. Add to
that an estimated 10,000 people who are spinal cord injured each year.
Rauen said that while recovery initially begins in area hospitals and rehabilitation centers, conversing with people who have gone
through the same ordeal is the capstone of the
healing process. Those recovering from spinal
cord injuries share important information with
each other, such as how to cope with the mental strain that an injury causes and how to deal
with medical or family situations. Rauen said
this is just another reason why the Illinois Chapter of the NSCIA is the prime sponsor of Moving Mountains.
"Health organizations do a wonderful job
of rehabilitating a person but until that person
has talked to someone who's gone through what
they have, it's just not the same thing," she
said. "Peer support is an invaluable experience."
With so many
changes, it's overwhelming in the beginning, but
with a good support system, both
medical and from friends and family
they can cope with it and have a good life."
Moving Mountains originated in 1995, a
year after co-founder Eric Larson and two other
able-bodied men climbed Mount Rainier in
Washington as part of "Climb for a Cause," an
effort to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries.
In conjunction with the Illinois Chapter of the
NSCIA, Larson and Maher proposed a similar
adventure challenge, but one that would take
place in Illinois and include people with spinal
cord injuries.
In August 1995, Maher, Larson and two
others completed a four-day program of cycling, canoeing and rock climbing to prove it
could be done. Only Maher was in a wheel-chair for the initial outing, but the annual event
has attracted more people with spinal cord injuries each year. The number has increased from
three in 1996 to 15 this year. As the participants amassed, so did the amount of activities,
with program costs being borne primarily by
the participants.
Statistics indicate 82 percent of injuries occur with men, reflected in the fact that those
who attended this year were entirely male,
although women have participated in past
years. The rehabilitation organizations—all from the Chicago area—that took part
were Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital,
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Marionjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and Clinics, Governors State
University and Advocate/Christ Hospital and Medical Center.
Although the newly anointed sportsmen in the Moving Mountains events
are able to receive assistance from the workers,
it's still a long way from the structure of Chicago's
|
Joel Irizarry summits a cliff
overlooking the waters if the Mississipi
River at Mississippi Palisades State Park.
|
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
Top: Rehab workers are on
hand to help participants
with the many challenges.
Bottom: Scales hoists himself
up with the aid of specially
designed climbing gear.
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rehabilitation centers. Now in the natural territory of the palisades, they are focused on how
to complete the challenges ahead of them. Also,
for the majority of the Chicago-based participants, it is their first time in the outdoors, which
can be a radical change from nights in the inner
city to nights camping beneath the stars at one
of Illinois' finest recreational areas. High bluffs
bespeckled with lush trees, an array of trails for
hiking and a breathtaking view of numerous,
tiny islands in the crisp backwaters of the Mississippi are just some of the natural wonders of
the state park.
"For some people that have gone on Moving Mountains, it's the first time they've done
anything physical like that since the injury,"
Rauen said. "It's a great adventure to them."
So while Irizarry snapped pictures from his
spot along the palisades 80 feet below him, a
mile north another group set out kayaking for
their first time ever. Cory Nagel, a program specialist for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, led the group in a brief instructional lesson on kayaking before preparing for the trek.
Sitting comfortably in their wheelchairs. Tony
Boatman and Cleven Head watched with two
different sets of expressions as Nagel demonstrated how to maneuver the kayak in the water, paddling techniques and what to do if a
kayak flipped. As Boatman sat with a smile that
showed all teeth. Heads face was ashen and his
goals simple.
"Stay in the boat, that's my goal," he said
"Just stay in the boat."
Later, leaving their wheelchairs vacant, Boatman and Head were helped into the kayaks
and paddled off. Even though neither had
kayaked before, within moments they were gliding easily across the still waters, as some of their
able-bodied counterparts lagged behind. Nagel
said getting people with spinal cord injuries
out paddling releases them from the confines
of their wheelchairs and transports them out
into a zone where everyone operates on the
same level.
"When they leave their wheelchairs on the
bank and they're out on the water, you can't tell
who's handicapped," Nagel said.
And no one watching from the bank would
have known which guys had only moments
before occupied the four empty wheelchairs
parked alongside the river. For out on the waters, the wheelchairs were no longer part of the
men who now tobogganed across the muddy
waters.
|
As they learned to maneuver the kayaks,
Boatman and Head joked and teased each other
about their paddling skills. When Head lagged
behind, Boatman was there urging him forward. The rest of the group worked as a team as
well, giving encouragement to those who
needed just an extra push.
"I think it helps them more emotionally than
anything else," Rauen said about the Moving
Mountains experience. "They're proving to
themselves that they can do it. Some may not
reach the top of the mountain, but they tried,
and there's great value in that."
And while everyone got the chance to hike,
kayak, cycle and rock climb, many didn't reach
the top of the cliff. Sheninga Seales, who as a
quadriplegic cannot use his legs and the majority of his arms, managed to lift himself up about
35 feet by just using forearm strength, an amazing endeavor considering the physically rigorous exertion of lifting his body weight up the
pulley system. Another paraplegic, 21 -year-old
Terrance Harden, scaled 50 feet before becoming physically exhausted from a climb that
would tire even avid rock climbers.
"Not bad on two bologna sandwiches, huh?"
Harden joked. "My New Years resolution was
not to break a sweat, and you guys made me
break it."
Harden was grateful for the experience of
40 / Illinois Parks and Recreation
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
"seeing it all" from his cliff side location. And,
he added, "I get to tell my daughter I climbed
a rock"
Not every father can say that to his daughter,
especially not a father who, for the most part, is
confined to a wheelchair. And it's this knowledge that makes the altruism of Larson, Maher
and the other rehabilitation workers in attendance all worth it. When the group wrapped
up the activities on Sunday, after three days of
gaining unique skills and meeting new friends,
all agreed it was an intense weekend they're not
likely to forget.
"I never wanted to come back in," reflected
Boatman upon his kayaking experience. "The
group radioed in that it was chow time, otherwise I would still be at it."
For Boatman, leaving his wheelchair on the
shoreline and paddling into territory he had
never before delved into left a lasting impression that no injury could ever take away. He
just grinned at the memory, looking like a man
who had just moved a mountain.
"I felt like I still had everything and lost nothing." *
BURKE SPEAKER
is a staff writer for Outdoorlllinois a publication of the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources. This article is reprinted with
permission from the August 2000 issue of OutdoorIllinois
ADELE HODDE
is the staff photographer for Outdoorlllinois.
For more information about Moving Mountains, contact Eric Larson at 847.640.1515.
Information about Mississippi Palisades State Park is available from the DNR Clearinghouse at 217.782.7498 or by accessing the Department's Web site: dnr.state.il.us/
lands/landmgt/parks/palisade.htm.
|
"When they leave their
wheelchairs on the bank and
they're out on the water,
you can't tell who's handicapped," says kayaking
instructor Corey Nagel.
September/October 2000 / 41
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES NEWS BRIEFS
Apply for Pheasant
Hunts on the Web
If you're planning a trip to a controlled pheasant hunting area this fall, you
can reserve your spot online. Sportsmen can now apply on the Internet
for their hunt at those sites with reservations being handled by the Springfield permit office, plus for all sites involved in the Illinois Youth Pheasant
Hunt. Printable applications will be available on the website for hunters
applying for reservations for areas with site operated reservation systems.
To apply, go to http://dnr.state.il.us then look under "Areas of Interest." In addition to regulations and information on the hunting program,
the site includes links to each controlled hunting area's home page.
CPO Frazier Named
Officer of the Year
Conservation Police Officer Robert "Hank" Frazier—who along with
his dog "Jack" comprise the first K-9 team in the history of the Department of Natural Resources—has been named the 1999 Officer of the
Year by the DNR's Office of Law Enforcement.
"I hope Hank is as proud of his accomplishment as we are proud of him
for achieving it," said DNR Director Brent Manning. "It is quite an honor
to be so highly regarded by your peers and supervisors."
Frazier, 34, DeKalb, has been a Conservation Police Officer for 10 years
and is assigned to Bureau, DeKalb, LaSalle, Lee and Putnam counties. He
was selected for the honor following a review of nominees by a committee
of sergeants and field officers.
Frazier serves as a member of the Conservation Police Emergency Response and Rescue Team, which is trained primarily to conduct rescues
around the cliffs at Starved Rock State Park and the Illinois River. In that
capacity, he has made several successful rescues.
Thanks to Frazier's efforts, the Department has received more than
$20,000 in grants from local organizations for much needed law enforcement equipment, including an in-car video camera and a mobile data
computer for his squad car. A $6,000 grant from the LaSalle County
state's attorney's office paid to acquire and train Jack, Frazier's black Labrador retriever K-9 partner, who assists the officer in arresting illegal drug
users in LaSalle County.
Tom Wakolbinger, chief of DNR's Conservation Police, said Frazier's
dedication and enthusiasm drive him to constantly improve and seek
better ways to get the job done. The officer, he said, is well regarded by
the general public and fellow law enforcement agencies.
Frazier and his partner Jack were featured in the May issue of
Outdoorlllinois magazine.
Fink Memorial Award
Winner Announced
Patrick Moore ofBallwin, Mo., is the recipient of the Todd Fink Memorial award issued yearly by the Illinois Conservation Foundation.
Moore is a graduate student in the Department of Forestry at Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale. He will receive $500 from the Foundation for costs associated with his field research on the American chestnut,
a species formerly listed as endangered in Illinois and now thought for all
intents and purposes extirpated as a result of the chestnut blight fungus.
Moore's research could contribute to
the recovery of the species.
The fund was established to honor
Todd Fink, a highly regarded biologist and ornithologist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who died in 1995 at the
age of 36. The award goes to recipients whose graduate research at
SIUC focuses on threatened or endangered species of plants or animals.
To contribute to the Todd Fink
Memorial Fund or to learn more
about the Foundation, an IRS 501
(c)(3) not-for-profit organization,
contact the Illinois Conservation
Foundarionat217.785.2003.The
Foundation has raised more than
$7.6 million since 1994 for DNR
projects and programs.
42 / Illinois Parks and Recreation
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES NEWS BRIEFS
Fall Color Forecast a Shade Early
in Illinois This Year
Forecasting fall color in Illinois is often as difficult as forecasting the
weather, but Illinois foresters believe the state's panoramic autumn
show may begin about a week early based on variable temperatures
and near-normal precipitation during the
late summer and early autumn.
"The temperature and precipitation
trends would seem to indicate the leaves
might turn a week or so ahead of the normal
pattern of October 1 in northern Illinois,
mid-October in central Illinois and the end
of October in southern Illinois," said Stewart
Pequignot, chief of the Illinois Department
of Natural Resources Division of Forest Resources, "Folks in the north will probably
begin seeing colorful leaves the last week in
September, with colors coming on during
the second week of October in central Illinois and the last couple of weeks of October
in the south."
Foresters say the early summer drought,
followed by above-normal to normal precipitation in July and August, should mean
relatively good fall color this year in Illinois.
"In dry areas where trees have been under
stress, leaves have been wilting and falling
early, but overall we're in good shape," said
IDNR Forester Pete Skuba. "If we get warm,
sunny days and cool nights through September, we should see a good variation of fall colors."
Leaves change color in the autumn as the hours of daylight
become fewer and trees produce less chlorophyll.
"Chlorophyll's green pigment is dominant during the growing
season, but as the days grow shorter and the amount of chlorophyll
is reduced, the gold, orange and yellow tints take over," Skuba said.
"Bright, sunny days in the weeks ahead may allow the red and
yellow pigments to produce bronze, deep orange and scarlet shades
on leaves, while cloudy days might mean fewer rusty red shades and
more yellow and gold tints."
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Trees producing deep orange, red and
bronze shades on autumn leaves include the
dogwood, hard maple, persimmon, red oak,
sweet gum, sumac and tupelo. Trees with
bright orange and yellow tints on leaves in
the fall include ash, birch, black cherry, cottonwood, hickory, sassafras, sugar maple and
yellow poplar. Deep red and purple shades
are the fall colors of tree climbing vines including poison ivy and the non-poisonous
five-leaf Virginia creeper.
Popular destinations for viewing fall foliage in the state include Apple River Canyon
State Park in Jo Daviess County, Mississippi
Palisades State Park in Carroll County, Rock
Cut State Park in Winnebago County,
Lowden-Miller State Forest in Ogle County,
Big River State Forest in Henderson County,
Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County,
Jubilee College State Park in Peoria County,
Argyle Lake State Park in McDonough
County, Hidden Springs State Forest in
Shelby County, Kickapoo State Park in Vermilion County, Pere Marquette State Park in
Jersey County, Giant City State Park in Jackson County, Ferne Clyffe
State Park in Johnson County, and Trail of Tears State Forest in
Union County.
Information is available on scenic drives in Illinois by phoning the
Illinois Bureau of Tourism, 800.226.6632 (TDD 800.406.6418);
Greater Alton/Twin Rivers Fall Color Caravan, 800.258.6645;
Spoon River Scenic Drive, 309.647.8980; Pike County Scenic Drive,
217.285.2971; Southernmost Illinois Tourism Council, Information also is available at the Illinois Bureau of Tourism's Web site at
http://www.enjoyillinois.com. •
September/October 2000 / 43