Blind Man at End of 8-Month, 2,167-Mile Trail

Bill Irwin fell to his knees in a silent prayer of thanks Wednesday after he became the first blind man to hike the entire 2,167-mile Appalachian Trail.

“It’s just an indescribable feeling of gratitude,” Irwin said. “I feel like I did the best I could at the time, and hopefully the Lord feels the same way.”

Irwin, who set out from the southern end of the trail at Springer Mountain, Ga., arrived Wednesday morning on a snow-covered trail at the remote Katahdin Stream campground.

In all, he spent eight months on the trail.

After sleet and snow at the start of this week, the sun shone brightly and temperatures were in the high 30s for his arrival.

Dozens of friends, reporters and other hikers joined Irwin for the final 2.4-mile leg Wednesday but let him walk the last 10th of a mile alone. He was accompanied only by his guide dog, Orient, who was with him every step of his journey. The dog carried his own provisions on the trip and stopped at every signpost, which Irwin would read with his fingertips.

Eighteen fellow members of the People’s Memorial Christian Church in Irwin’s hometown of Burlington, N.C., sang “Amazing Graze” as Irwin approached the campground.

About 70 people watched silently as Irwin touched a sign commemorating his eight-month trek. After Irwin prayed, the crowd broke into cheers.

“He’s in good condition,” said a spokeswoman at Baxter State Park, where the campground is located. Irwin planned next to go to Big Moose Inn on nearby Millinocket Lake for a well-earned rest, she said.

Irwin, a 50-year-old recovering alcoholic who lost his sight to an eye disease when he was 28, decided to attempt the feat as an affirmation of his faith in God. Sponsors helped pay his expenses.

Along the way, Irwin suffered a broken rib when he slipped on a stone and his 50-pound pack swung over his head, slamming him onto a rock.

Irwin’s closest brush with death came in Maine, when he was swept off his feet while crossing the West Branch of the Piscataquis River and was carried nearly 20 yards down the icy stream, said David McCasland, a free-lance writer who traveled with Irwin the last two weeks. Also in Maine, he was held up three days by a snowstorm that left 28 inches on the ground.

Under normal conditions, Irwin said, he was able to hike 10 to 15 miles a day for about 10 days at a time. He said he stopped every few weeks for supplies and to rest.

Last month, Irwin interrupted his hike to climb mile-high Mt. Katahdin, site of the trail’s northern terminus, before wintry conditions closed that section of the path.