As a participant on a family trip, an intern, and then a participant again following a spinal cord injury, Mary Armbruster has been a part of the Wilderness Inquiry experience from multiple perspectives. Mary shared her story and is actively a part of our campaign to raise funds to provide over 1,000 scholarships to underserved populations. Our goal is to raise $25,000 by August 1st to make this possible. Here’s an excerpt from Mary’s story:
Two years ago, if you’d asked me if I could raft the Grand Canyon, I would have said no.
It’s not because I lack outdoor experience. In 2008, I did an internship with Wilderness Inquiry, and I love the outdoors. But in September 2011, I broke my back in a hayride accident, sustaining a spinal cord injury that resulted in paraplegia. I remember one of the first hopeful thoughts after my injury, “I can still go on trips with WI!” Then, last year, Lee from WI called and asked if I wanted to go on a special trip to the Grand Canyon, and I did!
I cannot express the magnitude of the physical and emotional impact this trip had upon me. The Grand Canyon is an amazing, dynamic, powerful place, and to be in the churning belly of the beast was mind-blowing; the rhythms of the water, the sound of deep rapids echoing off the canyon walls, how you see the twisters of silt still swirling when you close your eyes at night. They (and by they, I mean pretty much everyone) helped me up cliffs and washes to see views that I expected to sit out for. It all was incredibly terrifying, miraculous and overpowering.
Through this experience I learned that a life full of adventure is still an option for me. Now that I use a wheelchair to get around, I’ve come to realize how incredibly important the mission of WI truly is. The outdoors is for the explorers, the curious, the adventurers—people like me! With WI, the outdoors is for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Any size gift truly can make a huge difference.
- $50 gets a kid out on the Mississippi River for a day
- $100 provides an overnight camping experience in a local park
- $250 helps a student find an internship or summer job in the outdoor industry
- $350 provides a 5-day kayaking and camping trip in the Apostle Islands
- $800 gets an underserved youth to Yellowstone for a week
Your contributions provide the opportunity to experience the outdoors to some who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance. Thank you for your support!
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