I just finished watching the season finale of a show called "Impossible Expedition." It's a show created by the infamous Mark Burnett (think "Survivor") and I have to tell you, it was pretty extreme. It was a race consisting of ten legs across the rough terrian of Morocco, and I do mean rough. These contestants had to climb mountains, ride horses, scale walls, navigate rapids, jump out of planes, and tackle a hundred other challenges I can't even imagine trying.
There were thirteen teams of three who varied from football players to cops (who quite frankly were incredibly out of shape and made me wonder just how they managed to "serve and protect" anybody.) There was a team of three gypsy men who established themselves early, seeming to raise the bar with every leg of the race. You never heard them exchange a harsh word, and their ability to work in tandem was a tribute to their long-standing friendship. I enjoyed watching them embrace each challenge with vigor and enthusiam, always confident in both their abilities and their bond. But I confess, another team pulled at my heartstrings, and judging from the response they got from even their fiercest competitors, I wasn't the only one.
This team consisted of three men. Three long-time friends, who when you read between the lines, epitomize true friendship. One had served in Afganistan, the other two were long-time mountain climbing buddies. Here's the twist; one of the men was blind. That's right. Blind. He hung on to his "guide's" shoulder blade, faithfully following him over cliffs, down mountains, out of planes, they didn't alter one activity for him. He rode horses several times, with only his friend's voice for guidance. He zip-lined across a monsterous canyon with only his cane as protection from zagged rock faces. Numberous times, he found himself turned over in a kayak among raging rapids. He would stop and listen. Listen over the roar of water for the voice that would undoubtedly lead him to safety "This way Erik, I'm to your right. I've got you."
Here's the desciption of the team given to the media after the announcement of the show's first airdate. I swear to you, I thought Jeff and Erik were brothers. They were so in sync and now I know why. Yup, they scaled Mount Everest together. Motivational speakers? I guess so. Each team had a nickname chossen by them, and trust me, NO LIMITS suited them to a tee.
NO LIMITS
Erik Weihenmayer (42) Golden, CO Motivational Speaker/Writer
Jeff Evans (41) Boulder, CO Motivational Speaker/Physician Assistant
Aaron "Ike" Isaacson (33) Topeka, KS Soldier
These friends stick together in good times and bad. Erik became blind at an early age, but he didn't let that get him down. In 2001 he summitted Mt. Everest. Jeff serves as Erik's "eyes in the field." He has been Erik's primary climbing guide for over 20 years and is a published author and motivational speaker. Ike is an officer in the military, earning two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart and an Army Commendation Medal, among others. He has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and will deploy again to Afghanistan after completing "Expedition Impossible."
Oh, and I guess I chould mention this, Ike (the soldier) broke his ankle half way through the excursion. He stepped off a curb getting into a cab and rolled over on it. He immediately knew something was terribly wrong as the first words out of his mouth were "I just heard a pop." He had originally broken the ankle in Afganistan and after an examination/x-ray during the race, they figured out it was re-broken with severe tendon damage. They casted it for him and he vowed to trudge on, but it was apparent that the cast was hindering him in a big way and this once competitive team, slowed to a crawl. Twice in the race, both they, and the viewer (me) thought it was over for them as after each leg, the last team to the finish line would be eliminated. As it turns out, on two separate occasiona, teams that had been in front of them faltered with the tasks and got themselves eliminated.
They went into the final leg in fourth place (out of four teams) and when it was announced that one team would be eliminated from the race while still on course (bringing the teams down to three) I thought they were done. I should have known better. The night before the final leg, the group made the decison to cut Ike's cast off. It was that, or pretty much guarantee the end of their race.The cast was just too cumbersome, it slowed them to a snail's pace, so Ike handed Jeff the tool saying "Go for it," and we saw Jeff carefully pulling away at the plaster. I can only imagine how Jeff must have felt, taking on the responsibility of two "disabled" teammates on the course. He spoke of it often, but never made it sound like a burden. He was more concerned that one of them would be further injured and it would be his fault. They genuinely thought they were going to be out of the race after the leg injury, so I think Jeff was shocked to realize "Hey, I'm in charge and we might actually have a shot at this thing." He was clearly no stranger to the leadership role, and once the decison was made, he embraced it.
On the last leg, the teams had to navigate a moroccan market and find the entryway to a long forgotten underground jail. This marketplace reminded me of "The Amazing Race" when they are lost in smelly/crowded India and just can't find their way around. I have no idea how a blind man navigated this space without falling flat on his face (several times) all of the teams were running though looking for doorways at breakneck speed and it was total chaos. The map was clearly confusing the competitors with it's twists and turns and while one team lost it with each other "We can't find the right damn door!" The now top teams, (No Limits and the Gypies) were neck and neck (sitting beside each other) while trying to solve a moroccan puzzle box.
Early on in the race, Jeff had commented that he was good at solving puzzle boxes and he hoped it would come in handy. . He got his wish, unfortunately , they just couldn't catch up to the gypsies, finishing just ten minutes behind them, for a solid second. I loved Jeff's comment at the end. "I'm a pretty competitive guy but I've never been prouder, finishing this race in second place. These guys are like my brothers, we never gave up, their truly are no limits." Talk about finding out what people are made of, it was truly an impressive display of grit, determination, and unwavering faith.
Now both Erik and Jeff will have even more to talk about during their motivational speeches and Ike can go back to his unit knowing that despite the pain, despite the difficulties, he left his mark. This group proved beyond a shadow of any doubt that we could all use a little more blind faith.
There were thirteen teams of three who varied from football players to cops (who quite frankly were incredibly out of shape and made me wonder just how they managed to "serve and protect" anybody.) There was a team of three gypsy men who established themselves early, seeming to raise the bar with every leg of the race. You never heard them exchange a harsh word, and their ability to work in tandem was a tribute to their long-standing friendship. I enjoyed watching them embrace each challenge with vigor and enthusiam, always confident in both their abilities and their bond. But I confess, another team pulled at my heartstrings, and judging from the response they got from even their fiercest competitors, I wasn't the only one.
This team consisted of three men. Three long-time friends, who when you read between the lines, epitomize true friendship. One had served in Afganistan, the other two were long-time mountain climbing buddies. Here's the twist; one of the men was blind. That's right. Blind. He hung on to his "guide's" shoulder blade, faithfully following him over cliffs, down mountains, out of planes, they didn't alter one activity for him. He rode horses several times, with only his friend's voice for guidance. He zip-lined across a monsterous canyon with only his cane as protection from zagged rock faces. Numberous times, he found himself turned over in a kayak among raging rapids. He would stop and listen. Listen over the roar of water for the voice that would undoubtedly lead him to safety "This way Erik, I'm to your right. I've got you."
Here's the desciption of the team given to the media after the announcement of the show's first airdate. I swear to you, I thought Jeff and Erik were brothers. They were so in sync and now I know why. Yup, they scaled Mount Everest together. Motivational speakers? I guess so. Each team had a nickname chossen by them, and trust me, NO LIMITS suited them to a tee.
NO LIMITS
Erik Weihenmayer (42) Golden, CO Motivational Speaker/Writer
Jeff Evans (41) Boulder, CO Motivational Speaker/Physician Assistant
Aaron "Ike" Isaacson (33) Topeka, KS Soldier
These friends stick together in good times and bad. Erik became blind at an early age, but he didn't let that get him down. In 2001 he summitted Mt. Everest. Jeff serves as Erik's "eyes in the field." He has been Erik's primary climbing guide for over 20 years and is a published author and motivational speaker. Ike is an officer in the military, earning two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart and an Army Commendation Medal, among others. He has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and will deploy again to Afghanistan after completing "Expedition Impossible."
Oh, and I guess I chould mention this, Ike (the soldier) broke his ankle half way through the excursion. He stepped off a curb getting into a cab and rolled over on it. He immediately knew something was terribly wrong as the first words out of his mouth were "I just heard a pop." He had originally broken the ankle in Afganistan and after an examination/x-ray during the race, they figured out it was re-broken with severe tendon damage. They casted it for him and he vowed to trudge on, but it was apparent that the cast was hindering him in a big way and this once competitive team, slowed to a crawl. Twice in the race, both they, and the viewer (me) thought it was over for them as after each leg, the last team to the finish line would be eliminated. As it turns out, on two separate occasiona, teams that had been in front of them faltered with the tasks and got themselves eliminated.
They went into the final leg in fourth place (out of four teams) and when it was announced that one team would be eliminated from the race while still on course (bringing the teams down to three) I thought they were done. I should have known better. The night before the final leg, the group made the decison to cut Ike's cast off. It was that, or pretty much guarantee the end of their race.The cast was just too cumbersome, it slowed them to a snail's pace, so Ike handed Jeff the tool saying "Go for it," and we saw Jeff carefully pulling away at the plaster. I can only imagine how Jeff must have felt, taking on the responsibility of two "disabled" teammates on the course. He spoke of it often, but never made it sound like a burden. He was more concerned that one of them would be further injured and it would be his fault. They genuinely thought they were going to be out of the race after the leg injury, so I think Jeff was shocked to realize "Hey, I'm in charge and we might actually have a shot at this thing." He was clearly no stranger to the leadership role, and once the decison was made, he embraced it.
On the last leg, the teams had to navigate a moroccan market and find the entryway to a long forgotten underground jail. This marketplace reminded me of "The Amazing Race" when they are lost in smelly/crowded India and just can't find their way around. I have no idea how a blind man navigated this space without falling flat on his face (several times) all of the teams were running though looking for doorways at breakneck speed and it was total chaos. The map was clearly confusing the competitors with it's twists and turns and while one team lost it with each other "We can't find the right damn door!" The now top teams, (No Limits and the Gypies) were neck and neck (sitting beside each other) while trying to solve a moroccan puzzle box.
Early on in the race, Jeff had commented that he was good at solving puzzle boxes and he hoped it would come in handy. . He got his wish, unfortunately , they just couldn't catch up to the gypsies, finishing just ten minutes behind them, for a solid second. I loved Jeff's comment at the end. "I'm a pretty competitive guy but I've never been prouder, finishing this race in second place. These guys are like my brothers, we never gave up, their truly are no limits." Talk about finding out what people are made of, it was truly an impressive display of grit, determination, and unwavering faith.
Now both Erik and Jeff will have even more to talk about during their motivational speeches and Ike can go back to his unit knowing that despite the pain, despite the difficulties, he left his mark. This group proved beyond a shadow of any doubt that we could all use a little more blind faith.
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