“ Mark Wellman and I completed our 3 day trans Sierra sitski from East to West yesterday. It was 3 days and 2 nights , 44 miles of double poling on our sitskis carrying our own gear strapped to our sitski.. Rick Sylvester came along too. We started at snow line on Tioga Pass Road , .5 miles below Ellery Lake and finished at snowline on the West side , 5 miles above the Tioga Pass road closure.

We had a great trip with favorable snow conditions for sitskiing. We had Toulumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, and the rest of the route to ourselves in this huge snow year. We need very firm conditions to double pole and we had good freezes at night. Mark did this 18 years ago and I guess this is the second repeat of this by 2 paraplegics on sitskis although that doesn’t matter to me – it was just a blast to be on a multiday backcountry ski trip again after 9 years of abstinence. ”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsFmDyfpI8E

We finally got to test SideStix today in an urban park in Worcester. Dwayne Boyd has provided us with the first real run on these adaptive all-terrain crutches and the feedback I’ve needed to assess them for our hiking program. Dwayne is a few months shy of forty and has cerebral palsy. It was his second time testing SideStix. Both times he marveled at the reduced impact on his joints that the shock absorbing design offers.

Last month we took a short walk outside the Buffone Rink before a skating program and tried SideStix on a rapidly melting snowfield still over a foot deep. He was amazed by his ability to float on top of the snow using the snowshoe attachments. Afterwards he said, “With these crutches I could go out in the yard and play in the snow with my kids! I know this product is intended for specialized use, but I would buy them to use everyday!” Since then, he’s been working every angle to acquire a pair. Dwayne has written his own account after his first use of SideStix which you can link to here.

In today’s test adventure we tackled the beach and a gravelly acorn-laden uphill trail, scrambled over a stone wall, ambled through the paved parking lot, and took a short stroll on footpaths to get onto a wooded knoll. Dwayne’s mother Linda joined us for part of the time, and treated me to a potent dose of  mother’s pride. “I remember the doctor sitting down with us when Dwayne was a kid,” she said. “He gave us a list of all the things Dwayne would never be able to do. I’ll never forget the day when Dwayne crossed the last one off the list - that one was ‘having children’.” I was dying to hear what else Dwayne had crossed off the list, but I had to run to keep up with him!

On the beach, Dwayne once again discovered he had better grip on the ground with SideStix. “This would be impossible on my regular crutches,” he noted. With the spike and trail basket at the crutch tip, they performed well in both wet dense and loose dry sand. SideStix gave Dwayne more efficient use of his energy – he could travel farther than on his own crutches. He also traveled faster on level ground. The rotating articulating tip gave him more secure contact with pavement and all its irregularities. He found the spike surprisingly easy to adjust to using on the trail.

Dwayne had to give the crutches up briefly to get over the stone wall, took a tumble when he stepped on the trail basket at the crutch tip by accident, and decided not to tackle a steep grade with loose gravel when he met the edge of his comfort zone. Otherwise, Dwayne would have kept going until dark I think. Playing with his daughters at our skating program was on his agenda for the afternoon. Between “sidesticking” and ice sledding, Dwayne should sleep well tonight!

St. Patrick’s Day of this year will be one day that I’ll remember for a very long time. I have picked up a new, healthy pastime and I was able to road test the most incredible crutches I’ve come in contact with in my thirty nine years on this planet. Thanks to Marcy Marchello and Heidi Marie Peterson of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. They have opened up new paths for me.

Because of my meeting with them, I’ve learned that things that seem impossible are in fact more possible than I would have ever imagined. With the use of an adaptive sled, I now have a way to join my daughter on the ice when she skates. She’s still much faster than I. Rest assured, however, I’m working on perfecting my spin move. I may not be able to win the race, but I’ll run it in style.

SideStix are the crutches that have shown me a new and different way of getting around. They have also modified my way of thinking. As a personal rule, I don’t usually get too excited over medical equipment.Nonetheless, these act as an extension of one’s own body. They don’t feel robotic. They are not “clunky”. One doesn’t resemble a futuristic cyborg or the Tin-man from the Wizard of Oz while ambulating from place to place. Motion becomes fluid.

I am personally reminded of the freedom I first felt as a child, when I learned that I could walk virtually unassisted in the shallow end of a friend’s pool. While SideStix do not let me forget that I need assistance to walk, they do provide me with a new confidence.

The crutches work for the simple reason that Sidestix were conceived and invented by Sarah Doherty and her partner Kerith Perreur-Lloyd by using real experiences to shape their design.

They differ from other crutches because they were created as a means to allow Sarah to stay active doing what she loves; hiking, climbing and snowshoeing to name a few activities.

Sarah’s invention erases fear from my mind. They are made with attachments to allow crutch walkers to “adapt” to changes in terrain. The different “shoes” allow users to go through a situation without wasting more time trying to devise a way to get around it. Ice, mud, and beach sand are no longer potential pitfalls

In addition to the attachments, there are also some other amazing elements that increase stability and provide more comfort. There are dampers to provide protection from the shock of stepping with a crutch. I can attest to lack of abuse my wrists, elbows and shoulders took during my first test session with SideStix.

Also, there’s an articulating foot. It allows the crutch tip to rotate like one’s ankle does. Therefore, the surface of the crutch tip remains in contact with the ground.
Why did it take so long for something like this to become reality? This alone could have saved me from more than a few good falls.

I’m currently working toward getting myself a set of these for everyday use. I may not climb major mountain peaks on a daily basis. My time is mostly spent on adventures in “cube-land”, in my office, at work. Nonetheless, I will be able to negotiate my surroundings with more ease and flow. I never saw myself as graceful before.

I ‘m meeting with opposition from my insurance company on my quest to gain these stix; these crutches come from Vancouver, British Columbia. I live in Massachusetts. I’m having difficulty convincing business-minded people that equipment like this changes other peoples’ lives.

In the meantime, I’m spreading the word about these crutches by any means available. Please visit the website for SideStix. I provided a link above. Check them out on Facebook as well. Leave comments. Tell others what you think.

CareCure is a Spinal Cord Injury community which has over 70 forums where we discuss everything from Life to Legislation & Advocacy, from Sports and Travel to Pain, from Computers to Politics. We discuss it all! Please come join us!

Check out the video and the CareCure site while your at it.

The West Coast Trail (WCT) is a coastal wilderness component of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It has the reputation of being one of the most grueling treks in North America. It is isolated, strenuous, physically challenging and potentially hazardous. It is also extremely rewarding due to the spectacular scenery and unique setting.

Join Us!

Trek along with us through our Journal entries!

Or visit our “SPOT Adventures” page!