The story of Bill Irwin, who with his dog, Orient, became the first blind person to thru-hike the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail.

It has been a while since I enjoyed a relatively modern travel-adventure tale, and this one really was enjoyable to read. I must have been just seven or eight years old when “The Orient Express” hiked their way from Georgia to Maine throughout 1990, so I don’t recall ever hearing of their challenging tale before, but I was glad to cozy up with it this past weekend and relive all of Bill and Orient’s harrowing tales.

Recovering from a divorce and a life of alcoholism, Bill Irwin found the Lord Jesus and knew that his life was moving in a new direction. He wasn’t entirely sure what that direction was, but after meeting his new seeing-eye dog, Orient, and chancing upon some information about the Appalachian Trail, he felt God calling him to hike that unbelievable distance for the glory of God and to share his faith with those he’d meet along the way.

Bill and Orient trained on pavement and bit into the harsh reality of the trail immediately. Rain, slips, and injured pads on Orient’s unprepared paws made the going difficult at first, but they persevered. Long days, cold nights, smelly clothes, and confused bearings—all of these and more make this story an exciting read and unique, as Bill also shares insights into the life of a blind man that the seeing just never consider. Quoting Helen Keller, he agrees that “not blindness, but the attitude of the seeing to the blind is the hardest burden to bear.” (27)

I felt that Irwin’s impressions of the Trail were poignant, focusing more on the feel of the hike more than the sights (obviously), more on the people he met and conversations he had than on the places he visited. I had read another “adventure” book about the Appalachian Trail that I hated, Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods. How refreshing to read the experiences of an Christian optimist like Bill Irwin rather than the depressing pessimism of Bill Bryson!

I have never hiked this trail myself, and I have only dabbled in backpacking over the years, but I love the thought of taking an extended venture into the unknown, even if the pleasures of dirtbagging wear thin thirty days in. Barring some unforeseen life-altering event, I will never hike those 2,100 miles myself, so this was a pleasant alternative for me, especially considering Irwin’s purpose in walking. He writes:

I guess the Lord put me on the Trail with my blindness to let other people see what He could do. My job was to show up for work every day and walk as far as He gave me strength to walk. God needed a weak man for that job, somebody who had to depend on Him for every step. (139)

By the end, after he had finished and shown the world what God can do with a “weak” and blind man like Bill Irwin, he answered a question for ABC News about what the message of his journey was. He responded, “It means that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and that, if we’ll believe in Him and surrender ourselves to Him, He’ll lead us and help us through life.” What a brave and inspiring response!

I wish my seven-year-old self had been paying attention to this story as it played out in real time, but I had to settle (and gladly) for the book. I recommend it as an inspiring tale of overcoming trials and persevering through whatever life throws at you….like maybe even a pandemic.

©2021 E.T.