• Slug: Sports–Ability 360 Phoenix Summit, 850 words.
• Photo available.

By Keller Brown
Cronkite News

TEMPE – On a slightly overcast Saturday at Papago Park, which is sandwiched between Tempe and Phoenix, a group of three hikers gathered to take on their second hike of the day, with two more trails still to follow.

The three hikers, accompanied by at least one guide per person at all times, were not ordinary hikers, and not just because they were willing to hike four trails in a day.

Two sat in wheelchairs, another recently suffered a partial loss of her vision.

To be able to go outside, breathe fresh air and hike around the greater Phoenix area is a privilege. For Alice Loma, who was recently diagnosed with inverted retinitis pigmentosa that took away her central vision, it’s freedom. Inverted retinitis pigmentosa  is a rare variant that destroyed Loma’s central vision, but left her peripheral vision intact.

“It’s something that I really enjoy doing, which is hiking,” Loma said. “I can’t go out and hike by myself, I have to have a guide.”

Steven Freeman, served as Loma’s guide Saturday and represents Ability360, which offers programs to empower people with disabilities and help them continue independent lifestyles within their communities. From sports centers designed specifically for individuals with disabilities, to providing personal care attendants to those of all ages, Ability360 offers a variety of services.

In partnership with the City of Phoenix, Ability360 provided support as part of the Phoenix Summit Challenge Saturday, an event where participants hike multiple trails in one day.

Those hiking with Ability360 had four scheduled hikes Saturday, starting at the Apache Wash Trailhead.

“We did about a 2.8-mile summit hike up there,” Freeman said. “I just guided Alice along there.”

Loma, who acknowledged her fear of heights, said that having a guide helped her complete a challenge that she probably wouldn’t be able to do on her own. Still having her peripheral vision helped Saturday.

“That was helping me coming down,” Loma said. “Steve was nice enough to provide his arm to me rather than using the cane to come down the rocky paths.”

The first hike of the day at Apache Wash Trailhead in the far north Valley was more difficult than the second, which found the participants at Papago Park – an easier trail on the participants. This was planned to offset the difficulties of the four paths, as program manager Kaitlyn Verfuerth pointed out.

“We picked this location actually just because there’s a little bit of a mix of pavement and dirt,” Verfuerth said.

Following the second hike of the day at Papago Park, participants rounded out the day with two hikes at South Mountain. The third hike was at Cholla Flats along Camelback Mountain, and the day of hiking concluded at Max Delta at South Mountain Park and Preserve.

Ability360 provided transportation to all four hiking locations. From Apache Wash to Papago Park is a 31-mile journey, and Papago Park to South Mountain is just over 20 miles.

“It’s really exciting for me to be able to provide that transportation to make sure that she and folks like her can get places,” Verfuerth said. “That’s what Ability 360 does and that’s what we’re all about.”

Verfuerth is passionate about helping people with disabilities participate in outdoor activities.

“They get to participate in something that everybody else gets to participate in,” Verfuerth said. “This is life-changing for folks, this is a quality of life thing. This is about your self-confidence, about getting out and being able to socialize with your friends and family. It’s not just about conquering different hills and climbing different things, it’s about being outside and also the mental health benefits of being outside and how it can help with depression and anxiety.”

Conquering hills was certainly accomplished Saturday by the three hikers, including Loma and her guide Freeman. The first hike of the day was tough on Loma, but it got easier, especially on the way down.

“Going up, we used the cane,” Loma said. “If I needed to do high steps, I stepped up a little.”

Another help to Loma and her guide Freeman was if any rocks were sticking out. This helped Loma navigate and use those rocks as her own guide.

“Protruding rocks let me know it was still in the ground, but it was enough for me to have to step up a little higher, use the rocks as leverage for stepping up.”

Although Verfuerth said the turnout this year was smaller than in years past, she wants people to know that even if participants sign up, they don’t have to commit to doing every mile of every hike.

“The cool thing about this is, you can pick and choose if you want to finish it or if you want to turn around and go back,” Verfuerth said. “You can do as much or as little as you would like. It’s whatever you want to make this have your experience be.

“Overall, I just love the inclusivity and we’re trying to make everybody come together.”

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