Our guest today on the Outdoor Adventure Series is Ian Mackay, Executive Director of Ian’s Ride.

Ian is an outdoor enthusiast and accessibility advocate. He believes nature is the best medicine, and community is instrumental to an individual's success. Ian’s Ride is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization that advocates for a more accessible outdoors by offering annual events for people with mobility impairments, demonstrating what's possible for people of all abilities.

Topics Discussed

How he works with Apple to promote accessible tech for folks with severe mobility impairment.
What prompted him to create Ian’s Ride.
What advocacy needs to continue to promote advocacy on our bike trials further.

Aha Moment

The excitement after year one of our flagship event: Sea to Sound, a 74 mile, three-day, multi-modal group ride spanning the entire length of the Olympic Discovery Trail. The Olympic Peninsula is the farthest northwest expanse of land one can explore along the US coast. The Rails to Trail Conservancy recently added the ODT to the Great American Rail Trail – making a route from Washington, DC, to the Pacific Ocean here in Washington State.

Insight2go

There's a song called The Cape by Guy Clark, which has been very motivating since my injury. The song follows a child growing into adulthood and then old age Who kept jumping off his garage with a flour sack cape around his neck, attempting to fly. The chorus goes: "he's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith; spread your arms and hold your breath, and always trust your cape." Then the final line is: "he did not know he could not fly, so he did."

Media & Resources

https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/09/14/ian-mackay-wheelchair-daily-cover

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2022/10/08/great-allegheny-passage-wheelchair-paralysis-spinal-disabilities-access-ian-mackay/stories/202210040094?cid=search

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JuzRAuQv30

Ian’s blog: https://www.iansride.com/most-recent

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: https://www.railstotrails.org/

Great American Rail Trail: https://www.railstotrails.org/greatamericanrailtrail/

Olympic Discovery Trail: https://olympicdiscoverytrail.org/

Next Steps

To learn more about Ian’s Ride, visit their website at https://www.iansride.com/ or their social sites on Facebook & Instagram.

FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/IansRide

IG Link: https://www.instagram.com/ians_ride/

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