Sons And Grandsons Help Paralyzed Man Hike The Grand Canyon

[LiberalArkie]

Ten years ago, Bob Headings knew his life would never be the same after a devastating fall off a ladder left him paralyzed. "That ladder shifted, I lost my balance ... I knew right then I was paralyzed because I couldn't feel my legs," Bob said.

But with the help of his three sons and eight grandsons, Bob recently was able to do the unimaginable. He was able to hike the formidable Grand Canyon in a wheeled chair, a decade after he first hiked it prior to his paralysis.

Visual storyteller John Honaker documented the family's journey, including their four-month training period and the actual hike across, in a video posted on YouTube.

The challenge was Bob's son Randy's idea. "I didn't hesitate. I said, 'I'm ready to go,'" Bob said in the short documentary. Together, the Headings family hiked over 17 miles -- 7.4 miles down the Kaibab Trail and another 9.9 miles back up on the Angel Trail. They climbed up and down, experiencing a 4,000-foot change in elevation each way.

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