GRIT is thrilled to feature the below guest post by Jeanine “Jenny” Schmitz, who has been a GRIT Freedom Chair rider for many years. Keep reading to hear a bit about her story, some of the mobility products she has tried and still uses, and the kinds of outdoor adventure she continues to do. Thank you, Jenny, for your time and wisdom!
My last standing hike was several years ago to the lookout at Mt. Pilchuck, on the Mountain Loop Highway north of Seattle. I completed the hike to the 5,327-foot-high lookout and back by using two forearm crutches. The 5.4-mile round-trip hike took me seven hours.
My husband and I had moved to Seattle in 2002 partially because of the mountains, with grand plans for hiking in the North Cascades, doing the Wonderland Trail, etc.

Life did not cooperate, however, as my mobility declined, and I became a reluctant participant in a parade of “toys”—hiking poles, a cane, forearm crutches, a battery-powered scooter, and eventually a wheelchair.
Bonus: Click here to see crutches, canes, and more mobility products.
My next “hike” occurred years later, with the help of a folding manual wheelchair. Only a few, short, paved ADA-approved trails were designated as accessible, but I was able to open up a whole world of possibilities of unmaintained trails by swallowing some pride and accepting help from generous and hard-working relatives.
Perpetually on the lookout for a contraption that could better master the vagaries of unmaintained trails, I added a FreeWheel—a third wheel sticking out of the front, which lifted my tiny casters off of the ground and made possible the trails of Iceland and the cobblestones of Italy.
The third wheel was great for travel, but it was still not robust enough for some of the trails I longed to hike. Several years ago, I learned about the all-terrain wheelchair, the GRIT Freedom Chair.

My main goals were to find something that would roll over rocks, roots, and small steps. I wanted something that would work on mud, sand, and snow. Ideally, this chair would also move forward as well as stop in rain. On my first hike among big trees, I was excited to discover that the Freedom Chair could successfully tackle mud, rocks, roots, and small steps. A few weeks later, I chose a hike that included a “big, sandy area,” and I was happy to confirm that sand was possible—within the limits of my own strength, of course. There is still snow high on the mountains here, but it is so difficult that I will have to wait until next winter to test it. And I live in Seattle, so a good rainy hike should be no problem.
Bonus: Are you looking for adaptive sports organizations, opportunities, events, connections, or general information about what resources are available for adaptive athletes? Get on over to Move United, an organization that is tremendously adept at making fruitful connections in the adaptive community. They have a network of partners and resources spanning from the Pacific Northwest (where Jenny calls home) to New England, and everywhere in between!
The third wheel on the Freedom Chair is infinitely more solid than any other I’ve seen. As an added bonus, the Freedom Chair operates on levers—both as forward-motion propellers and as brakes. I am cautiously aware of over-using my shoulders, so I appreciate the mechanics of rolling forward by pushing the levers rather than the traditional wheeling via wheel rims. I am also conscious of my own weakening grip strength, so I appreciate the ability to loosely hold the levers with my hands rather than to try to grasp the wheel rims with my fingers. Finally, still befuddled by how to brake a traditional manual wheelchair in the rain, I am hopeful that the brake-on-wheel action will prove more waterproof than my hands on wheel-rims.

Bonus: If you’re not quite ready for a mountainous hike, or if you’re looking for ways to workout when you aren’t hiking – or if it’s just too darn cold to get outside right now! – come on over to this post, where we talk about ways GRIT Freedom Chair riders stay active in the winter. If that article doesn’t quite give you enough information, check out the Facebook Group Beyond the Pavement and start or join a conversation! Beyond the Pavement is a conversational space dedicated to outdoor, adaptive recreation. Go there to talk to other GRIT Freedom Chair riders or get information/feedback about anything else related to outdoor, adaptive recreation.
My husband has a collection of skis—different pairs for different snow conditions. I have a collection of five wheelchairs—different types for different transportation methods and purposes: The Freedom Chair is my clear choice for hiking!
Bonus: To learn more about other adaptive athletes, specifically hikers, check out part one and part two of our “10 Adaptive Hikers You Should Know” series. While there are countless others who deserve to be on this list, these 10 are like Jenny in that they have found their own ways to reclaim the sports they love.
About the Author

Jenny lives in Seattle because of its unique offering of mountains, water, culture, and cool weather. She spends as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors. Her passion is travel, which has become a multi-adventure experience since her MS required a transition into a wheelchair.
Bonus: Want to hear more from Jenny? Find her at Wheelchairwandering.com, where she posts about her travel experience both near and far to Seattle. Not only does Jenny share gorgeous photos she and her husband have taken, she shares helpful information about particular locations. Check out this excerpt from her time in Quebec City, Canada:
We stayed in the Quartier des Spetacles. I was a bit apprehensive about this location, but it turned out to be perfect for our stay — centrally located, near the circus performance, Rue St Denis, and university subway station, and lively . Our hotel was accessible, but the rooms were not. In the future, I would try the nearby Fairfield by Marriott Montreal downtown (seems as if they must have accessible rooms) or the Hotel de l’ITHQ, in the same building as the tourism board (according to Cory Lee’s travel blog, the rooms are very nicely accessible) and not too far away (it was closed for remodeling while we were there).