AdvenChair’s Grandest Achievement Yet: Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park
All photos courtesy of Ethan Mentzer for AdvenChair
In 1869, when John Wesley Powell led the first crew of explorers down the Colorado River into what is now known as the Grand Canyon, he had no idea what kind of destructive forces lay ahead. In fact, shortly after beginning the journey, one of their wooden boats overturned in a rock-filled cataract and almost instantly split apart into kindling, destroying a full third of the group’s provisions. It only got worse from there.
Similarly, when Geoff Babb took a team of adventurers down the Bright Angel Trail in 2016, attempting to reach the Colorado River in a modified human-powered wheelchair, he was not prepared for the destructive forces that lay ahead either. In his case, it was the virtually endless assortment of water bars — large logs or rocks that stick up across the trail to divert rain and snow melt. After going up and over several hundred of them within the first two miles, the axle on his chair gave way and Babb’s journey was over.
However, just like Powell a century-and-a-half before, Babb and his team were not to be deterred. And, having learned from the first experience, they vowed to return with equipment much better suited for the challenge. Did they ever?
Less than six years after his breakdown, Babb went back to “the Big Ditch” in late April with a totally new chair — AdvenChair 3.0 — which he and his team helped create. And succeeded.
“Breaking down on our Grand AdvenChair in 2016 is the best thing that could’ve happened to the first chair,” said Babb, whose mobility remains severely limited following two brain stem strokes. “It made us take a step back and look at strengthening every aspect of the chair and the team.”
Babb brought in design engineer Jack Arnold, who became instrumental in developing an all-terrain wheelchair using mountain bike parts for durability, versatility and easy maintenance. He also added multiple contact points to allow the crew to steer, pull, brake and lift.
With shock-absorbing mountain bike tires, adjustable handlebars and hand brakes, an adjustable seat and harness, a team of one to six people can navigate AdvenChair 3.0 over all types of rugged terrain, mud, sand and snow, allowing people with mobility challenges to experience the serenity and grandeur of wild places with family and friends.
The prototype AdvenChair 2.0 debuted in December of 2019 with a dazzling orange powder-coat finish and went through extensive testing and a few modifications in 2020.
“What’s unique about AdvenChair is that it’s as versatile as it is durable,” said Arnold. “The seat can adjust to handle young children as well as large adults. And since it easily converts into a normal-size wheelchair, it can go indoors and be transported on planes, trains and buses, not to mention the trunk of a car.”
Despite the inevitable complications due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Babb began taking orders and received his first shipment of upgraded AdvenChair 3.0 chairs in June of 2021. Already, the chairs have found their way into some pretty incredible places, including the ancient city of Machu Picchu in Peru, an outdoor school near Eugene and the televisions of countless Oregonians on Oregon Field Guide.
In training for the Grand AdvenChair 2 over the past three months, the team made first ascents of Burma Road at Smith Rock State Park and Grey Butte, which requires a climb of more than 2,600 feet.
The Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail presented a vertical drop of more than 4,800 feet over ten miles, complicated by more than 3,000 water bars with protruding rebar, as well as countless natural rock obstacles, plus stretches of mud and sand. The return trip brought the same challenges in reverse with temperatures hovering well over 90 degrees.
AdvenChair clears a water bar on its descent into the Grand Canyon. Click to enlarge.
Negotiating the Bright Angel Trail in the hiking wheelchair AdvenChair. Click to enlarge.
“We knew the Bright Angel Trail would be difficult,” said Babb. “There’s simply no way to prepare for the relentless water bars, some of them more than a foot tall and at awkward angles. It really gives you no break for the entire ten miles to Phantom Ranch.”
A group of ten men and women, (affectionately known as “mules”) took shifts pushing, pulling, lifting and braking Babb down and back up the ten-mile Bright Angel Trail over the course of four days. Another 14 volunteers provided support at a campground on the canyon rim.
Geoff Babb supported by his team of “mules” on the Bright Angel Trail in his hiking wheelchair, the AdvenChair.
“I just can’t say enough about this chair and my incredible team of mules,” said Babb. They all performed well beyond my expectations. We couldn’t possibly replicate the difficulty of this trail in our training ventures. But through our selfless teamwork and collective problem-solving skills, we were able to handle everything the trail could dish out. ”
Not only that, the team managed to keep Babb stretched out, well-fed, relatively sunburn free and even cooled his feet in a frog-filled creek.
The all-terrain wheelchair AdvenChair doesn't need trails to be accessible.
“I’m also extremely grateful for the additional support of local companies like Food for the Sole, Picky Bars, Laird Superfood, Smith Rock Coffee Roasters and Hydaway who helped us all stay nourished and hydrated every step of the way,” added Babb.
An avid hiker, mountain biker and backpacker in his younger days, Babb sees AdvenChair as the conduit for a lifelong passion to be active outdoors. He also envisions the chair fulfilling his firm belief that people with limited mobility can still experience the splendor and uplifting serenity of wild places beyond where the pavement ends.
“Exploring the Grand Canyon has been a dream of mine, especially since our initial failure,” said Babb. “I got to experience the splendor of the canyon rocks, the prickly pear cactus hanging from its walls and the princess plume flower that reaches its yellow blooms to the sky. Completing this trip validates that we have created a chair that can take dreamers like me to amazing depths — and heights — with a little help from our friends.”
Geoff Babb gets a little help from his friends to complete his dream of wheelchair hiking the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon. Video by Ethan Mentzer Creative LLC.