CINCINNATI — For some, going on a hike can be as simple as throwing on some shoes and heading out the door — but for those who rely on a wheelchair to get around, a trail is impossible.
Kevin Schwieger found that reality unacceptable.
"As far as I'm concerned, the more time you're outside the better it is for your mental and physical and spiritual health," said Schwieger.
As a lifelong lover of the outdoors, Schwieger knew he had to find a way to help others embrace it too.
He found a single-wheeled chair that uses one person in front and one in back to maneuver the person riding in the chair.
He successfully used it to take a woman who uses a wheelchair on a hike — and never looked back.
Five years later, Luke 5 Adventures has taken 1,300 hikes with people who otherwise would never have gotten the chance. They've done those hikes all over Cincinnati and all over the world.
“We just live and breathe hiking with those who can't hike themselves," said Schwieger. "Because we want them to be able to experience what we experience.”
On this particular day at Burnett Woods, Children’s Hospital has brought three kids who rely on wheelchairs for a day in the woods. One of them is Sydney Mire, who lives with cerebral palsy. Her dad, Kevin, said he always dreamed that he would take hikes with her. Now they do.
"Sydney and I get to do a lot together because of Luke 5,” said Mire.
He and Sydney come to the hikes whenever they are offered. Mire said his daughter’s entire personality changes when she’s in nature. Because of the way the chair positions her body, she gets to look up at the leaf canopy — something that isn't always easy from the vantage point of her wheelchair.
Schwieger realized this on a hike one day and marveled at what kind of world was opening up for the people he took on hikes. Plus, since family can come on the hikes as well, Schwieger realized he was creating memories for an entire family.
“She's gonna have a life stuck at home, in a wheelchair,” said Mire. “And man, we spend Saturday mornings together on trails around Cincinnati together. And it's just... I know she enjoys it, but man. I probably get way more out of it than she does."
Luke 5 Adventures is a finalist for the Upstander Award this year. Schwieger said they always need donations, volunteers and more hikers.
