PLYMOUTH – This summer, Plymouth State University student, Cameron Shaw-Doran became the first person to ascend the 7.6 mile long auto road unassisted in a wheelchair. Although Shaw-Doran did not have any special training for this event, he leads an active lifestyle and cycles regularly.
Shaw-Doran first got the idea for the climb when he, a friend, and Loon Mt. ski instructor Jeff Geokrill, when they saw in the news that someone else had tried to accomplish the hike but was unsuccessful.
Although Geokrill is known for being the first person to ski down Tuckerman’s Ravine on a mono-ski, neither one had attempted this challenge before.
There was no predetermined strategy to this hike. Shaw-Duran states “We just went for it . . . we would push for twenty seconds, stop for ten and continue . . . when my elbow would start bothering me, I would put my arm above my head to relive the strain.”
With both men in wheelchairs the pair made it though the first 4.5 miles together with a team of people carrying items such as “Gatorade, Go Fast Energy Drinks, Granola Bars, Bananas and water” recalls Shaw-Doran.
This 4.5 mile mark was when Shaw-Duran began to go ahead of Geokrill, who made it up to 6.0 miles before having to turn back. Shaw-Duran also stated “I had to really stay in focused and keep pushing myself to go further as it got harder. The harder it got, the harder I would push myself.”
Once Shaw-Duran approached the peak of the mountain, he began to fear that he would flip over backwards in his wheelchair due to the 22 percent slope of the road. He stated that, “Seeing the switchboards at the top of the mountain made it hard to think I would make it. I had my chest to my knees and had to grab onto rocks and throw them behind me to keep myself going…this is going to be a matter of mind over body. I have to keep my goal in mind . . . it’s amazing what you can get your body to do when you are in the zone and focused.” Plymouth state Junior, Cameron, was the first person to ascend the mountain with the highest recorded wind speeds in the world in his wheelchair.