AINC’s Second-Annual Fundraising Hike

On August 28th, AINC held our second-annual fundraising hike in Estes Park. It was a perfect late-summer day in the Colorado hills, and almost all of our staff was at the event. We were blessed to be joined by almost 30 hikers with a visual impairment and even more volunteers who came along to be sighted guides. We had so many attendees that we ran out of AINC shirts for the event! Even so, we made an amazing streak of AINC blue on the side of the mountain!

We even made it on national news. Check out the story on PBS:

We are so grateful to everyone who hiked or supported the event so that those with a visual impairment were able to attend free of charge and able to get to/from the event with ease.

We had hikers of all ability levels and levels of fitness – and almost everyone made it to the summit at Bible Point. There, in the sunshine and breeze, we sang to the memory of Kat Bradbury. Kat was our Director of Programming & Volunteer Services and a big heart at AINC. We hiked in her honor this year, and her absence was felt deeply. And while we might not have carried the tune of “Over the Rainbow” very well, we carried her memory in our hearts while we did it. It was a beautiful experience full of beautiful moments. And even though not quite everyone made it to the summit, there was appreciation for the accessibility and connection that the day offered.

AINC is already planning to do another hike with the Audio Trekkers in 2023, and anyone is welcome to hike with us! Stay tuned for more information next year.

Want to support next year’s hike? Mark your calendars for Colorado Gives Day on December 6th. Donate on that day and your gift goes even further!