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Summary House, 42, was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident while in college.
Theres a 13-mile route from the base of Pikes Peak to its 14,110-foot summit. One man is going to take that path in his wheelchair.While about 450 hikers will try to walk up the mountain outside Colorado Springs, Colo., as part of the annual Pikes Peak Challenge, Glen House, a paralyzed physician will begin rolling his wheelchair up the mountain in the predawn darkness.I cant tie my shoes or button my shirt, House said, but hell be taking on Pikes Peak. Its a lot of work, but its unbelievably exciting.House, 42, was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident while in college. He has enough use of his arms and hands to push the wheels of his chair, even up a steep incline like the Pikes Peak Highway. In addition to the physical demands of ascending about 7,000 feet into thin air, House will have to contend with traffic on the twisting roadway, which lacks guardrails.The trek should take about five to six hours, said House, whos trained by propelling himself up hills near his home in Colorado Springs. His longest trip to date has been 3.5 miles, but hes not fazed by the immensity of the climb, because he successfully completed it several years ago in a more technologically advanced wheelchair than the model hell use this weekend.
