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Episode details

World Service,19 Mar 2015,55 mins

Blind Kayakers Tackle Grand Canyon

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Kayaking the length of the Grand Canyon is a considerable challenge. It is 277 miles of fearsome rapids and roaring water. But imagine doing it if you were blind. That's exactly what Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell have just done. Erik is no stranger to adventure. He was the first blind man to climb Mount Everest and has also climbed the highest peaks on six other continents. Lonnie, who is a former soldier, lost his sight in a hunting accident when he was 32, while Erik was born with a condition which meant he became blind as a teenager. The Japanese-born writer Kazuo Ishiguro's on his latest book which is set in the Dark Ages and deals with memories and love. This summer the world's largest maze will open just outside Parma in northern Italy. It is called the Labirinto Della Masone and has been designed by Franco Maria Ricci. Film-makers Chika Anadu is Nigerian and Shonali Bose from India discuss the pleasures and pitfalls of movie making. (Photo: Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell. Credit James Q Martin)

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