Lonnie Bedwell

Lonnie Bedwell, a blind extreme-sports athlete, and National Geographic 2015 Adventurer of the Year, is a testament to resilience, grit, and the pursuit of pushing boundaries. He is now on the verge of completing one of the world’s most elite adventure challenges — the Explorer’s Grand Slam, which requires reaching both the North and South Poles and summiting the highest peak on each of the seven continents. Lonnie has now climbed all seven summits — Kilimanjaro (Africa), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Everest (Asia), Mt. Vinson (Antarctica), Mt. Elbrus (Europe), and Carstensz Pyramid (Oceania) — the latter two completed in 2025. With only the North Pole remaining, Lonnie stands closer than ever to achieving this remarkable global feat.

A former Navy Petty Officer, Bedwell’s life changed in 1997 after a hunting accident instantly took his sight. Despite this, he raised three daughters, teaching them to hunt, fish, and, incredibly, to drive. After his daughters graduated, Bedwell turned his attention to challenging himself and soon became one of the world’s most recognized blind extreme-sports athletes.

When told he’d need to master 1,000 kayak rolls to conquer the Grand Canyon, Bedwell rolled his donated kayak 1,500 times in his farm pond. That determination laid the foundation for the historic journey that followed.

Bedwell has since tackled some of the world’s most challenging whitewater, achieving the first blind descents of Africa’s legendary Zambezi River’s Batoka Gorge and West Virginia’s world-renowned Gauley River. Before May 2023, he was best known for his historic first blind descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 2013 with Team River Runner — a journey that earned him his Adventurer of the Year nomination and cemented his legacy in adaptive adventure.

These feats showcase his unwavering dedication to teamwork, resilience, and problem-solving under pressure. He also rock climbs and is an avid downhill skier when he has time away from construction work in his hometown of Dugger, Indiana.

Lonnie’s mission is clear: to inspire others to live boldly and embrace life with confidence. He is a passionate advocate for children and veterans with disabilities, demonstrating that blindness does not define him or limit his capacity to help others thrive. His inspiring story has led to appearances on The Today Show, Steve Harvey, and Breaking Bobby Bones, and he has been featured in the documentary films Feel of Vision, Dreamline Blind, and Long River Home, as well as numerous publications.

As the award-winning author of 226: How I Became the First Blind Person to Kayak the Grand Canyon and a highly sought-after motivational speaker, Bedwell delivers powerful keynotes for corporations, schools, veteran organizations, and leadership teams nationwide. Through his presentations, he challenges audiences to redefine what’s possible, overcome adversity with humor and grit, and embrace life’s obstacles as opportunities for growth.