Science on Screen®: Trevor Thomas, Blind Hiker - Envisioning a New Path Forward

Please join us Tuesday, July 15th, at 6:00pm, for our fifth and final Science on Screen event in the 2025 series on the 5 senses. We will be joined by Trevor Thomas, the first blind person to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Trevor passed through Bethel in 2008 as he entered Maine for the final leg of his 2,175-mile trek. He will join us again on July 15th by ZOOM from his home in Charlotte NC where he lives with his retired guide dog Tennille and his new guide dog Honolulu.

Trevor will talk about his experience of going blind from a rare autoimmune disease at the age of 35 and his determination to regain independence through long-distance hiking. Since completing the AT in 2008, he has hiked over 22,000 miles; some of his accomplishments include The Shenandoah Mountain Range, The Great Smokey Mountains, Mount Mitchell, Mount Whitney, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Colorado Trail.

How does one overcome such hurdles, adapt to being blind and envision a new path forward? Trevor will share his inspiring story with us and explain how he hikes using his all his senses including echolocation, microclimates, breezes, etc. to cover thousands of miles on foot. Please join us to hear about this special story of determination, strength and resilience. A Q&A will follow Trevor’s talk. To find out more about Trevor, please check out his website www.blindhikertrevorthomas.com/.

Following Trevors’s talk, we will show the film The Diving Bell & The Butterfly at 6:30pm. The film is based on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of the French fashion magazine Elle, who becomes completely paralyzed after a stroke at the age of 43. The damage to his brain stem results in locked-in syndrome.  With only the ability to blink his left eye, Bauby painstakingly dictates his memoir through blinking. The film is visually stunning with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film (French with English subtitles).

A huge thank you to:

An initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.