Only human-made structures need be accessible to all

Letter by Marcia Darnell

Accessibility – June 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Only human-made structures need be accessible to all

Martha & Ed:

I enjoyed Paul Larmer’s “Wilderness is No Handicap” in your May issue.

Although I don’t ski, my prosthetic leg and I have hiked on Mosca Pass, passed through the natural arch of La Ventana and even traversed part of the Continental Divide Trail. I, too, enjoy the wilderness I’m able to sample, especially when I reflect on the many able-bodied people I know who won’t so much as walk around the block.

I agree that the roadless wilderness should be left that way, although human-made structures should be accessible to everyone. (One of my greatest athletic achievements was getting to the bathroom in a Denver-area theater. The stairs to the facilities were steeper than the Stations of the Cross in San Lois.)

I don’t want the world leveled and paved just for my convenience, or anyone else’s. I’ll never reach the top of Mt. Elbert, but it’s enough for me to limp my way up a trailhead and savor the sights, sounds and scents of that little bit of the outdoors.

Marcia Darnell Alamosa

P.S.: I have experienced the thrill of being trapped on Boreas Pass in February, and that can happen to anyone!