vailsymposium

Following a traumatic brain injury that led to more than 26 months between seven different healthcare, facilities and three countries, Jill Wheatley was dropped at Denver International Airport 70% blind, with no direction. Though she did not have the opportunity to choose a TBI or any of its organic implications, it was up to her to choose her response. The only sign she could see pointed to mountains. Jill chose to spend one year alone with Mother Nature in an attempt to find light on life’s trail.  She mapped out a blueprint to avoid snow for the challenge of navigating such terrain with her compromised eyesight. Year one led through 13 different massifs and, upon running in the Annapurnas, she knew she wanted to spend more time among the serenity of the Himalayan giants. She went from being essentially bedridden to a wheelchair, walking, navigating hospital parking lots to hiking, trail running, mountain running and skiing before climbing five, six and then seven 8000m peaks and spending the past five years based in Nepal.  She has chosen to embrace the life she nearly lost and is currently climbing rock, frozen waterfalls and skiing in the Canadian Rockies hoping to encourage and help others get out and do wild things in wild places.