Mark Irishsea: Wheeling the Trails

Although Mark Irishsea lives with muscular dystrophy, his Quantum® Rival® wheelchair enables him to explore accessible trails and enjoy the outdoors.

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A lover of birds and an avid outdoorsman, Mark Irishsea has a thirst for adventure. Living with a form of muscular dystrophy and using a ventilator doesn’t keep him from doing what he loves. Mark has a Quantum® Rival® power wheelchair, which allows him to visit many places in the bay area of San Francisco.

“The Rival wheelchair has taken me on hiking trails that I never thought I could go on before,” Mark said.

Mark searches for wheelchair-accessible hiking trails and reviews them on his blog. He rates the trail surface, length and notes any elevation changes or water availability. All these things are helpful to power chair hikers like Mark.

Mark loves his motorized wheelchair because it goes over rough terrain easily. The suspension provides a smoother ride over dirt trails, which is important for him because of the ventilator.

His motorized wheelchair is also very quiet on paved trails, which allows Mark to hear birds and other animals more clearly. He enjoys photographing birds in nature.

“Being able to go to more places has made my life that much better,” Mark said.