On Thursday, March 6, a group of 13 students from the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver bundled up in their warmest winter gear and boarded vans for one of the most unique field trips a student can experience, regardless of eyesight.
The students made their way west on state Route 503 and entered Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument before arriving at the Marble Mountain Snow Park for the 2025 Trac Riders Washington State Blind School Ride.
The Mount St. Helens Trac Riders are a snowmobiling club established in 1975 that rides throughout the National Volcanic Monument. The club's more daring riders often make trips to the summit of St. Helens and will even drive down into the mountain’s famous volcanic crater.
For over 20 years, the Trac Riders have been joined by students from the Washington State School for the Blind for the annual ride, an adventure anticipated by riders and students alike. “They are amazingly capable. They are amazingly brave. It's a pretty cool experience when you see them out there,” Trac Rider Club Secretary Julie Frazier told The Chronicle. “When I first started, I was intimidated to get on a snowmobile, and to see someone with limited or no vision was brave enough to get on one just blew me away.”
Students were paired with a rider and guided to their sled for the day. The more cautious students opted to ride in a tracked, four-wheel side-by-side to feel more secure while riding over the rough, snowy trails.
Washington State School for the Blind eighth grader Lee Rivera admitted that he was a little nervous for the mountain terrain when he first climbed onto his snowmobile, an opinion that was quickly changed as the ride set out.
“Going up and down the hills was my favorite part,” Lee said. “I had a great time. I want to do this all the time.”
In spite of their visual impairments, students used their available senses to experience the once-in-a-lifetime ride, feeling the ground shift beneath their snowmobiles while crossing the mountainous topography with the sound of two-stroke engines ringing through the fresh mountain air.
After riding for a few miles east on groomed snowmobile trails, the group stopped for a break from their motorized mountaineering to play in the snow. Students were given the choice to continue their ride further up the mountain or stay back and continue the snowball fight that had broken out.
Ninth grader Mike Cheek made a higher ascent of the mountain than any other student. Although safe, and with an experienced rider, Mike felt the adrenaline of potential dangers in alpine motorsports firsthand, mentioning that he loved “going very fast and having the feeling of almost dying.”
“We came up close to some gnarly drops that we got very close to, and that's just so fun for me,” Mike said. “It's very beautiful up there. I was told about all the mountains, which direction they were. It was just fun to be up there. I never thought I'd be able to see that in person.”
Mike lives with childhood retinal dystrophy, an inherited retinal disease that progressively damages vision over time, often leading to complete blindness.
Mike stated, “I can see very well in front of me but I have severe tunnel vision. I got to see the whole thing today, basically. Unfortunately, I have childhood retinal dystrophy, so I will be losing my vision.”
Mike's eye condition makes events like the Blind Ride that much more meaningful to him. Although he may lose his vision, he will always have his memories.
“It kind of scares me that I won't be able to experience the full thing, especially given that I am an avid bird watcher, but it gets me excited to fill out my bucket list as fast as possible. Once I get home, bucket list,” Mike announced while making a check motion in the air with his pointer finger.
After posing for a group photo in front of Mount St. Helens’ south face, the group of riders and students headed back for the snow park. Upon return, lunch was served in the Marble Mountain Snow Park Snow Shelter, with plenty of heat radiating from the building's central wood furnace.
The snow shelter was rebuilt by the Trac Riders club in 2019 in partnership with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Service after the previous building burned down over a decade before.
Washington State School for the Blind Recreation Coordinator Adrienne Fernandez took a break from guiding her students through the lunch choices to highlight their resilient capabilities.
“Our students are just as capable as the next person,” Fernandez said.
“We like to get our students immersed into the community and give them experiences they might not have otherwise,“ Fernandez said. “They have a need for speed. They get excited about whatever they can do that's new.”
As students made their way back to the school vans after lunch to head home, Mike Cheek stopped to wipe his nose, telling his classmates, “Yo! If I get a cold from this, it will be so worth it.”
The Mount St. Helens Trac Riders are always welcoming new members for a $40 annual membership fee. The club hopes to find new members to keep its numbers high and stay relevant in state conversations about trails and supporting the grooming budget.
To learn more about the Trac Riders or get in touch, visit their Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/5djn5xva.
