INDEPENDENCE, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: A group of hikers watch as Bob Coomber rolls up the Sierra High Route trail during the second day of his hike across the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range on September 18, 2014 in Independence, CA. Bob Coomber, who lives in the Livermore, California, is 59 years old and an avid hiker. Bob is different than the usual hiker you see on the trails because he is in a wheelchair. Bob developed osteoporosis in his mid-30’s as a side effect of diabetes, and has been in a wheelchair since he was 38 years old. Bob made his second attempt to become the first hiker to cross the Sierra Nevada mountain range in a wheelchair this September. Last year Bob had to turn around because his insulin pump failed him. His plan was to start on the eastern side of the Sierra’s and cross over Kearsarge Pass and finish in Kings Canyon National Park. The total hike would be 22 miles and Bob hoped to make the journey in one week. Over a three day period, Bob rolled up steep trails that were covered in rocks. At each rock that was too big to roll over, Bob would get out of his chair, slide across the ground, pull his chair behind him, and then get back into his chair. Towards the end of his third day of hiking, he encountered a field of boulders. He attached a rope to his wheelchair and then looped the rope around his back. Then he slowly started pulling himself across the rocks with his chair bumping along behind him. Unfortunately, the rock field was too much for Bob to handle. After sitting on the rocks for a few minutes, Bob made the decision that it was time to turn around.
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