Tales of Trail Tripping: Challenges of Living With CMT

Realizing his affliction would worsen and eventually cripple him, O'Neal packed as much physical activity and adreno outings into his early adult life as time and his condition allowed. His adventures took him from 300 feet down into the earth to 12,000 feet above it. He hiked hundreds of miles on rugged trails, spent hours crawling through caves, bounced in rafts over class IV+ rapids, and fell from 10,000 feet skydiving. CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth) made him proficient at crawling, sitting, and falling.

Trails is an entertaining and uplifting account of the adverse and diverse treks O'Neal experienced in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Into his 30's CMT disease was beginning to advance the atrophy in his lower legs, making backpacking more difficult. Rather than pulling the plug, CMT motivated O'Neal to stumble miles through the mountains for years. Knowing his hiking days were numbered increased his appreciation for the minimized ability he still possessed.

Accompanied on all trips by an assortment of close, trusted friends, the conversations shared and the constant bantering between them makes for many laugh-out-loud moments and lends respect to all who face their own adversities with humor, self-deprecation, and an overall positivity that inspires.

It's not what life gives you; it's what you do with it.

About the Author

After spending the first half of his life living in the Central Valley of California, O'Neal moved his family to the Seatle area where he taught History from 1991-2008. In 2002 he built the log home where he and Lisha live with their dog Taffy.

Although CMT now prevents him from hiking, O'Neal now gets his mountain fix in his own front yard among giant cedar and Douglas fir trees bald eagles soar over.

He spends many of his Settle rainy days writing and is the author of travel stories as well as the popular murder mystery, Of All the Animals.