Yosemite Sam, Part 2 — Your Chariot Awaits

I began to envision a rickshaw-like vehicle that Sam could sit in and I could pull along behind me. The design I had in mind would have a single wheel, kind of like a wheelbarrow if you pulled it instead of pushed it. A single wheel would make it more maneuverable and less likely to get hung up on rocks and roots, and would also mean that the rickshaw's width wouldn't be an issue on "single-track" trails. I figured the handles of the rickshaw could attach to me with a sturdy waist belt, like one used on an external-frame backpack, but I wasn't sure if that would make it stable enough.

I started searching the internet for a vehicle like the one I had in mind. At the same time, I also searched specifically for devices meant for transporting disabled people on trails. There are all kinds of contraptions made to improve the mobility of people with disabilities, so I figured there had to be something out there. It wasn't long before I found a few references to the TrailRider:

Click here to see an image of the "TrailRider" in a new window.

The TrailRider is a custom setup created by someone associated with The Disability Foundation and The British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society. It's clearly big enough for an adult passenger and thus requires two people, one on either end, to support it and keep it moving. It does have the single-wheel design that I had in mind though, so that made me think I was at least on the right track. Unfortunately, that was really the only vehicle I found in my searches that was specifically designed for the task of backcountry travel. (More about the TrailRider here and here.)

I began to think that I might have to either build something myself or talk to a jog stroller/bike trailer company about commissioning a prototype. At that point I came across a particular jog stroller with some unique features. Specifically, I found this:

Click here to see a picture of an intriguing contraption.

In short, it's a jog stroller/bike trailer type cart, but with a "Hiking Kit" attachment that looks like a shoulder harness attached to long rickshaw-like handles.

I investigated. The "stroller" with the optional hiking kit is made by Chariot Carriers. The more I read, the more the gearhead in me started to salivate. On paper, these things are nice. One Chariot transforms into multiple devices with the easy configuration of various attachments. It's a jog stroller, a bike trailer, and yes, a rickshaw for hiking or cross-county skiing. (Chariot Carriers makes a few different models. I considered the "Cougar" and the "CX". They both can use the same attachments, so I'll just refer to them generically as "Chariots".)

Click here for a small image of a Chariot with the hiking attachment in use.

Click here to browse the various Chariot attachments.

Besides the slick attachment system, the Chariots have other really nice features that are either not found on other "strollers" or are just done much better. Adjustable leaf-spring suspension. 20" wheels (with aero rims). Drum brakes. Nifty ventilation designs. The list goes on.

At this point, there was a disgusting puddle of drool on my keyboard, but I still had serious questions about whether a Chariot would really work for what I wanted to do. The problems I could foresee mostly resulted from the two-wheel design. It seemed pretty wide from the photos and specs, and there didn't seem to be much ground clearance. That didn't bode well for serious hikes. There was also the huge question of whether Sam would be comfortable in it.

In then end, I decided that the only way to know if it would work or not would be to try it. As expensive as the Chariots are, the cost of one would be much less than the cost of me trying to design and build one myself, and the ease of buying one online meant near-instant gratification. So, a few days and several hundred dollars later, I was the proud owner of a Chariot Carriers CX-1, complete with the jogging kit, the bike trailer attachment, and yes, the hiking kit.

Yosemite Sam, Part 1 — Preface

The conversation went something like this:

Me: "So how would you feel about me going to Yosemite for a long weekend?"
Wife: "You can go anywhere you want, as long as you take Sam."

Suuure, take Sam to Yosemite with me. An absurd idea (as absurd as me leaving Mindy with all three kids for four days, I guess), so of course I took it as a challenge. Then my mind quickly jumped from "I'll take Sam camping" to "I'm gonna figure out a way to get Sam into the backcountry with me." Oh boy....

[For anyone reading this who doesn't know Sam, he's our sweet, lovable, but severely disabled three-year-old boy. He doesn't walk, can't sit up on his own, can't feed himself, doesn't talk, is prone to apnea, and has a host of other medical and non-medical issues that make his day-to-day care a big physical and emotional challenge. Taking him away from home for any length of time is usually a pretty big undertaking, so that's why a camping and hiking trip with him seemed so outlandish. We have two other kids: Jackson is 6, and Clara is 3 months. I knew that leaving Mindy with all three of them for any longer than a work day was probably out of the question. But hey, can't hurt to ask, right? More about Sam and the rest our family on Mindy's blog.]

So setting aside the Yosemite trip idea, I started thinking up schemes to somehow tote Sam along on some real hikes. Just think... — I started hearing the voice of a madman in my brain — ...solve this little problem and you'll be able to get out every weekend! Week-long backpacking trips in the Sierras! Trekking in Nepal! Freedom, sweet freedom! Yes!

Ahem. Anyway, I quickly came up with two obvious options:

• A child-carrier backpack
• A jogging stroller

I nixed the backpack idea pretty quickly, mostly because with Sam's low muscle tone, I thought it would be too hard on him to bounce around on my back for long periods of time, having to keep his head up. And Sam weighs 30 lbs. now, so his weight plus the pack plus our food and gear for a climb up Kilimanjaro day's hike and I'd likely have close to 50 lbs. on my back. Not terrible, but not ideal either. I'm also not a big fan of people puking on my neck. Kids, always looking for new and interesting ways to throw up on you.

The jog stroller idea didn't thrill me either, for a variety of reasons. We currently have a nice jog stroller that we paid way too much money for, and Sam doesn't do well in it at all. It's just not supportive or adjustable enough to make him comfortable for any length of time. Of course there are dozens of jog strollers on the market, so I'm sure that I could find one better suited for him. But jog strollers become pretty hard to push when the going gets steep, or sandy. That got me to thinking though — when I'm pushing a kid in a stroller across some sand, like at the beach or the park, I often turn the stroller around and pull it. Much easier that way. I wondered if there was some kind of contraption I could put Sam in and pull over rough terrain. Hmmm....