First of all, thank you for the prayers, well wishes and for your donations to the Foundation for Blind Children. The last four weeks have been incredible. Yancey, Ben and I have experienced an amazing adventure. The Arizona Trail does not disappoint ones expectations. Now as I sit here writing this all I can think about is how much I want to get back to the trail.

As many of you know, I injured my right leg in the Four Peaks Passage. I am not sure which trip, slip, kick or fall caused it, but by the middle of the next day I was limping. After a scheduled two day rest in Phoenix I assumed that I would be ok to return to the hike. Unfortunately, I was wrong. After a 16 mile hike on the 29th I knew I needed to have my leg checked out. Leaving the trail was the hardest decision of the trip. Fortunately my injury is not serious. The doc said to lay off it for a week or two. I am hoping that I can get back on the trail this Sunday. Regardless of how long it takes I will find a way to complete this hike-A-Thon.

I am still in awe by what we have already accomplished. This trail is not an easy hike for anyone. We have experienced some really challenging yet beautiful terrain. I find it amazing to hear nothing of the modern world for days. We have run across three rattle snakes, a bull snake, desert tortoise, two heal monsters, deer, lots of cows and horses. The sounds of birds are a constant and it is interesting how many different types there are.

Many times the trail is not more than a line on the GPS and an occasional cairn. Yancey and Ben have become quite adept at figuring out where we need to go. Without their help I could not have made it this far. Anthony’s logistical help has been a serious blessing. Thanks to all three of you for helping this blind guy out. This experience has helped us grow as friends and people.

We have now completed 22 of the 42 passages totaling 397 miles of the 807 mile trek. There are two more major hiking challenges left, the Mazatals and the Grand Canyon passages. I am told that the other 18 passages are not quite as difficult, but incredibly beautiful.

The main issue for me at this point is who is going to guide me for the last two weeks. Yancey and Ben have to go back to work on the 16th. If things go according to plan this should get me pretty close to Flagstaff. I have the weekends covered, but I am still looking for some guides through the two weeks after the 16th. I have faith that it will all work out.

This hike is not about me. It is about giving some great blind kids an opportunity to live a better quality of life. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to meet some of these kids a couple of months ago. Their spark for life truly inspired me. Many times when I was sore and tired, thinking of them helped keep me going. I will not give up and I will make it to Utah!

God Bless

Mike Armstrong

Hi, In case you haven’t heard, I am going on another crazy hike for the Foundation for Blind Children. This time I am going to hike the 807 mile Arizona Trail. I am putting on a fund raising event to help promote this trek. One month from today 2/12/11 I am giving an inspirational speech followed by an unplugged jam with my band Echotribe. Again the date is Saturday February 12th from 6 to 8 PM. This will be at Shiloh Community Church on 32nd street just north of Union Hills. We will be taking donations at the door and we will also have a raffle with all kinds of cool stuff. It would be awesome to see you there. If funds are tight, don’t worry about it, come check out what my hike up Kilimanjaro was like and listen to some good music. If you would like some more information about this event or my hike, please go to blindmotivation.com. Thanks, Mike,

As some of you may know, On June 25, 26 and 27 I was a competitor in the 2010 Adventure Teem Challenge. The first time I had ever heard of this race was just three weeks prior to the event. This is when I was asked to be on a team. Although I had never been Mountain Biking or White Water Rafting, I decided to take the challenge and go for it. I must say that it was one of the most gratifying events I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. I found the ATC to be an incredible opportunity for handicapped and able bodied athletes to truly test their endurance, strength and will to succeed. As a blind man I found the mix of Mountain Biking, Zip Line, White Water Rafting and Trail Running/Hiking, exhilarating. The entire program from start to finish was top notch and getting to experience the Rocky Mountains in this manner was amazing! All of the legs of the race were well thought out and ran extremely well. I felt the element of danger only added excitement and was augmented by the close attention to safety. The two day competition is extremely challenging for both the handicapped and able bodied teammates alike, but this is what helps make the experience so valuable. The team (Cisco/EyeCandy) I was on worked together to find ways to persevere through each new adversity. We built bonds and friendships that I believe will last a lifetime. In many ways we were all surprised at what we could achieve together. John, Ted, Tim and Neal were awesome guys and exceptional athletes. We laughed, sweat and suffered our way into second place. We were beat by Lumber Liquidators (Eric Weihenmeyers team) by 24 minutes. We had a couple of mishaps including missing a couple of check in points and breaking a chain on the tandem bike. Those kinds of things just helped keep it more interesting. I personally look for activities that challenge the status quo, well this fit that description. I would highly recommend the Adventure Team Challenge to anyone. Things like this event help reinvent what is and is not a handicap. The rewards are far reaching and inspirational to all. I am truly looking forward to next years ATC! Sincere Thanks to all involved in the Adventure Team Challenge! Mike Armstrong, /The Drum Sensei,

Hey All, I wanted to let everyone know about another adventure that I am heading out on. Two weeks ago I was asked to join the Cisco Adventure Team for the World Team Challenge. This is a race through the Rocky Mountains consisting of; rock climbing, hiking, trail running, white water rafting and mountain biking. Of course I accepted. I am leaving early Friday morning and will be getting back on Sunday night. If you get a chance check out all the other crazy things I have going on at blindmotivation.com. .Mike the Drum Sensei.

Hey All we are headlining our first gig at Martini Ranch on this Friday, June 4th. It would be awesome to see you there. I recently picked up a second kick drum for my Tama Kit. It really sounds sweet. If you come to this show please let me know what you think of it. Thanks for your support! Mike /The Drum Sensei,

Hey in case you haven’t heard, we are playing tomorrow night 5/21 at Mardi Gras. It is in Scottsdale and we start about ten. We hope to see you there! Mike the Drum/Sensei,

martini ranch 4-30-2010

Hey All, We will be playing a show this Friday at Martini Ranch at 9. It is located in Old Town Scottsdale. It should be pretty sick. We are opening up for an amazing band called Vayden. If you can make it, we would love to see you there! Mike (Drum Sensei) -

hello everyone,

you can now receive echotribe updates (i.e. next show dates/etc) delivered straight to your cellular device!  Just text: “echotribe” to 41411 and you will join the Echotribe street team.  Just a disclaimer though - you will receive an “ad” text message following any update we send.  Standard text rates apply (whatever your cell plan rates are).  Hope to see you as part of our “texting” community!