CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A Chicago man is back from hiking the Trans Bhutan Trail that just reopened after sixty years.
The 250-mile trek along the Himalayas is the latest in a series of challenges he’s faced.
Patrick Wingert got divorced, got sober and lost his lower right leg in the last three-and-a-half years. When he learned the trail was reopening to foreigners, he applied for a visa and was shocked at how quickly it was accepted.
He had been fascinated with the south Asian country since his high school days at Lyons Township and figured he was up for the challenge after working with a physical trainer and really testing the prosthetic leg he’s been using since a 2020 car accident.
During his five flights to get there in late October, the 37-year-old started to question his decision since he had never been to Asia or traveled without friends or family.
The 28-day trek over 14 mountain passes was the hardest thing he’s ever done and hopes his story is an inspiration to others.
“It doesn’t necessarily need to be someone who lost a limb, maybe it’s someone who struggles with their weight or has a drinking problem or whatever it might be. You can literally do anything you want, you just have to put your mind to it,” Wingert said.
Wingert’s guide and others he encountered on his trip told him he’s the first American and below-the-knee amputee to hike the whole trail.
It was about 250 miles or the equivalent of walking from Joliet to St. Louis - but with 14,000 feet of elevation.
Back home in West Town since last week, Wingert is working with the Chicago-based Dare2Tri charity that encourages people with disabilities to compete in triathlons.
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