Regular wheelchairs provide a great way for those with mobility disabilities to get around and remain independent. But they do have some limitations. For example, it’s hard to wheel yourself through the woods, across a stream, or in the snow. This is especially problematic if you love to hunt and fish, like Josh Hotaling does.
Hotaling was a marine in the Mine Sweep 1st Battalion serving in Afghanistan, until one day he woke up in a German hospital to find he was missing both of his legs. He had stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED), a simple mistake but one that would forever change his life. “When I woke up… and saw my mom, my first thought was, ‘Thank God I’m alive.’ I hoped my mistake of stepping on the IED hadn’t hurt anyone else,” said Hotaling.
Hotaling was given an Action Trackchair by The Honor Group, a nonprofit dedicated to educating students and communities about the needs of veterans. Unlike regular wheelchairs and transport chairs, the Action Trackchair is an all-terrain wheelchair, designed to go across everything from snowy mountains to sandy beaches. They come in different sizes for both kids and adults and have a wide variety of colors including red, green, yellow, pink, and camo. There’s even a model called the Trackstander that allows those without the use of their legs to move around standing rather than sitting.
Thanks to the Action Trackchair, Hotaling has been able to continue his hobbies of hunting and fishing.